Thoughts on the push vs. pull – even if you go with a pull system, there are still two problems:

1. Everyone must complete all the assignments, which is unlike agile software dev, where you can just leave unfinished stuff in the icebox forever.

2. There will still be pairs that feel “left behind”. This is partially because of #1, and partially because every pair has the same tasks (or at least the same number of tasks) assigned and required (again, unlike normal agile software dev)

These points are interesting in the Montessori context, and it is a bit more relevant (my son is in a Montessori school). Students do go at their own pace, but they are still accountable to eventually get up to speed. If they aren’t, there are negative consequences: no play time, don’t get to go swimming with the class, etc. If they STILL can’t keep up, then something else has to happen – they may have a learning disability and need special consideration, the parents may need to be recruited to help them at home, etc…

– Chad