Kim is a college sophomore intent on pursuing a career in education. She is curious about the role of teachers in the "big picture" of the human community, how they help transmit the culture of a community along with motivating children to learn. A friend recommended that she read the writings of Lev Semenovich Vygotsky to learn what he wrote about the role of the teacher in society. Kim visited the following Website to learn about Vygotsky's view on the role of the teacher in society:

http://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Vygotsky.html

This activity contains 3 questions.

	One of the ideas that Kim found fascinating was Vygotsky's view on the zone of proximal development and its relationship to learning. What is the zone of proximal development and why is it important to educators?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	What is the role of play in knowledge and skill development, according to Vygotsky?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

	Why must an instructor know the basics of child development in order to be an effective teacher?   To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

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