His concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, or ZPD, is much revered and applied in today’s cognitive psychology and education fields. I first learned about him in my master’s program, and we dissected his methods frequently at Stanford.
He was an educational psychologist primarily interested in how children learn and develop and how society can influence and enhance a child’s cognitive and social development. If you ever wake up and think, “Gosh, I just love how as a parent, society gives me no respect, gratitude, or support.” And you wonder, “How can I get more of the same?” Well, you might decide to go into early childhood education! Should you decide to get an advanced degree-since, as we know, you are in it for the money-you will undoubtedly come across the name of Lev Vygotsky.
