According to this theory, the potential development varies according to the level at which the learning takes place. It is composed of cognitive structures that are in the process of maturation, but that can only be developed with the guidance and collaboration of third parties. Vygotsky was a cognitivist, but he disagreed with the assumption that learning was independent of the social context. He considered that all cognitive functions originate in social interactions and that learning not only ivolves the assimilation and adaptation of new knowledge by students. For Vygotsky it is a process in which the learners are integrated into a community of knowledge.
