Zone of Proximal Development¶
Run the ZPD Three Zones Fullscreen
About This MicroSim¶
Three concentric circles visualize Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development: the innermost zone shows what the learner can do independently, the middle ring is the ZPD (tasks achievable with support), and the outer ring represents what the learner cannot do yet. A scaffolding slider expands the ZPD boundary outward, visualizing the core claim that today's supported task becomes tomorrow's independent task.
Explore Mode: Hover over any zone to see its definition, a classroom example, and the design implication for intelligent textbooks.
Quiz Mode: A learning task is described. Click the zone that best matches where the task sits for the described student.
Learning Objective (Bloom level: Apply): Given a description of a learner and a task, identify whether the task sits inside the learner's independent zone, ZPD, or out-of-reach region.