<P> Alternatively, Vygotsky saw natural, spontaneous development as important, but not all - important . He believed that children would not advance very far if they were left to discover everything on their own . It's crucial for a child's development that they are able to interact with more knowledgeable others . They would not be able to expand on what they know if this wasn't possible . He noted cultural experiences where children are greatly helped by knowledge and tools handed down from previous generations . Vygotsky noted that good teachers shouldn't present material that is too difficult and "pull the students along ." </P> <P> Vygotsky argued that, rather than examining what a student knows to determine intelligence, it is better to examine his or her ability to solve problems independently and his or her ability to solve problems with an adult's help . He proposed a question: "if two children perform the same on a test, are their levels of development the same?" He concluded that they were not . However, Vygotsky's untimely death interrupted his work on the zone of proximal development, and it remained mostly incomplete . </P> <P> Since Vygotsky's original conception, the definition for the zone of proximal development has been expanded and modified . The zone of proximal development is an area of learning that occurs when a person is assisted by a teacher or peer with a skill set higher than that of the subject . The person learning the skill set cannot complete it without the assistance of the teacher or peer . The teacher then helps the student attain the skill the student is trying to master, in hopes that the teacher will no longer be needed for that task . </P> <P> Any function within the zone of proximal development matures within a particular internal context that includes not only the function's actual level but also how susceptible the child is to types of help, the sequence in which these types of help are offered, the flexibility or rigidity of previously formed stereotypes, how willing the child is to collaborate, along with other factors . This context can impact the diagnosis of a function's potential level of development . </P>

The interaction between teacher and students creates a zone of proximal