The Goldilocks Principle

“First, she tasted the porridge from the great big bowl.

‘This porridge is too hot!‘ she exclaimed.

Then she tasted the porridge from the middle-sized bowl.

‘This porridge is too cold,’ she said.

So she tasted the porridge from the little bowl.

‘Ahhh, this porridge is just right,’ she said happily, and she ate it all up.”

Like Goldilocks seeking the perfect bowl of porridge, subject experts should aim to create learning experiences that find the “just right” level of challenge.

Too easy and nothing sticks.

Too hard and people could disengage or feel overwhelmed.

This concept is neatly captured in Vygotsky’s famed ‘Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)’. It illustrates the sweet spot where learners are stretched just enough to grow, without feeling lost or discouraged.

The challenge with online learning is it’s often built as ‘one-size fits all’, particularly if it’s the on-demand formats.

But it needn’t be.

Diagnostic tools can help tailor challenges to each person’s ZPD.

Frequent check-ins can be used as a basis to adapt a learning journey and help keep the difficulty “just right.”

Cohort-based formats can encourage people to collaborate and support each other. These communities are also useful to observe to see if you’re pitching at the right level.

So, over to you. Have a think about your most recent work:

• What are you doing to ensure your interventions are in a person’s ZPD?
• How are you incorporating ‘desirable difficulties’ (tasks that are challenging but not impossible)?
• How are you supporting a person’s needs? How does this need to change as they gain in competence?

I’m off to find the golden syrup.

Andy Jack

Andy loves helping subject experts, authors, speakers, coaches and key persons of influence to monetise their expertise with online learning. When not on his laptop, he'll usually be found up a mountain!