Logical Sequencing and the Zone of Proximal Development

When considering how to structure a class to be conducive to compositional processes, educators should reference social constructivist learning theories and remember that learner construction of knowledge is the product of social interaction, interpretation, and understanding (Vygotsky, 1962). To this end, educators can design activities that are grounded in these learning theories and provide opportunities for students to explore and experience musical concepts that will maximize their readiness to engage in composition.

Additionally, educators will need to design and implement an assessment of students’ prior knowledge and skills at the beginning of instruction to determine what initial learning tasks, or “entry points" (Wiggins, 2015), are at the appropriate challenge level for students’ skill levels. Educators can then design compositional activities according to students’ progress with their learning.

Educators should also consider how scaffolding can be structured to accommodate students’ various zones of proximal development and how scaffolding can be purposefully structured to assist students with reaching a new level of understanding. Scaffolding does not necessarily only have to originate from the educator; rather, knowledgeable peers may also provide scaffolding for their less knowledgeable colleagues (Bruner, 1986; Green, 2002 and 2008a).

Under this arrangement, students can be paired with more knowledgeable peers and transition from an observer-type role to one that is more active. Mindfulness of and responsiveness to a student’s pace shows respect for students, which is essential for co-creating a classroom culture that encourages them to employ their agency. Educators will, however, need to monitor how students engage with classroom activities as they could continually choose to silently disengage or even present disruptive behaviors due to fear of failure with creative activities (Burnard, 2012).

Additionally, educators need to consider how learning activities can be differentiated to accommodate students’ various zones of proximal development. They should take the care to foster opportunities that have students learn, experience, and manipulate musical concepts in some depth prior to composing, to maximize their readiness to engage in composition. Learning of skills and concepts should be logically sequenced so they can be built upon and provide students with the best opportunities for success. Finally, modeling, scaffolding, feedback, and encouragement, all of which are important in the creativity-based classroom, will need to be thoughtfully employed.