Our friend and partner in learning, Trevor Ragan, recently shared some articles and videos for the start of the school year.  In one post, he compared the space for learning with repetitions when working out.  When we are spotting someone, we do not jump in and do the work when it gets hard.  But we are tempted to do this in learning in the name of supporting our students. 

"Obviously this wouldn’t be a very effective approach. If you step in and rob me of the most important reps every time, progress will be limited.

We would never do this in the weight room, yet we do it all of the time when it comes to learning."

His full post can be found below:

Robbing Reps

by Trevor Ragan

I’m squatting, you’re spotting.

The goal: 12 reps

Reps 1-3: no prob

Reps 4-7: not bad either, but I’m starting to feel it

Rep 8: It gets hard and I start to struggle a bit

You jump in and do the last 4 reps for me.

I feel better, you feel helpful… but my reps have been robbed!

Obviously this wouldn’t be a very effective approach. If you step in and rob me of 4 of the most important reps every time, progress will be limited.

We would never do this in the weight room, yet we do it all of the time when it comes to learning.

We finish their sentence, give them the answer, solve the problem, and remove them from the challenge.

Just like muscles, skills are built. They’re built through reps and practice – especially the ones that challenge and stretch us.

Problem solving
Bouncing back from adversity
Dealing with change

Are three important muscles (skills) that we all need to develop.

But it’s impossible to get good at them without practice:

I can’t get good at solving problems if you solve them for me.

I can’t get good at bouncing back from adversity if I’m never allowed to fall.

I can’t get good at dealing with change if I’m not allowed to experience it.

Coach me, support me, cheer for me – but please don’t rob my reps.

Below are some additional posts and videos related to learning, reflection, and mindsets.

Robbing Reps: A Cautionary Note for Leaders
A quick reminder for anyone in a leadership role.

Improving Leadership, Communication, Connection
Sometimes the more experienced we are, the harder it is to connect with, coach, and teach someone who is not on our level. The good news: this can be fixed.

Building a Better Learning Environment with Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is essential for better learning. It's important to understand what it is, why it matters, and how to build it.

How Our Mindsets Impact Others - The Pygmalion Effect
Our beliefs about the people we work with can impact their learning and performance.

The New Era of Growth Mindset
An overview of the latest updates from some of the original researchers. Also, for all of our growth mindset content you can go here: growth mindset toolkit

Improving How we Think and Talk about Stress, Fear, and Discomfort
Minor changes in how we discuss stress can enhance learning and performance under pressure for those we work with.

The Surprising Power of Reflection
Building in time for our people to reflect on what they're learning is a really good idea.

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