Anyone who has worked with me has probably heard me tell students to “sit in the struggle.”
I say it when a student reaches a difficult question, looks up almost immediately, and waits for me to help. It is my way of giving students wait time without stepping in too quickly.
Sitting in the struggle does not mean leaving students confused or refusing to provide support. It means giving them time to think before assuming that being unsure means they cannot do the work.
That distinction matters because I will not always be beside them to ask the next question, point to the correct part of a graphic organizer, or reassure them that they are on the right track.
During MCAS and ACCESS testing, students may receive the accommodations for which they are eligible, but I cannot coach them through an individual question. They need experience encountering something difficult, managing the discomfort of not knowing immediately, and deciding what to try next.
Why I Tell Students to Sit in the Struggle
Some students become anxious as soon as an answer is not obvious. They may say they do not know, stop working, or wait for an adult to rescue them.
If that pattern happens every time they encounter a challenge, students do not have many opportunities to learn what they can do independently.
That is why “sit in the struggle” has become an expectation in my classroom. I want students to understand that not knowing the answer immediately is part of learning. They can pause, reread, examine what they have, and try a first step.
I am not asking them to remain stuck indefinitely. I am teaching them that uncertainty does not always require an immediate answer from the teacher.
Productive Struggle and Confusion Are Not the Same
Productive struggle is difficult to define by one behavior. A student who is quiet may be thinking carefully or may have no idea how to begin. A student asking for help may need a small prompt or may be missing essential information.
I look for evidence that the student has something to work with.
A student engaged in productive struggle might:
- return to the text, diagram, or directions
- try one part of the problem
- use a graphic organizer or another available resource
- explain what makes sense so far
- identify the point where the difficulty began
- revise an answer after noticing something new
Confusion looks different when a student cannot identify a starting point, does not understand the directions, or lacks the background knowledge or language needed to enter the task.
The difference is not simply whether the student looks frustrated. Learning can be frustrating. The question is whether the student has a reasonable way to continue.
What I Do Before Giving an Answer
When a student says, “I don’t know,” I do not always begin explaining. I first try to find out what the student does know.
One of the questions I ask most often is:
Where did you get stuck?
That question is more useful than repeating the original directions. It helps me determine whether the student understands the task and where the thinking broke down.
Depending on the lesson, I may also ask:
- What do you notice?
- What part makes sense?
- What have you tried?
- Where could you look for that information?
- What is one possible first step?
- What evidence do you already have?
In science, “What do you notice?” can redirect students to an observation, diagram, data table, or phenomenon before they begin explaining.
If students have already completed a graphic organizer containing the information they need, I can direct them back to it. I do not need to tell them the answer that is already recorded on the page. Instead, I might ask which section of the organizer could help with the question.
The support is available, but students still have to use it.
Redirecting Is Different From Rescuing
A prompt can help a student reenter the task without completing the thinking for them.
For example, I might:
- point the student back to a graphic organizer
- ask the student to reread a specific section
- remind the student of a strategy used previously
- ask the student to explain what has already been completed
- provide time to talk through the first step
- direct attention to a visual, model, or word bank
The right prompt depends on why the student is stuck. A graphic organizer will not help if the student does not understand the content recorded on it. More wait time will not fix unclear directions. A sentence frame will not supply missing background knowledge.
Sometimes the student needs additional instruction. The goal is not to withhold help. It is to determine what kind of help is actually needed.
When I Step In
There are times when sitting in the struggle is no longer productive.
I am more likely to step in when:
- the student cannot explain the task or identify a first step
- the directions or expectations are unclear
- essential vocabulary or background knowledge is missing
- the available scaffold does not match the student’s needs
- repeated prompts are not helping the student move forward
- frustration has reached the point that the student can no longer engage with the task
At that point, continuing to wait may only reinforce confusion.
I may model part of the process, clarify the directions, review a concept, provide a more appropriate scaffold, or complete the first step with the student. After that, I can return ownership of the task to the student.
Teaching productive struggle requires judgment. The same student may need time to work independently during one activity and direct instruction during another.
Why This Matters Beyond One Assignment
My concern is not only whether students complete the activity in front of them.
Students will eventually encounter questions I cannot help them answer. MCAS and ACCESS are obvious examples, but the same is true outside testing. They will read unfamiliar texts, receive complicated directions, and face problems without an adult immediately available to guide them.
I want students to develop a process for those moments.
That process might include:
- Pause before deciding the task is impossible.
- Identify what the question is asking.
- Notice what information is available.
- Use an existing support or strategy.
- Try one reasonable step.
- Ask a specific question if help is still needed.
Students may not use that process consistently at first. Learning to tolerate uncertainty and continue working takes practice.
Productive Struggle Still Includes Support
Asking students to sit in the struggle does not mean removing sentence frames, visuals, graphic organizers, partner conversations, or other scaffolds.
Those supports can be part of productive struggle.
The important question is what the scaffold allows the student to access and what thinking the student is still responsible for doing.
A graphic organizer can help students locate information, but they still need to decide how it answers the question. A sentence frame can provide language for beginning a response, but students still need to select evidence and explain their reasoning. A guiding question can help students restart, but it does not have to reveal the answer.
Support and productive struggle can exist in the same lesson.
Final Thoughts
“Sit in the struggle” is one of the expectations I want students to learn from me.
I cannot rescue them during MCAS or ACCESS, and I will not always be available when they encounter something difficult. They need experience moving past the initial anxiety of not knowing an answer immediately.
That does not mean students should remain confused or work without appropriate support. My responsibility is to notice the difference between a student who needs more time, a student who needs a useful prompt, and a student who needs additional instruction.
Sometimes I wait.
Sometimes I ask where the student got stuck.
Sometimes I redirect the student to a graphic organizer, observation, or other available support.
Sometimes I step in and teach.
The goal is for students to learn that getting stuck is not the same as being unable to continue.
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