Module 5: Threaded Discussion Question 2

What are the efficacy implications for teaching students inside the zone of proximal development?

Zone of Proximal Development- phase at which a child can master a task if given appropriate help and support

 

  Students who are in the Zone of Proximal Development  require large amounts of attention from parents and teachers in order to succeed and advance in their education and learning. Without the assistance of parents and teachers, students may not feel as competent and will be likely to not fully understand concepts and context well.  So how would teachers assess the levels of students in the Zone of Proximal Development zone?  No single method is used because there are various ways to attack the situation of student's success.  Teachers and parents must make sure they are aware of their student's/child's abilities to work by themselves. Whether or not they are successful in recognizing that will prove whether teachers' and parents' help will assist students in accomplishing their goals. 

Module 4: Threaded Discussion Question 1

"Adolescents appear to need more intense emotional stimulation than either children or adults."

During the adolescence stage, a child's brain releases new hormones that begin to further develop a child's body and mind. A very important stage, puberty, takes place during adolescence. Puberty is defined as "the period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction". An adolescent's emotional stage changes drastically, as new thoughts emerge in their heads. Appearance become a big part of a teen's thinking and that comes with the thought of "do I fit in?". The major implication that can be drawn from the above statement regarding instruction is that guidance in some form should be either offered or given to adolescents everywhere.

While peer-to-peer confrontation brings up good ideas that could stem from it, I feel as though it would not be very effective. If an adolescent has a problem, either internally or externally, I don't believe he or she will be able to find an answer or solution from a peer who is most likely dealing with the same problem. however, I do believe that by talking to a peer about a problem, an adolescent will feel more comfortable in sharing their problems, rather than talking to a parent or teacher.

The more effective form of instruction would be student-to-teacher confrontation. A teacher not only is an adult, but has passed through the adolescence stage and knows how to deal different situations and circumstances. more knowledge can passed down from teacher to student so the student can find the best resolution for the problem. Even though a student might not feel as comfortable confronting a teacher about his or her problem, in the end they will have a better idea of how to handle their certain situation.