Why Every Educator Should Learn About Mediated Learning: From Compliance to Cognitive Capacity

February 2025 - One of the most profound shifts in my career came when I stopped asking, “How do I get them to do it?” and started asking, “How do I help them think it through?”

That shift - from managing behavior to developing minds - is what Reuven Feuerstein’s theory of mediated learning is all about. And I believe it’s one of the most powerful frameworks any educator, administrator, or support staff can carry with them, especially when working with neurodiverse students.

We Don’t Teach Skills. We Teach Thinkers.

Too often, our educational systems unintentionally reduce students—particularly those with disabilities or behavior challenges to a list of goals and deficits. We write plans to “redirect,” “reduce,” and “retrain,” hoping that the right reinforcement strategy or scripted response will get them to comply. But compliance isn’t learning. It’s surviving.

Feuerstein’s work invites us to go deeper. He believed that intelligence is not fixed, and that cognition itself can be strengthened when we intentionally mediate learning. That means educators aren’t just delivering content they are shaping how students approach, internalize, and apply information. We’re not just teaching what to think. We’re teaching how to think.

What Is Mediated Learning?

Mediated Learning Experiences (MLE) are intentional interactions where an adult (or peer) helps a learner make meaning of the world. It’s not about giving answers. It’s about guiding the thinking process:

• Why did this work?

• What made it hard?

• How else could we try it?

• What does this connect to?

Rather than assuming a student is "incapable" of a task, we ask, what supports would help this learner build the cognitive tools to approach it successfully next time? This is the heart of growth mindset, but operationalized with rigor and structure.

From “Fixing” to Framing Growth

I’ve used this approach with students navigating trauma, autism, and learning disabilities—and with adults in disability services who’ve had entire lives defined by their most challenging moments. The results? A shift in posture. A shift in language. And most importantly, a shift in belief.

Instead of focusing on behavioral compliance, we build cognitive capacity, the ability to reflect, regulate, and respond thoughtfully to new situations. We frame challenges as moments for skill-building, not punishment or failure. That subtle shift changes everything, including outcomes.

Why It Matters for Neurodiverse Learners

Neurodiverse students often process and respond to information in ways that fall outside traditional educational expectations. When our systems rely on rigid behavior charts or one-size-fits-all curriculum pacing, we risk missing the extraordinary potential sitting right in front of us.

Mediated learning honors the individual. It creates space to build executive functioning, flexible thinking, and self-efficacy, skills that support independence far beyond school. And when we expect growth instead of assuming limitation, we give students something much greater than a completed task. We give them belief in their own ability to grow.

This Work Needs Support, Not Just Passion

Many educators already want to teach this way. They believe in developing students as thinkers, not just rule-followers. But too often, they’re expected to do it alone—without enough planning time, coaching, or flexibility to slow down and be intentional.

If we truly value mediated learning, we must support the educators doing it.

That means giving teachers protected time for reflection and collaboration. It means training staff in how to guide thinking, not just manage behavior. It means valuing depth over speed, and designing systems that reward growth, not just completion.

As a leader, I’ve seen how transformational it is when educators feel safe enough to try a new approach, respected enough to be trusted, and supported enough to sustain this kind of work. It’s not just about implementing a strategy. It’s about building a culture that believes in students and believes in teachers, too.

Start Small. Think Big.

You don’t have to be an expert in Feuerstein’s theory to make this shift. Start with a few intentional changes:

• Replace “good job” with, “What made that work for you?”

• When a student makes a mistake, ask, “What could you try differently next time?”

• Notice thinking patterns, not just behaviors.

• Share the why behind your instruction—not just the what.

Every time you mediate a learning moment, you tell the student: I believe you can think through this.

And for many of our students, that belief is the difference between surviving school and thriving in life.

Reflection Questions:

1. How often do I focus on compliance instead of cognition in my work with students?

2. What assumptions might I be making about a student’s potential?

3. How could I incorporate more “thinking aloud” or guided reflection into my daily practice?

4. What systems in my school or organization reinforce compliance over growth, and how can I start shifting that?

All content on this blog belongs to the author, Bert Strassburg. If you'd like to share, modify, or distribute anything, please reach out for written permission. Feel free to contact me with any questions at:  bert.strassburg@gmail.com.