Meagan Smith

EDUC 501

September 8, 2016

EDUG 501 Module Assessment

Levs Vygotsky has a theory called the Zone of Proximal development

(ZPD). This zone is described as the distance between the actual

developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the

level of potential development as determined through problem solving under

adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers. This means that

there is an area of development between what students can accomplish on

their own with their prior knowledge and what they can accomplish with the

help of a teacher or a more educated peer. This theory is important to be

aware of and to take into consideration because it allows the teacher to be

aware of the developmental stage in which the students are currently at, and

what they can tangibly achieve. This reflects the concept of TPE 4.2 which

shares that teachers should understand and apply knowledge on the range

of typical and atypical child development. After being aware of the students

developmental stages, teachers can effectively deliver information that the

student will be able to grasp information within the students zone of

proximal development. It also deepens my understanding of TPE 4 as a

whole, which goes into detail about designing and planning instruction. An

example of this in the classroom would be to give a student a math problem.

The student, who is having trouble with the problem, is on one end on the
ZPD. With the help of teachers, tutors, or even his/her peers, this student can

reach his potential the other end of the ZPD. This is why it is impartant for

educators to be aware of the zones in which their students are

developmentally at. If a teacher goes up to the board and examines a

college-level math problem, the student will not be able to grasp it, because

it is out of their ZPD.

Universal Design for learning (UDL) is a set of curricular principles that

provides an understanding of how students learn and ways we can provide

means to access information. It is built on that basis that everyone is to have

equal access to high quality education, regardless of their social class,

gender, ethnicity, or disabilities. This means that in the classroom, some

students will have adjustments made for them so that they can learn with

the same quality as other students. UDL is made of three components:

Multiple means of representation, action/expression, and engagement. It is

the what, how and why? in designing education. It provides answers to the

questions like what resources?, How will the students show what they

learned? and Why do they have to learn about this? This relates to TPE

4.5 which shares that a teacher should promote student success by

providing opportunities for students to understand and advocate for

strategies that meet their individual learning needs... This shows that it is

an expectation of teacher to make flexible educational goals that can be

tailored to individual students needs. An example of the UDL in the

classroom would be a teacher adjusting instruction to fit the needs of the

students. So for instance, the teacher could use real life, day to day

examples of how they could use addition. The teacher could also tailor the

instruction for students who may need tangible manipulatives to truly grasp

the concept of addition.