When students keep asking for help during explanations

Manal Raoui  |  manalraoui.com

You are explaining an idea to the class when you hear a student ask:

“I don't understand this step.”

“How did you get that result?”

“Could you explain that idea again?”

A few moments later, another question follows. Then another.

Asking questions is part of learning. The difficulty arises when a student turns to the teacher at the first sign of uncertainty, before trying to use what they already know or consulting another resource. The teacher becomes the first step whenever something is unclear.

Answering immediately every time may resolve the difficulty at hand while keeping this pattern in place. We continue to decide what the student should do when they do not know, leaving them little opportunity to learn how to assess their need for help, consider what they could try first, and decide when they need another resource.

Students need a brief space between “I don't know” and calling for the teacher. This is an opportunity to pause, consider what they know, look through their resources, try something, and then decide whether they still need help and who could provide it.

Introduce a decision process for seeking help

A clear decision process can help students avoid moving straight from difficulty to the teacher. It reminds them to pause, consider what they know and what they could try, and then decide whether they still need help and whom to ask.

Introduce the visual aid “Pause before asking for help” to the whole class, explain when and why it can be useful, and keep it available as a reference.

The process should allow for judgment. Some situations require immediate help from the teacher, and a classmate may be unavailable or unable to provide suitable help.

Over time, students should become less dependent on the visual aid and more able to assess their own need for help and choose what to do when they encounter a difficulty.

Guide students back to the decision process

Going straight to the teacher should not become the automatic response to every difficulty. Rather than supplying the solution immediately, the teacher can ask:

• “What have you tried?”
• “Where have you looked?”
• “What have you understood so far?”
• “What exactly is your remaining question?”

These prompts bring students back to what they did before asking and help them identify their needs more precisely. The purpose is to help them decide when help is necessary, what kind they need, and who can provide it. Help should remain available when they need it.

Signs of progress

Success does not mean that questions disappear. Look for a student who:

• makes more of an attempt before turning to the teacher;
• asks for help less automatically;
• uses available resources more independently;
• brings the teacher more specific questions.

Instead of “I don't understand,” the question may become “I understand this step, but I don't know how to move on to the next one,” or “I tried this method, but I got stuck here.”

The student is still asking for help and is learning to manage the process more effectively.

Start with the whole class and add support where needed

Offer this support to the whole class first. An initial introduction and a visual reminder may be enough for some students; others may need individual support later.

Explore the strategy in depth: Adaptive help seeking and learner independence