Instructional Design: You Can't Learn Something When Somebody Else Does It For You
Sometimes interesting things can jump out at you from the television. I happened across a television program called Spirit Connection that was describing the hidden problem of homelessness in St. John's, Newfoundland. A woman once homeless was learning to work as a cook in a restaurant. More importantly she was rebuilding her life.
She twice stated that you can't learn something when somebody else does it for you while describing how other people had helped her back on to her feet. She was learning new skills by doing them and having others help her when she needed help. Her motivation was pure and profound.
Yet I think this woman has somehow said something very simple yet more powerful - she was learning to live a better life. The depth of learning that the homeless and destitute in our societies experience must be quite profound since it originates deep within our primal instincts for survival.
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"She was learning new skills by doing them and having others help her when she needed help." In the educational psychology literature, when a learning experience like the previous is planned and orchestrated; that is, the assistance is gradually removed when a level of competence is ensured while a level of challenge remains, it is referred to as "scaffolding". This strategy is often used in the instruction of performance-based activities - which could include "critical thinking". However, the learner is not always directing the pace.