The Best Ways to Help Students Who Struggle Academically

Val Watson
Authored by Val Watson
Posted Friday, December 16, 2022 - 5:54am

Life has brought many struggles at one time or another. You understand that it sometimes gets hard, and you must push yourselves to survive. Learning this lesson for the student is essential. To succeed in school, struggling students must learn perseverance and overcome problems. It is often easier for a teacher to help a struggling student to get through it instead of teaching strategies to help them succeed. 

It is often difficult to resist the urge to tell the student what to do since you might have several other students who also need your help. Yet it would help if you kept your struggling students working by teaching them what hard work means. These simple teaching strategies in this post will help your struggling students become independent workers.

Mnemonics

When students are trying to remember information, they use unique phrases. For instance, it is often helpful in Science to remember the nine planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, with the phrase: My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets.

It can also help you learn vocabulary. For instance, through a picture of a frog sitting in the rain and the keyword rain, a child can learn the scientific name for the common frog, Ranidae.

Accessibility to Resources

Domestic economic conditions might affect a state's political environment. Lockdowns resulting from pandemics or terror group attacks, as well as natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, avalanches, etc., may disrupt the continuity of education. 

Because of this, interest loosens since necessary resources, such as teachers, schools, and libraries, are unavailable. But with online study tools that provide study documents like quizzes, summaries, books, courses, and more like this biology exam, struggling students can continue their studies without interruption.

Establishing Small Study Groups

One of the essential strategies to help academically struggling students is to create small groups or to have fewer children per teacher, such as 15 to 20, and then to teach them individually. By doing so, they will have the attention they deserve. 

A large batch size would make teaching difficult, and the importance of practical education would diminish. Taking its capabilities into account, and analyzing its weaknesses, will help them apply remedies so they remain interested in academics.

Time Management

Time is an important concept that many students fail to grasp. Schools and parents can encourage them to make and follow timetables religiously to maximize their time. As a result, they can manage academic and extracurricular activities. Because of this, they will be more disciplined and balanced. 

They can learn this by writing down how long it takes to complete a particular task. Discuss it with them and, if necessary, modify and add it to the schedule. Let them observe your example as you set an example for them. It is only by looking at their elders that they learn.

Handling Questions

There is no end to the questions children ask in front of teachers. They are curious about nature, studies, sports, music, dance, coding, etc. In the absence of answers to their questions, they feel distracted. 

Hence, it is crucial to respond patiently and accurately. If you are uncertain of the answer, ask for extra time. Taking this approach clears up doubts and prepares the mind for further exploration.

Cue them For Answers

As you ask them questions, design an exercise to give them only cues or hints and allow them to find the answers independently. As a result, they will feel accomplished and motivated. 

In addition to the happiness of completing a task, these curious minds experience another level of fulfillment.

Scaffolding

Using this method, you can break learning down into chunks. There is a logical order to the pieces and a clear goal in mind. Through teachers, students can bridge the gap between what they already know and cannot do independently. Bridges like these are called scaffolds. Diagrams, pictures, and cue cards are examples of what you can include.

A teacher usually presents a high-quality model of student work before allowing them to work independently. Likewise, when constructing buildings, you can remove the scaffolds after they are no longer needed.

Conclusion

Love and support are more critical to your students than anything else. When students transition from high school academics to college courses, some advice and encouragement can help them succeed. Despite your best efforts, students sometimes fail courses and struggle academically. But you don't have to be a failure forever because of an F. If you help your student and give them a lot of hard work, they can get back on track.


 

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