Acknowledging Student Difficulties

If your student is frustrated by a challenging task or activity and expresses their frustrations verbally or through behaviors, instead of contradicting your student’s protestations, acknowledge that the task may be challenging.

Acknowledging a student’s frustrations shows that you support them and makes them feel heard. Once you acknowledge this, tell them that you are there to help them complete the task at hand. This may reduce anxiety about the task if the student knows they will have help.

This is a strategy to use when a student is becoming stressed and anxious because of a difficult task that you think the student can complete with some support, and the student is verbally complaining that the task is too hard or that he or she cannot do it. The teacher briefly acknowledges the student’s feelings before supporting him or her in the task, saying for example, “Yes, this is a difficult problem. Let’s start with number one.” Acknowledge that the task is hard for the student and then focus his or her attention on how to begin the task. Providing support with more challenging assignments can de-escalate a student’s work anxiety and help the student get started calmly.

• Child's Age: 6-10, 11-13, 14-17
• Planning Effort: Low
• Difficulty Level: Easy

Student is able to do work with support Student can fairly quickly comprehend auditory information

1. The student verbally complains that work you have given is too hard or that he or she can’t do it.

2. Briefly acknowledge the student’s feelings before supporting him or her in the task, saying for example, “Yes, this is a difficult problem. Let’s start with number one.”