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. Writing is a great aid to thinking, because it allows us to discover what we know and to explain it to ourselves in our own words. Learning is multi-dimensional. It should involve all possible senses. Students read about a topic, hear about it, discuss it, write about it.