Seven ways to help struggling students improve

In a classroom full of students, every student is different and can display varying
levels of intelligence. Maybe not all students can make top grades during the exams
or class tests and those who struggle can show intermittent signs of improvement.
Teachers should be able to recognize this and refrain from excluding these
struggling students from class activities or making things easier for them.
If you are a teacher at a play school franchise in India make sure you are not
helping such students by providing answers or telling them what to write. Just as
working hard is good for all of us, so is it good for them too. Here are top ways to
keep struggling students working and thus improve themselves:
1. Make use of the blackboard: Since struggling students are not the most
attentive ones, giving oral instructions to the entire classroom may not be
such a good idea. How about writing them on the blackboard so that they can
be referred to by whoever wants to. Your goal should be to keep the students
working and this will not happen unless they know what they are supposed to
do. Keep a list handy for them if you are targeting more than one task.
2. While correcting classwork or homework, explain answers first: You
should know what your student thinks or if he has misunderstood a concept
and for this ask him why he has answered the way he has. Have the patience
to ask enough questions to elicit the right answer from him.
3. Teach them not to get bogged down by difficulties: If a student is unable
to solve a question, provide various options for them so he can work it out but
also tell him that he could come back and solve the question later and move
on to the next. A struggling student will get bogged down easily and will find
excuses to stop doing work. Your job is to ensure that he doesn’t get one.
4. Encourage them to read: Our struggling students may not be reading after
school hours and you will have to push them to read. Find a method of
including reading in their daily schedule inside or outside school as this will
keep their brain and mind working. Reading is known to encourage
imagination and ignite curiosity and is a wonderful way of giving students a
start.
5. Take them to the next level: Make them think deeper. Instead of asking
them 20 easy questions, try asking 5 questions that will force them to dig
deep and think. Ask them to make inferences and make them provide
solutions to the problems they face. Give them more time if they need to
answer difficult questions and this will push them to work harder.
6. Manage their time: If you notice that a student has difficulty in concentrating
on the task at hand, then he cannot become an asset for his group. Divide
tasks into smaller ones and provide one task or a question at a time. This will
be helpful in managing time in a more effective manner and will be used in a
better way too.

7. Tell them they are capable: Students who struggle in class are often told
about the things they cannot do. How about being the teacher who can tell
them things that they can do. Make extensive use of the following statements:
You are capable of reading and understanding. You can figure out the
answer. You can. Having said this, their homework may not be as neat as
others but if they are trying hard, it is good enough for them.
Many of the new age play schools in India encourage struggling students to put in
the extra effort and ask their teacher to push them to do so. The above listed seven tips
can help in making a difference and help strugglers to improve.