How we learn has been studied a lot, there are books and books on the theory of learning and the best methods of teaching. But one Soviet psychologist in 1935 came up with a theory that is taught to teachers all over the world. Let me introduce Mr. Lev Vygotsky.
I was walking through the Gothic centre of Barcelona last year and noticed how everything was closed. Shops, bars, restaurants, the lot. Nothing was open. I mentioned it in one of my English classes the day after when someone told me that over 35% of stores in Barcelona centre have gone bankrupt. And that’s probably not the full picture. This pandemic has impacted us all!
During that time, many people decided to get back to language learning. And why not, it was a time of staying at home and not being able to do the recreational things that we used to, we couldn’t go to the shops because just like in Barcelona, they were all closed.
I meet many people feel that, even though they are studying, they are not moving forward with language learning.
Language learning has slowly risen to the top of many peoples “to-do list”. But many people have become frustrated because even though they are studying, they don’t feel they are moving forward. And it’s probably true, they’re not moving forward.
In my last post How Not To Forget? Retaining What You Learn. I wrote about how to keep what we have learned, in our brains. But there is another aspect of learning that is crucial, and that is where Vygotsky comes in. He introduced the world to the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). But what is that?
Zygotsky defined it like this “The distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.”
To say this a little more simply, people learn when they are guided by those that have more skills in the subject that they are learning. And they also learn when they build on the skills that they already have and stretch themselves to acquire new skills that are within the zone of proximal development.
The really important thing here is the “guided by those that have more skills”. That is quite simply a teacher, someone who can move you from the place where you are, through the Zone of Proximal Development where you learn new skills. This is where language learning happens, this is where progress happens and this is achieved when guided by a teacher.
So yes, maybe you’re learning with an app, or listening to podcasts and watching English shows with English subtitles and this is amazing, to have that level of motivation and commitment is truly great. But to make real progress, to move through the Zone where you can independently do things is where real learning takes place, you need to be guided by a teacher.
And, if you want to retain what you have learned, you need to refresh that learning periodically in line with the forgetting curve. Have a look at that previous post here.
