Students learn best when they know not only what they are learning but why they are learning it. They see connections between the subject matter and their life. The learning experience is largely communal. Reading and reflection are best done in solitude, but ideas are best shaped as if for communication. One of the best ways to master an idea is to have to explain it to someone else.
Positive reinforcement is essential.
We do not mean that errors should not be identified and corrected but that mistakes are normal and natural parts of learning and should be treated as such. Early success is crucial. It encourages and motivates the student, makes him believe he can master this strange new unfamiliar set of ideas. Writing is a critical ingredient in all learning. Although its communication aspect is so powerful that it disguises it from us, the discovery component of writing is just as important.