Supporting Struggling Students

Hey everyone! Today we will be talking about supporting struggling learners

A simple way to respond to students who are not participating in class is to contact a can’t do/won’t do assessment. This assessment will allow you to identify if it is a lack of motivation with the student or if it is a skill deficit. This also allows you to see if it is a combination of both or neither. To conduct a can’t do/won’t do assessment, first, you need to pick out two similar tasks. Try not to make these assignments long or complicated. Secondly, you need to figure out what motivates the student. This could be extra computer time or a special snack, nonetheless, any type of reward system would be good. Additionally, it is good to make these individualized per student. After that is established, you’ll want to administer the first task without giving any type of reward. This is to help you establish a baseline when determining whether or not motivation is the core of the issue. After they complete the first assignment, you can then offer an award as an incentive for improvement when handing out the second assignment. If they score better on the second task, you may give them the reward. After this is conducted, you can analyze your data. If a student improved by 15% or more with the second task, then motivation was definitely a part of the issue, and you can continue using an incentive system in the future to help them do well.

However, if there is no improvement when you compare the assignments side-by-side, that student is demonstrating a skill deficit. In order to help this student out, you’ll need to plan how to better support the student to build knowledge and actually master the skill. Possibly offer other methods of achieving the goal, or try teaching the material in a different way. It is also important to note that if the score went up by 15% but it’s still not a passing grade, then the student is showing a combination of both skill deficit and a lack of motivation, and will also need additional support. Establish an intervention plan with them to move forward.

If the student is showing neither a skill deficit nor a lack of motivation and just refusing to do the work, this student is demonstrating a performance deficit. Like a skill deficit, this will also need an intervention plan. Establish with your student why it is they do not want to do the work. Figure out on your end if there is a way to make the material more appealing for them. If you are still struggling after trying to establish a plan and still seeing no improvement, it may be a good idea to get parents involved to keep them on the right track.