<P> Vygotsky argued that, rather than examining what a student knows to determine intelligence, it is better to examine their ability to solve problems independently and 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 higher skill set . 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, until the teacher is no longer 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> <P> Vygotsky stated that we can't just look at what students are capable of doing on their own; we have to look at what they are capable of doing in a social setting . In many cases students are able to complete a task within a group before they are able to complete it on their own . He notes that the teacher's job is to move the child's mind forward step - by - step (after all, teachers can't teach complex chemical equations to first - graders). At the same time, teachers can't teach all children equally; they must determine which students are ready for which lessons . An example is the often - used accelerated reading program in schools . Students are assessed and given a reading level and a range . Books rated below their level are easy to read, while books above their level challenge the student . Sometimes students are not even allowed to check out books from the school library that are outside their range . Vygotsky argued that a major shortcoming of standardized tests is that they only measure what students are capable of on their own, not in a group setting where their minds are being pushed by other students . </P>

Who coined the term zone of proximal development and what does it mean