3.3

A key components of Vygotsky’s theory was that of students potential not only being measured by their current level of development when working independently, but also examining what children can accomplish with the help of a teacher.  This particular component reminded me of the current trend in schools toward a Response to Intervention model for determining whether a student has a learning disability.  Prior to adopting this model, students were given a cognitive assessment and an academic assessment and the results were compared to look for a severe discrepancy.  If students’ cognitive abilities were significantly higher than their academic performance, it was assumed that they must have a disability preventing them from accessing the full curriculum.  Now, we use levels of intervention with increasing adult support.  If a student fails to grow in the model, they would be considered for special education.  James emphasized the importance of the teacher when he said, “And it may well solemnize the teacher, and confirm in him a healthy sense of the importance of his mission, to fell how exclusively dependent upon his present ministrations in the way of his imparting conceptions the pupil’s future life is probably bound to be” (p. 82).