In play, the child is always behaving beyond his age, above his usual everyday behaviour; in play he is, as it were, a head above himself. Play contains in a concentrated form, as in the focus of a magnifying glass, all developmental tendencies; it is as if the child tries to jump above his usual level.

Learning is more than the acquisition of the ability to think; it is the acquisition of many specialized abilities for thinking about a variety of things.

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

What a child can do today with assistance, she will be able to do by herself tomorrow.

By giving our students practice in talking with others, we give them frames for thinking on their own.

The child begins to perceive the world not only through his [or her] eyes but also through his [or her] speech

A child’s greatest achievements are possible in play, achievements that tomorrow will become her basic level of real action.