“But MOM, it’s too HARD! I don’t want to do this! Math is stupid! This is not fun!” I am sure we have all heard our students express some form of disdain about a certain subject or even school in general. When this is the sentiment every time you crack open the textbook or log into the program, you might find yourself asking, “Is this battle worth the fight?” Should I give into the whine? Or should I stay the course and study in the tension between “not fun” and perceived challenge?
When a student approaches a perceived challenge, we can foster critical reflection in both our students and ourselves. The goal is identifying the “why” behind this perceived challenge and finding ways to navigate through it. What is making this task “not fun”? Is it too challenging? Is it not enough of a challenge? What makes materials or subjects difficult for our students? Are they resistant because of a knowledge deficiency or is it a mere challenge to their knowledge base?
Knowledge Deficiency
Knowledge Deficiency happens when our expectations of our students are beyond their reasonable and individual capabilities. We encounter this often in math. When the foundation of math skills has holes or is weak and we try to build upon it, we see collapse in forward momentum and progress. For example, take multiplication skills. Weak understanding here affects division skills, fraction skills, and ultimately, algebra skills. In this case, when these new subjects are addressed, the expectation for the students is too great for the knowledge they currently hold. When this is the tension in your student’s learning, pause, evaluate, and alter your course.
Evaluating the situation: There are supplemental programs that can assess situations of knowledge deficit and provide help and resources for student learning or help you change course.
- Math programs like Math-U-See AIM target specific operations to strengthen and master. Finding and Filling the Math Gaps assesses your 8th/9th grade student’s knowledge base and targets areas of weakness to prepare students for algebra. CTC Math provides assessment and adjustment automatically as the student works through the program. Bridge the Gap Math can come alongside your middle school student to encourage proficiency in math skills leading to algebra. Workbooks like 180 Days of Math or Spectrum Math can be used in conjunction with your math programs to assess mastery of grade-level concepts.
- English Language Arts abilities can fluctuate across skills. A comprehensive need can be addressed through resources like Practice Coach Plus, which provides grade-level remedial assistance for all ELA skills. Many skill-specific workbooks available home in on select needs like grammar, spelling, handwriting, and more.
- For more severe learning struggles, Dianne Craft Brain Integration Therapy intentionally targets learning roadblocks and may require a complete stop of curricula to address an underlying need before resuming forward progression.
Taking the time to pause and evaluate may lead to the discovery that a different level or new curriculum is the best course of action. Transition needs to happen thoughtfully. For example, many math programs have Placement Tests that assess students’ skills based on the specific program. ELA can be parsed out to target specific skills instead of an all-in-one format. Science and History programs that have grade ranges, like Mystery of Science, Beast Academy Science, History Odyssey, or TruthQuest, can easily be adjusted to students’ skills and capabilities.
Ultimately, all subjects can be accommodated and tailored to meet your students’ needs. Knowing your students’ learning styles, your state regulations, and your own abilities helps you adjust accordingly to fill those knowledge deficits.
Challenges to the Knowledge Base
When students are moved from their comfort zone into critical or higher-level thinking, pushback is expected. The climb is a good thing. This is where the proverbial bar is set as a standard and we ask, encourage, and assess our students’ abilities to reach the standard instead of lowering the standard to reach the student. This may mean that a previously quick subject (like math) may take more dedicated and intentional time. Self-check and proof-reading skills may be developed in English. Or outside help may be brought in, either with digital aid or a tutor.
Challenge is not punishment; it is opportunity for students. There are benefits ready to be reaped when a student’s knowledge base is challenged and we help them engage with a learning challenge.
- Fostering Growth: Think of this growth as a target. Your comfort zone is in the middle, the learning zone stretches beyond the comfort, and finally, the panic zone is on the far outside (The Learning Zone). Moving through these zones is organic. The amazing thing is that at any time, you can return to the comfort zone to regroup, assess, and rest before pushing the boundaries back out into growth and learning.
- Fostering Critical Thinking: Stretching outside their comfort zone naturally requires students to think critically and reflect upon their thinking.
- Fostering Confidence: Overcoming an initial or perceived speedbump showcases to the student that YES, they can do hard things! As confidence builds, every time a hurdle arises students will approach it with the knowledge that they are overcomers.
Are you in a place where you and your student can assess the struggle and grow through it, together? Or is it time to evaluate the need and adjust the course of action? Instead of a reactionary response, we can chart a course of action through this season of resistance. Every season comes with its highs and lows. The moments of resistance and struggle can lead your students into the most fruitful and flourishing season of their education. You've got this!
