When capacity, trust, & meaning are enough, learners readily stop at the intrigue of something that grabs their attention. They lean in, eagerly asking “Huh? Wait, what?”
When capacity, trust, and meaning are enough, learners freely engage new conundrums, puzzling over them, and working independently and in collaborative spirit to get to a moment of “A-ha! I figured it out. It all makes sense.”
(Read an introduction to the model or dive into the details.)
A theory for also explaining not-learning
But when any of capacity, trust, and meaning are found wanting – when we fear that we, others, and/or the curriculum might not be enough – then we find ways to dissociate and avoid the pain of failure. Learn more about the theory and the ways we protect ourselves in learning’s refusal.
Schooling matters 