Students learn new Information every day, but not all information remains in their memory. Often, students memorize new material for a test, and once the test is over, they forget it as they learn new material. This short-term memory is one of the biggest reasons why some students may choose to avoid solving a problem and immediately seek help. Teachers can combat this issue by allowing productive struggle.
Productive struggle is the intentional practice of letting students in the classroom struggle with work while providing them with minimal assistance. This practice requires balance, as teachers should not outright ignore students. Without any support, it can be easy for students to be disengaged and overwhelmed leading to students giving up.
The overall purpose of productive struggle is to help students develop habits that encourage perseverance, thinking-flexibility, and creativity. Students engaged in productive struggle will learn to tackle a problem first before asking for help.
Productive struggle is more about the process rather than the answer. Students should be encouraged to find solutions in ways that make sense for them. So, if a student is struggling with a math question and chooses to solve the problem using pictures instead of numbers, it is a perfectly valid solution.
Moreover, if done correctly, the skills gained from productive struggle will even transfer into the real world outside of the classroom.
There are several ways to create a classroom culture where students are encouraged to try more than once to master content. In the table below, we present a few strategies teachers can use.
| Action | Description | Where To Learn More | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three before me | Students are encouraged to try three things or consult three resources before asking the teacher for help. Students build their critical thinking skills when they are pushed to help themselves before they ask the teacher directly for help. | 1. TeachThough Blog Post 2. Quick Teaching Tips & Strategies Video |
| 2 | Name your lap (aggresive monitoring) |
Teachers tell their students to work on an assignment and give them a specific expectation (i.e., complete question 1). The teacher will walk around during this time to check the students’ work, meaning all students work through the problem on their own but are guaranteed the chance to get help at some point. | 1. Model Teaching Education Article |
| 3 | Exit tickets | Students are given a final question they must answer before leaving the classroom. The task should assess their understanding of that day’s lesson. By the end, students will have had time to reflect on the material, and the teacher will have a better understanding of the students’ general mastery level. | 1. Edutopia Blog Post 2. Center for Professional Education of Teachers Article |
| 4 | Think-pair-share | After new material is shown, students discuss what they have learned with a partner. The teacher should walk around intentionally listening as the students talk. Afterwards, students are asked to present to the class some of the findings they had with their partner. Because students share their individual knowledge with a peer, it teaches them to look for resources outside of just the teacher. | 1. Reading Rockets Blog Post 2. ESC Region 13 Video |
| 5 | Parking lot (Question board) |
Students leave questions or ideas on a board that can be answered by other students or by a teacher at a later time. In this strategy, students are guaranteed help from the teacher at some point, but it also opens the door for other students to use their critical thinking to assist their peers. Sometimes students understand a concept better when explained by a peer. | 1. CTL Blog Post 2. Faculty Focus Article |
The best brains are those that understand learning won’t always be easy. Students who have this mindset will learn more efficiently, granting them success in the future careers, academics, and any other endeavors.
