8/18/2023 0 Comments Goldilocks just rightThus the terms Desirable Difficulty and Productive Struggle mean that for optimal language learning purposes, students need to meet with the kind of difficulty or struggle that is both desirable (affective dimension) and productive (cognitive dimension).Īn example of a language learning task that can engage students in productive struggles is project work. This is particularly so when they know that their efforts in completing the task can lead to clear and visible learning gains. However, when a difficult task is nicely packaged so that they spark students’ interest and curiosity, students become more willing and motivated to do their level best to complete the tasks. Students tend to avoid difficult tasks that require endless (and pointless) struggles. I like these two terms as they are more illuminating.Īs we all know, the words difficulty and struggle often have negative connotations. More recently, people have used less technical and more teacher friendly terms to describe the same principle, i.e., Desirable Difficulty and Productive Struggle. The just-right or Goldilocks principle is similar to Vygotsky’s concept of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), i.e., learning is optimal when our lesson is pitched at the students’ ZPD where they can acquire new knowledge using their own cognitive resources and/or in collaboration with their more capable peers. When you pitch your lesson at the right level, you can expect your students to be more engaged and as a result, learn a lot more. ![]() The materials are neither too easy nor too difficult, too simple nor too complex or too little nor too much. ![]() When you are presenting new materials that are ‘just right’ for your students, you are in essence applying the Goldilocks principle. The Goldilocks Principle: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold
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