Getting Stuck - The Gateway to Learning

At a recent professional development day with educators,  including support staff, classroom teachers and leaders, we asked the question...

What is your response to this question: What is your default when a student gets stuck?

Maybe it is something like, "I jump in because it feels easier (and kinder) to give them the answer than to watch them struggle — even when the struggle is where the learning happens" or "Sometimes it feels easier to help them than risk them acting out or shutting down." Maybe you already have some strategies to promote productive struggle, self- monitoring and independence for your students.

What do you think about these Less Helpful Responses when a student gets stuck? (Figure 1)

Figure 1

One of the most powerful shifts we can make in our classrooms is to teach students how to learn, not just what to learn. A key part of this is helping students know what to do when they don’t know what to do — when they’re stuck, confused, or uncertain.

Too often, students see not knowing as failure. They freeze, give up, or wait passively for help. But uncertainty is not the enemy of learning — it’s the gateway to it. When students don’t know what to do, that’s not a moment of weakness. It’s a moment of possibility. As educators, we need to build classrooms where getting stuck is normalised and where students are equipped with strategies for navigating through the fog. This starts with the messages we send. 

So, what can you add to your strategies to support students to unstuck themselves?

Idea 1: Start where they are (and you are)

Before building new habits, get curious about what students already do when they get stuck. Take note: Who freezes? Who blurts out “I don’t get it”? Who quietly waits? Some students already have strategies — name and build on these.

Then, choose one unhelpful stuck behaviour to target — something common and easy to shift (e.g. giving up too quickly or asking for help before thinking). Teach, model, and practise a better response together. Expect it.

Reflect on your own responses, too. When students say “I don’t get it,” do you encourage them to think again — or do you rescue them?

Ask yourself:

• Do I model what I do when I don’t know something?

• Do I treat mistakes as part of learning, not failure?

• Do I talk about confusion as a normal part of thinking?

Small shifts here make a big difference — for students and for you.

Idea 2: Practical Strategies

In addition to the responses in Figure 1, you might like to consider:

• Routines for getting unstuck: Prompts like “What do I know so far?”, “Can I try it a different way?”, or “What’s one small step I could take next?”

• Classroom talk moves: Teaching students to say “I’m not sure, but I think…”, "I am specifically having trouble with..." or “Can someone add on to my idea?”

• Visible thinking tools: Graphic organisers, anchor charts, and reflection stems that help students find a way back into the learning.

• Peer supports: Encouraging students to use each other as resources, not just the teacher.

• Scaffolding: Putting in supports to promote ongoing productive struggle which fade as the student gets unstuck.

You will find more examples of strategies in Micro Move #10 I’m Stuck

Another idea: Reflect on Your Practice

Think about a recent lesson where a student hit a wall.

• What helped them move forward?

• What could have supported them better?

• How might your learning environment signal that getting stuck is part of the process, not a signal to stop?

The bottom line is, some students need to LEARN how to unstuck themselves.

When students know what to do when they don’t know, we build more than capable learners. We build confident, resourceful, independent thinkers — and that’s the kind of learning that lasts.