Zone of Proximal Development

http://www.savagechickens.com/2009/09/wander-woman.html

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers" (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86).

This was one of my "AHA" moments in my education classes. Really just giving me a term to use for something I instinctually knew... Just outside your comfort zone is a great place for you to grow and learn. Too far, and the challenge seems insurmountable.

Had anyone told me before moving out of my parents' house that I would someday be living in the middle of the ocean I would not have believed them. WHO does that? Well, first I moved an hour away for college. Then I lived on a ship for a few years and sailed the Great Lakes. Moved farther away in Michigan...then to Wisconsin, then to Canada...and Florida, then Guam. Incrementally farther from where I grew up.

Is it easy to keep moving? Yes and no. Hard to leave friends and a place you have gotten quite accustomed to. Hard to organize everything you own and keep up with the paperwork involved with a move. Every time there's a little excitement in the idea that there will be new places to explore...new friends to make, and new adventures to have....just outside your comfort zone.

Granted, the definitions I copied from the Google dictionary were always the #2 definition... I take that to mean that it's the "updated version"...

Both of our mothers have stated that we have "gypsy genes". I think I may have eluded to this in a previous blog post. Nick's mom just had her DNA analyzed and it turns out that she is "99% European and 1% Oceania". In case you don't know where "Oceania" is, it's the part of the world where we currently reside. If you don't know where Europe is, I'm not going to help you. Google it. Google lots of other stuff too...you have lots to learn and need to get out more.


Why suddenly bring up the topic of exploring or going outside your comfort zone when I haven't actually written about anything else for quite a while? Well, we were supposed to move to an even smaller island last summer, but obviously did not. (maybe it was not in our ZPD). It seems that our time here in Guam may be coming to an end...this is one of the longer stays we've had in one place and are not sure we're ready to go yet...but maybe we are getting too comfortable...on to a bigger island....oh, and a new travel-ready job for me. Maybe we're stretching our ZPD just a tad.

We still don't know how to answer when people ask where we are from, and it keeps getting harder.