Nudging Student Breakthrough

Yesterday, Emily asked if it wouldn't be appropriate to nudge students who are close to a breakthrough. Nelson answers that question on page 189: "we can't force or mandate breakthroughs in understanding. . . . We can't even pinpoint with certainty what understanding we need to provide for a particular student at a particular time. But we can provide a context in which better attitudes, behaviors, and products are nurtured, reinforced and supported." I believe in planned incidental training of children at the point of need. That's how they learn right from wrong and how to properly conduct themselves with other people. In fact, I can say that the best teaching times with my children were the times when I zeroed in on their curiosity which of course was aroused by design. But at some point in time (when they go to the institutionalized school) learning become a must activity. Children are evaluated on what they "know" about what they are suppose to learn at that time. Learning is no longer fun and satisfying. Someone else is prescribing what to learn and when to learn it. On the other side of the coin though is another problem: if we just left it up to students to decide what to learn and when to learn it, some students would choose to go fishing instead. Even in graduate school, students have to conform to taking classes they don't really care about, have assignments, must meet deadlines. Learning doesn't happen at the student's pace. What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.