HELP FOUNDATION · HUMAN STATE
Human State and Productive Struggle | When HELP Should Act
The first HELP decision is not which explanation to give. It is whether intervention is justified at all.
| State | Meaning | Default HELP |
|---|---|---|
| PRODUCTIVE | Thinking is generating useful progress, testing or revision. | WAIT and observe. |
| FRAGILE | The route is mostly present but may collapse without a small cue. | ASK, REFRAME or CUE. |
| STUCK | Attempts repeat without new information. | Probe the blocking node/edge; HINT or MODEL if justified. |
| MISDIRECTED | An invalid model is being reinforced. | Interrupt with contradiction, counterexample or representation change. |
| OVERLOADED | The learner may understand the idea but cannot coordinate the current load. | Reduce extraneous load; preserve the mathematical target. |
| BLOCKED | Prerequisite, notation, language, access or representation prevents useful entry. | Repair the blocking condition before adding target-topic practice. |
State is temporary, not identity
“STUCK” describes the present relationship between learner, task and support. It is not a trait. The same student may be PRODUCTIVE in geometry, OVERLOADED in algebra under time, and BLOCKED by notation in a new topic.
Intervention timing test
- Is the learner still producing useful new reasoning?
- Is the current struggle likely to reveal information worth preserving?
- Is time pressure changing the value of waiting?
- Would intervention remove thinking the learner should own?
- What is the smallest action that can restore progress?
Do not rescue a learner from the exact thinking that builds the capability.