Stop pushing students. Start stretching.
Jun 30, 2025Stop pushing students. Start stretching.
We don’t want learners in their comfort zone.
But we definitely don’t want them in panic either.
There’s a space in between.
I like to call it the Stretch Zone - Vygotski’s zone of Proximal Development
It’s where real learning happens.
Where confidence is built through challenge.
Where autonomy, relatedness, and competence meet.
And no, you can’t force someone into it.
You create the conditions for them to want to step in.
🎯 Not by demanding more effort.
But by designing better environments.
Better rhythms. Better relationships.
In our Reimagine Education Coaching Programme,
we help schools flip the question from
“How do I get them to do this?” to:
“What do they need to want to stretch?”
What goes for learners also goes for schools:
You can’t stretch a system built on control.
You need support & challenge.
Because pressure breaks.
