Guidance Philosophy: Lev Vygotsky And Abraham Maslow

Guidance Philosophy Two of the theorist that have an influence toward my position regarding child guidance are Lev Vygotsky and Abraham Maslow. Vygotsky was born in 1896; he had many contributions to theories of child development. Vygotsky projected the term, zone of proximal development and also the idea of scaffolding in a child’s development. Abraham Maslow was born much later in 1908; he developed a theory that is known as “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs”. He believed that “a child’s most basic bodily or physiological needs, such as for sleep and food, must be met before we can attempt to help a child learn in school” (Marion, p. 48). Maslow and Vygotsky’s theories are important to me. The key elements in Vygotsky’s theory are zone of proximal development, which is sometimes referred to as ZPD, and scaffolding. Zone of proximal development is the space in which learning and development occur. The book describes ZPD by stating, “the focus is on a child’s current ability and what the child can accomplish with the help of an adult” (Marion, p. 45). Scaffolding on the other hand refers to a teacher changing or modifying their support as a child begins to develop new skills. These elements are similar to my own views regarding …show more content…
I believe by meeting all hierarchical levels and creating a safe, secure, and loving environment as well as a classroom community each child will be willing and ready to learn. An example of how I plan to help my students is by having morning meetings. I have limited influence on the home lives of students, but once they enter the school I am able to adapt instruction to meet their needs. Morning meetings will provide a daily routine or schedule. By providing this each student will feel a part of something which creates a sense of belongingness. The social and emotional aspect will be met by this point in time and all the activities throughout the day will also be