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Jordan and Will sit down with Dr. John Almarode to explore the difference between challenge and true struggle. They discuss how educators can find the right level of difficulty, recognize when students are stuck, and respond without taking over the learning.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Challenge isn’t struggle: Challenge is difficult but manageable; struggle happens when existing skills and strategies no longer work.
- Don’t design for struggle: Aim for the right level of challenge instead.
- Response matters: What teachers and students do after struggle begins determines whether it becomes productive.
- Build better strugglers: Teach students strategies for getting themselves unstuck.
- Competence builds confidence: Success can prepare students to tackle harder tasks.
💬 Memorable Quotes
🗣️“We want them to know what to do when they don’t know what to do.”
🗣️“Competence leads to confidence, not the other way around.”
🗣️“We should not plan for struggle. Instead, we should plan for the right level of challenge.”
🧠 Strategies You’ll Learn
- Recognize the difference between challenge and struggle.
- Use prompts, cues, feedback, and scaffolding without taking over.
- Find the “Goldilocks” level of challenge.
- Build students’ metacognitive and self-regulation skills.
- Use previous success to build confidence for harder tasks.
➕ Additional Practices
- Make student thinking visible through discussion and formative assessment.
- Prompt students before providing answers.
- Adjust support without removing rigor.
- Explicitly teach strategies for getting unstuck.
- Reflect and adjust when multiple students struggle with the same task.
📚 Resources and Links
🔗 Links to John Almarode’s books: https://youthlight.com/browse.php?p=John+Almarode
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