Resources: Public Library

The local public library has been a gold-mine of language resources for us here in France.  We go about once or twice a week and march right up to the third floor which is dedicated to children's materials.  When we first arrived we focused only on audio resources and now we have graduated to reading more.  As we try to focus on materials within our ZPD (we know ~80% or more of the vocabulary), children's materials have given us plenty to work with.  Children's materials also provide a lot of foundational vocabulary that may be missing from an adult focused language program.

Types of materials we have found helpful:

• CDs of children's songs
• Children's non-fiction DVDs covering topics such as history, science, music, cooking, etc.
• Children's magazines
• Children's audio books
• Busy books (books with pictures that portray a lot of actions) - for pictures to describe and discuss with language helpers
• Children's encyclopedias

My Zone of Proximal Development in French

Children are not the only ones who have ZPDs.  Learners of other language also have very definable ZPDs as they learn and grow in their participation with the words and people of those languages.

The following pictures represent many of the vocabulary words that are within my ZPD right now in French:

Zone of Proximal Development Part 4: Participants

An infant's Zone of Proximal Development would probably include such participants as his mother and father, extended family members, and any other caretakers.  Inclusion in an infant's ZPD would also depend on the adults' level and intention of direct communication with the infant.  At the earliest stages of language learning in an infant's life, he is only able to participate well in the realm of direct interaction.  He is not participating in the language that goes on around him, but rather only that language which includes him.

This does not mean he is not benefiting from the language that is going on around him.  For instance, he benefits phonetically and phonologically from the background noise of his mother tongue, meaning he is sub-consciously gaining an understanding for the sound system of the language.

Zone of Proximal Development Part 3: Vocabulary

An infant's ZPD might include comprehension of vocabulary like 'milk, juice, cracker, water, and night-night.'  When the parent says these words directly to the infant, the infant can participate in the communication by responding with physical gestures.

For example, we have all seen a pre-verbal child throw a fit about wanting something that he can't express and his mother says "do you want milk?" - the fit continues; "do you want water?" - the fit continues; "do you want juice?" - the child quiets down and nods his head.  The child has just participated in the communication process and shown obvious ability to understand his parent.

The opposite example also illustrates this well.  The example of a pre-verbal child playing contently after dinner until his father says, "okay, its time to go night-night," and the child begins to cry.  Again, he has proven that the word 'night-night' is within his ZPD even though he has yet to verbalize the words.

Zone of Proximal Development Part 2

The Language Zone of Proximal Development grows in two ways:

1. Vocabulary
2. Participants

I will go into more detail on each of these in the next few posts.

Zone of Proximal Development Part 1

The Zone of Proximal Development refers to the realm of an activity (in our case language and culture) in which a learner can function (or participate) well.

What would be an infant's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) for language acquisition?  What about for music?  Literacy?  Eating?  Motor Skills?  Etc.

I will be giving more details concerning ZPD, as it relates to language development, in the next few posts. Stay Tuned.