The liminal learning space can best be described as the “suspended state of partial understanding” (Meyer, Land, Baillie, 2010, p. x). The liminal space is an area of volatility where students are likely to sway between old and new understanding, yet be actively engaging in the mastery of a concept. While the pre-liminal space is vague it is safe and comfortable. In this space students may mimic an understanding rather than engage in the process of mastery.

Teachers

Strengths

Placing students in the liminal space;

· Creates a deeper understanding of concepts

· Teach students to experience the discomfort of this space, and anticipate the joy of mastery when achieved, thus motivating students to be persistent, accept challenges and work hard.

Challenges

· Fostering children during the difficult transformative process.

· Maintaining motivation in children

· Identifying “mimicry” over true understanding

· Assuming that a student’s performance is reliable evidence of learning.

· Giving students enough time in the liminal space for mastery to occur.

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Students

Strengths

· Develops a strong sense of worth and self-efficacy when mastery is achieved.

· Realisation that learning is a process not necessarily associated with being clever or intelligent.

· Identify themselves as learners who take responsibility for their education.

Challenges

· Accepting the uncertainty and discomfort of this process.

· Maintaining motivation and self-efficacy during the transformative process.

· Coping with the loss of prior thinking.

· Retaining the new understanding.

· Learning how to think not what to think.

Approaches and strategies

· Teachers must acknowledge the process of learning not only the outcomes.

· Teachers must create an environment in which critical reflection and questioning norms is supported and encouraged and avoid dictating ideas and thinking (Meyer et al, 2010, p. xiv)

· Set short moderately challenging tasks and scaffold learning to ensure mastery and enhance motivation to learn.

· Praise hard work over cleverness

· Reinforce and reintroduce new concepts on multiple occasions and in a range of contexts to embed understanding and resist the urge to return to pre-existing (old) ways of thinking.

· Nuthall study found that students who encountered concepts on at least 3 different occasions had an 80% chance of retaining the new learning 6 months later (Didau, 2016, Feb 10, p1)

· Link abstract concepts with tangible objects

· Use visual and auditory stimulus to increase understanding

· Ask open-ended questions prefixed with how, why, what if? Which required students to clarify and link ideas.

· Debate ideas.

(Hendrick, 2016, p1):

· Encourage students to see mistakes as opportunities rather than a lack of ability.

· Praise effort rather than talent

· Emphasis on intelligence relating to hard work not inherent ability

· Focus on progress not past performance

This way we can exploit their virtues and maximise engagement, motivate and consequently enhance the learning experience.

“Vygotsky sees the development of cognition, as the result of participation with others in goal directed activity” (Gibbon, 2015, p.14)