Playing safe in the classroom

I've joined #Rhizo15 which is my first ever cMOOC. Last year I didnt even know what a MOOC was and this year I have jumped in at the deep end and am starting to write a blog. To make this sort of MOOC work you just have to be willing to try new things - some might say its sink or swim - which is the kind of challenge I have always loved. Here is an example of one of the posts  on this way of learning. It set me thinking - is  it only the over-confident student who can join in? What about the under-confident student? I had a student in a tutorial today who described herself as under-confident but to me she seemed a slower but better learner than me as she mulled over each new idea and made sure she covered what she needed to know.