How To Help Students Work Through Challenging Classes

Your child will take a lot of different courses throughout their academic career. There will always be those classes they enjoy and do well in, and others they struggle with. When classes are challenging, students can easily become frustrated and unmotivated. But just because it is hard that does not mean they can’t do well. Here are some tips for helping your child navigate difficult classes and build resilience.

Recognize that frustration is okay.

Not everything will come easily, and sometimes they have to work harder at succeeding than others. While you don’t want them to become overly stressed, a little frustration can be motivating. It makes them realize that they do not know everything, and they may have to put more time or effort into practicing and studying. It can feel more rewarding when they reach the correct answer or a concept clicks and suddenly makes sense.

Don’t expect perfection.

Receiving less than 100% is not the end of the world. Everyone makes mistakes. Focus on effort rather than grades. You want your child to do their best, but not be too hard on themselves if they don’t get a perfect score. Encourage them to try to beat their previous grade. Review questions they got incorrect to see where they went wrong. Keep studying, doing practice problems, and working through material in different ways. Draw pictures or diagrams, create acronyms or stories, make flashcards, or try to teach the concept to someone else.

Celebrate successes.

Use positive reinforcement. Praise your child for their effort and let them know you see how hard they are working. Celebrate pushing through a tough study session, solving a difficult problem, or improving their test score. Break down larger assignments, projects, or tests into smaller parts and reward them for reaching each goal. Set long-term goals and remind them of what they are working toward, allowing them to check off boxes along the way.

Engage in deliberate study/practice.

A lot of students spend time studying what they already know because it is easier. They gloss over the hard parts. It is good to reinforce what they understand, but they should concentrate on working through the concepts they are having trouble with. To curb frustration, make study sessions shorter but with greater focus. Minimize distractions to stay on task. Check their work to quickly identify errors and make corrections so they are studying the right information. Revisit the same information over a few consecutive days to reinforce understanding.

Use available resources.

Watch videos, look at diagrams, follow step-by-step directions, work with a peer, or ask the teacher for help. If one strategy isn’t working, try a different one. There is more than one way to learn, and your child’s learning style may vary depending on the subject.

Tutoring can also be highly effective because it can introduce topics in a different way than the teacher might and provides one-on-one support tailored to your child’s needs. They get focused attention, and the learning specialist can identify where there are disconnects or gaps in understanding, then get your child back on track.

Crafting Scholars offers a wide range of diagnostic testing to identify gaps and learning styles, then creates a customized curriculum to help students achieve their goals. Subject area tutoring is available for core courses as well as advanced level classes. Contact us today to learn more and help your child boost their academic performance.