Resistance/Compliance

I have been thinking about Elbow's essay. On page 22 he says, "Resistance gives us our own thinking and the ownership over ourselves that permit us to do the giving in that we need for learning; compliance fuels resistance and gives us the skills we need for better resistance."

I think this statement rings true in all areas of life. I think of teenagers who are compliant by following the rules, but grow their hair long, dye it green or have some strange hair style. They are resisting, trying to find their identity, grasping ownership of whatever they resisted. Yet they are following the rules in other ways.

The concept of the resistance/compliance tug-of-war as it applies to learning is huge. I think of Einstein. He was far from the norm; thought to be insane. Babe Ruth was thought to be incorrigible but he sure could play ball.

I know that we learn through the process of disequilibrium. We are taught something or thrown a new concept to chew on and end up in a state of confusion. Our brains work through this confusion and some where along the line we begin to grow and understand new concepts. Our brain wants that balance or equilibrium.

So my concern is...how do I get my third graders to not give up, or not whine, complain, cry to go to the nurse because I have thrown them something to chew on? Where is the desire to figure it out? How do I get them there?