Based on historical sources and publication records in the early 20th century, we suggest that Vygotsky's recognition of the 'paradox' in human learning and his conceptualisation of advanced thinking were largely influenced by Stanislavski's work in theatre. In this paper, we offer some evidence for this argument on Vygotsky's nascent system of concept development, which ultimately expanded the notion and process of education in modern society. We then provide our informed speculation on the ways in which Vygotsky might have constructed the zone of proximal development model as an integral part of concept development. We conclude our discussion with practical illustrations of creating ZPD in 21st century classroom contexts.