Teaching is not simply a matter of standing in front of a class and distributing knowledge to a group of students. Teaching is a much more complex procedure that requires educators to consider a variety of educational components in order to maximize the student's true potential. Teachers are responsible for meeting the needs of a group of students with a wide range of needs and therefore have an obligation to meet the needs of students with different levels of ability, knowledge, understanding, pre-exposure and background using a variety of strategies including scaffolding. The teacher must also consider the variable speed at which students learn, and therefore be able to cater for all students regardless of their learning pace and ability, as well as understand the development of a student's understanding in educational environments and therefore be able to adapt learning activities to meet the needs of their students. This essay will discuss teaching concepts, including the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, as well as scaffolding concepts to assist in learning. The Zone of Proximal Development is an educational concept developed by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, defined as "the distance between the actual developmental level determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development determined through problem solving under guidance or in collaboration with a more capable peer" (McKellin et. al, 2011) which "derives from the identification of a strong need to adapt learning activities, both traditional classroom and modern e-learning, to the current state of knowledge and skills of the learner” (De Marsico, Sterbini and Temperini, 2013.) The concept of the Zone of Proximal Development...... middle of the sheet...rrissey, A. and Brown, P. (2009). child in the zone of proximal development for pretend play as a predictor of higher child IQ. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(2), pp.106--120.JournalRubinstein-Avila, F.Scaffolding Content and Language Demands for " Reclassified" StudentsIn-text: (Rubinstein-Avila, 2014)Bibliography: Rubinstein-Avila, F. (2014). Scaffolding content and language needs for “reclassified” students. Voices from the Middle, 20(4), pp.32-33.JournalShabani, K., Khatib, M. and Ebadi, S.Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: educational implications and professional development of teachers.In the text: (Shabani, Khatib and Ebadi, 2010) Bibliography: Shabani, K., Khatib, M. and Ebadi, S. (2010). Vygotsky's zone of proximal development: educational implications and professional development of teachers. English language teaching, 3(4).