Two types of student struggles (one good, one bad)

Considering I help students succeed in school, it might sounds weird that I encourage my students to struggle…

…so long as it’s a productive struggle.

Because productive struggle = learning.

Let me explain.

When students are having a hard time with school, it’s not because they aren’t trying or don’t want to do better.

It’s because their effort isn’t moving them forward.

• They try to start working but can’t, or

• They start but lose focus, or

• They’re spinning their wheels attempting to study or do homework.

They give up, say they’ll do it later, or do the bare minimum.

They’re stuck in this cycle without making progress. They’re not learning. They hit the same walls repeatedly without tools to overcome them.

This is unproductive struggle.

It increases procrastination and avoidance, and it’s disheartening; it can make teens feel like there’s no point in even trying (“nothing changes anyway, why bother?”).

Productive struggle, by contrast, is where learning takes place.

This happens when something is hard - they don’t get it right away - but with a bit of time and effort, they can figure it out.

With productive struggle, effort builds understanding and drives progress.

This happens with subjects, e.g. learning a new concept in Math, and skills, e.g. learning how to manage their time, study, write an essay, self-motivate, focus etc.

This is the kind of struggle that INCREASES confidence, self-esteem and internal motivation.

I’m always thrilled when my students breaks free from unproductive struggles and get to this stage in their journey - they’re struggling, yes, but doing so in the process of learning.

They can start to recognize what learning feels like.

Learning is NOT immediately understanding something perfectly.

The struggle itself - the process of working through challenges - is the learning.

Learning is often feeling frustrated, persisting, feeling frustrated some more, persisting, then understanding.

Dr. Becky has a good explanation of this, using what she calls “The Learning Space:”

One of the reasons I’m so passionate about every teen learning HOW to learn is so that they recognize the different types of struggle and re-orient their understanding of academic achievement and learning success accordingly.

When students learn how to stop wasting time on unproductive struggles - whether through better study strategies, a time management system, or problem-solving frameworks - they free up mental energy for the productive kind of struggle.

The good struggle that unlocks real learning, higher grades, and, most importantly, the confidence and resilience to face life’s challenges head on.

That’s a game changer 💛 

Talk soon,

Kelsey

Resources & Opportunities

• Intel’s AI Innovator Challenge. This is a cool and creative opportunity for high school students, who form teams and create an AI resource in support of its safe and ethical use. The top teams are flown to San Antonio to present to a panel of judges 🤩 

• Tech company Corgi is recruiting high school students…to do a gap year working with them🤯 This is definitely not for everyone, but if you’re on board with unique, hands-on work experiences and OK with a non-traditional detour for your teen, this is worth looking into: