Some very good thoughts here. I especially like the suggestion that someone learning should not just implement, but also design.

At the end it is suggested that "you won't find a way to provide constructive feedback". I rarely find that to be the case: one should be able to talk something through logically. But I do agree that if the stakes are not high, you should let them decide what to do. And in fact, you could be wrong and they might be right!

I have personal memories of being in the "learner" role in this situation. During the late 80s there were two occasions when I was told not to do something because it was "impossible". One time my manager told me not to do something, and another the CTO told me not to do something else. Each time I disobeyed them and did it anyway, and proved them wrong ;-)

But to their credit, they did not reprimand me - when they saw I was disobeying them they let me continue, and when it worked, they were each gracious about. That is really important.