Nancy Adams

I selected Vygotsky’s work because it was a source of growth and direction for me. Reading this while pursuing my doctorate in adult education was one of the highlights of my entire program because it helped me to make sense of so many of the concepts that were discussed in my program. This book — the wellspring of concepts such as "zone of proximal development" in education — inspired me to investigate cultural historical activity theory, which then directly influenced my dissertation research in the area of problem-based learning. This slim volume is ubiquitously cited but one wonders: how many have actually read it? Read this book, and it just might change the lens through which you view the world.