Progressing Learning

Goals

  1. Describe what it means to make progress in learning.
  2. Progress yourself when you are learning.
  3. Progress others when your role is to guide or teach.

What

To progress a learner—yourself or someone else—means to improve their knowledge or skill by a small, meaningful step.

Examples

  1. A golf teacher gives a student three tips with the result that the student’s golf swing in better.
  2. A learner understands the meaning of one new word.
  3. A hesitant swimmer puts their head underwater for the first time.
  4. A student moves from solving two-digit addition problems to solving three-digit problems independently.
  5. A guitar player learns to switch smoothly between two new chords.
  6. A public speaker begins making occasional eye contact instead of reading entirely from notes.
  7. A language learner correctly uses a new verb tense in conversation without hesitation.
  8. A distracted child completes a five-minute writing task with sustained focus.

Rationale

  1. Learning happens one step at a time—progress is the core of learning.
  2. Focusing on small steps makes learning concrete, actionable, and goal-driven.
  3. Just like a long journey is made by taking one step at a time, all great learning is made of small wins.
  4. This approach always works:
    • Ask: What do I need right now to progress myself?
    • Ask: What is the best next step for my child, student, friend, or team member?

How to Progress a Learner

  1. Identify the best next step—a clear, reachable goal.
  2. Choose the best way for the learner to reach that step.
  3. Implement the plan. Observe the learner and see how well the plan worked and didn’t work.
  4. Reflect on what worked, adjust if needed, and repeat the cycle.

Notes

  1. Progressing a learner must be individualized—based on their current abilities, mindset, and confidence level.

  2. A specific approach to progression often doesn’t work on the first try. Expect this, and be ready to adjust with a different method or framing.

  3. The concept of progression is borrowed from physical therapy, where practitioners help patients regain motion by guiding them through gradual, ability-based steps.

  4. Match the scope of the next step to the learner:

    • Too big = overwhelming.
    • Too small = unmotivating or trivial.

  5. Progressing a learner is at the heart of mentoring, parenting, coaching, teaching, leadership, and many other growth-focused roles.