"The problem with the middle.
Beginners don’t need anyone to hand them a challenge. Because everything is challenging.
People with advanced practices also don’t need to be given a challenge. When you have an advanced practice, you find challenge everywhere.
You seek it. You claim it. You experiment with it. You intentionally choose to interact with everything in a conscious, curious way.
You don’t wait for someone to tell you how to make something harder. Or, if necessary, how to make something easier.
You make adjustments. Because you’re in it. You’re there. Consciously engaging with the world around you as a way of being. "
...
"In the middle, you need other people to show you what to do. You’re constantly waiting for other people to deliver. And constantly disappointed when what they give you doesn’t live up to your expectations.
Once you step out of the middle, you get to make conscious decisions about what appeals to you and what you’re willing to try."
This sounds so familiar from teaching middle maths sets - in lower groups, once you work on the confidence and show pupils they can be successful, they are often keen to improve; similarly, students in higher sets usually have experienced doing well and believe in their own abilities enough to challenge themselves.
What can I do to encourage my pupils to get out of the middle?
