Vygotsky TIPR

1. In my field experience I noticed that either the teacher was the MKO or one of the students who understood a specific area better than other students was the MKO. The teacher would often walk around the class and and give aid, hints, or advice to the students who were working on an assignment—acting as a sort of scaffolding for them. The teacher seemed to know his student’s zones of proximal development because he helped some students more than others. Often times the teacher would tell a student to get help from a certain student or to ask their neighbor for help. I don’t know if this was out of laziness or if he just wanted the students to help each other out. 
2. It seems that the main needs for the students was to simply understand exactly what they were being asked to do. The teacher is great, but often times rushes over his instructions—making them not very clear. I think it would be very beneficial for the students to be given step by step instructions rather than giving all the instructions at once and hoping they remember each step. It would also be very helpful to demonstrate/give an example of a task you want the students to accomplish. 
3. When I teach my mini lesson I hope to discern which students have a deeper understanding of history so that I can call on them to help their peers. I will act as a type of scaffolding for the students by aiding them but not giving them “the answers”.  I hope to establish an environment in the classroom where students feel comfortable to ask questions and share ideas. I hope that the environment will even cause student’s private and inner speech to be positive and hopeful, rather than negative.