The goal of improving our educational system for the benefit

If there is one leang that binds all our readings together, it is the goal of improving our learningal trunk for the benefit of our student and their future. Despite the debates alive(p)ly taking place and the battles educational institutions are fighting for, there remains a consensus, a middle ground where all enkindle meet and be in agreement. And that is the drive towards developing our children into the take up individuals they can possibly be, ready to take on bigger and more than challenging roles in the future.This using starts the moment life breathes into a child. This continues as he or she grows and matures. alone we do not expect all children to develop at the same time, in the same manner, at the same pace, because as Tanner (1978) pointed out, children possess a tempo of appendage, meaning, round play out their growth andante, others allegro, a few lentissimo (cited in Hetherington and Parke, 1993, p. 90).This fact led me to assess what theorist Vygotsky t ermed as zona of proximal development or ZPD in the resort area and in my host instructors classroom to explore the distance between the actual development level of students as determined by their free problem resolving and the level of potential development as determined by their problem solving under adult supervision or in coaction with more able-bodied peers (cited in Thomas, 2000, pp. 308-309). Since Vygotsky cogitate on cognitive and mental development in exploring childrens ZPD, my seek will explore the strong-arm signs of development by which students manifest ZPD.My observation started with kids in the playground. I watched as a group of children compete chasing each other, climbing poles, taking slides, swinging and running around, jumping in ropes, and exhibiting tons of energy. I sight their bodies are small and fragile, yet they are very strong and eager to engage in active and tireless play. I picked two kids to talk to one was a nine-year old boy, 49 long- stalked and 110 lbs. heavy, and the other was a miss about the same age, 47 in prime and appears relatively thin for her age. Both are actively engaged in playing with their friends, entirely differ in backgrounds, maturity, and level of reasoning and thinking.The girl came from humble roots, with only a relative to take pull off of her. I noticed a level of sincerity, maturity, and truthfulness for her age. She said she prefers studying more than playing because she regards education as a stepping stone to fulfill her dream of improving her familys life. On the other hand, the boy came from an affluent family. As I was talking to him, I noticed that his mind was not in our conversation, as he continuously gazed at his playmates showing uninte sculptural reliefed to my queries. He claimed he prefers playing than studying because he usually achieves the fun he wants in the playground and not in the classroom.My journey in exploring childrens ZPD led me to my host teachers class in Laggard High School. Before the eldest period, Earth Science, I was introduced to the class and the students wel acclaimd me with subtle smiles and greetings. I immediately took note of their different body structures that ranged from thin to big, but majority were of the normal structure for their age. My host teacher started the banter with a recap of the prior lesson. This was her strategy to get students attention, at the same time, gauge the memory and knowledge of her students.She connected the previous head with the lesson for the day for them to easily follow the discussion and thus, a smooth transition of topics. The students cooperated as they listened attentively to what she was saying. However, she disliked this silence because she wants her students to participate in the discussion by actively reciting or raising a incertitude or clarification. Thus, she encouraged them to raise their hand if they think and feel like they cannot follow what she was saying or th ey simply want to add or say something to the class. And so some students started raising their hands and stood up. genius student seated at the back waved at her and asked her to repeat what she just said because this student did not hear clearly what the teacher said another persistently raised her hand and called out to her, supplementing the discussion with some of her thoughts and ideas.Furthermore, my host teacher encouraged a collaborative style of learning, in which a student will assist another student in understanding the lessons. Not only does help come from my host teacher and her assistant teacher, but also from students themselves. The more capable students moved out from their chairs to go to their less capable classmates. They started opening their notes and engaged in chit-chats. One even pretended she was the teacher and went in front of the class to make a point. Another used his forefinger to stress strategic facts in his notes at the same time made use of hand gestures to express himself. Others, who were being taught, simply nodded in agreement and thanked the more capable classmates for tutoring. This was a clear evidence of scaffolding or adjusting or modifying the mannikin and amount of support given to the students that is best fitted to their level of development (Hetherington and Parke, 1993, p.333).My host teacher, aware that her students have vary levels of knowledge absorption and mental capacity, modified the support she gives to the class by letting more capable students assist less capable ones, since she knows she cannot focus on each one of them. This allows the more capable students to percent their knowledge and the less capable students to cope up with and follow the lessons, thus a harmonious classroom environment is encouraged and a uniform level of development is reached. Moreover, as I stayed longer in the classroom, I realized that students present ZPD only with the people they trust and admire.While some call ed my assistance, others still regarded me as an alien and hesitated to ask for my help. I found this claim more evident in the next session, as some students grew noisy and unruly. With just one stern look or a thumbs-down signal from my host teacher and every single mouth shuts up. Therefore, for all students to reach the desired ZPD, more capable students, who possess the office to solve problems on their own and with the help of their teacher, should help out those who cannot solve problems independently. Also, for ZPD to take effect, trust and respect should primarily be accomplished.ZPD comes with time and effort. We can gauge students ZPD by their strong-arm activeness either in the playground or in the classroom, as they energetically play with their playmates, and raise their hands in recital or use hand gestures in expressing themselves, respectively. The physical development of one child does not rest solely on his or her height or weight, as both the two kids in the playground and the students in the classroom exhibited activeness and flexibility in their own ways.Furthermore, less physical development in children does not mean less emotional and cognitive development, as evident in the girl who demonstrated more maturity and intelligence in answering my queries, and the more capable students, of normal body structures, who established more knowledge and problem solving skills. In addition, the environment where a child grows up or lives in with creates a huge impact on his or her development, as manifested by the simple beginnings of the girl who valued education more than anything else, the affluent upbringing of the boy who considered playing as more important than studying, and the students in the classroom, taught by their teacher to value collaboration in learning.Although these are little signs of childrens physical development, these are significant indicators that will lead them to develop socially in their dealings with their parents, classmates, teachers, friends, and neighbors emotionally in facing life and its situations maturely and cognitively with a deep understanding of things and problem solving techniques. My research can help parents realize that they should give their children enough freedom to have fun and enjoy their childhood, but at the same time, instill the value of education. Teachers, too, can benefit from my research, in that they should encourage peer collaboration in the classroom for students to express themselves physically and cognitively. Learning about students ZPD is one way educational institutions can help guarantee that knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving, are imparted in our students, thus the goal of developing our children into the best individuals they can possibly be, is realized.ReferencesHetherington, E.M. and Parke, R. (1993). Child Psychology A contemporary viewpoint(4th ed.). New York McGraw-Hill, Inc.Thomas, R.M. (2000). Comparing theories of child developm ent (5th ed.). CaliforniaWadsworth/Thomson Learning.