For me it evokes a number of thoughts and feelings. When you are paddling you are moving forward. As you do you need to check every so often that you are stable. In a kayak, you do this with small corrections with the paddle or a shift in weight. In learning you can achieve a similar effect through the use of formative assessment and other means of checking in. As you travel across a body of water you make corrections to get to your final destination. In learning we can do that through the use of spaced and interleaved practice. This allows the learner to take stock of where ther are and where they need to go. Lastly, paddling is challenging and fun. For me this isan important reminder of what learning could and should be.