By Barbara R. Blackburn
Have you heard about productive struggling? It’s an emerging buzzword in education, and although it started in the math classroom, it is moving into all subject areas.
This is one of those PD buzzwords that have real substance. Let’s look first at what productive struggle IS and ISN’T and then consider how we can set the stage for this learning strategy and incorporate activities and tasks that foster it in our classrooms and schools.
Understand What it Isn’t
First, what are the myths about productive struggle that we should avoid?
1. Productive struggle only is for the math classroom.
2. Students don’t need any prior knowledge for productive struggle.
3. Students should struggle forever with no support.
4. There is no need to plan for productive struggle.
5. The harder the struggle, the better.
Understand What It Is
Now, what exactly is productive struggle?
Productive struggle is an opportunity for students to participate in a structured instructional situation in which they adapt current knowledge to solve a novel problem.
There are several key words and phrases in my definition. First is student participation. You simply can’t have productive struggle without students fully participating in the process. Next, it is a structured instructional situation. Generally, teachers plan and craft the opportunity for students to apply prior knowledge in a new situation at a level that requires the right amount of struggle – not too little, not too much.
Finally, students are using the knowledge they already have, just applying it to something that is new to them. Connecting the two is an essential and intricate part of productive struggle.
Encourage Dispositions for Productive Struggle
There are five general learning dispositions that students need in a productive struggle classroom.
- Curiosity and Creative Thinking
- Persistence and Self-Discipline
- Strategic Problem-Solving and Metacognition
- Risk-Taking
- Integrating Thinking
Let’s look at one of these in-depth: Risk-Taking.
This disposition focuses on stepping out of your intellectual comfort zone. Students ask questions, especially ones for which they do not know the answers. They also tolerate uncertainty and embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth. You can incorporate opportunities for risk-taking in your classroom by asking uncertain questions, or questions with uncertain answers. Here are some samples for non-core areas.
Foreign Language: If a word cannot be accurately translated into English, does that mean it isn’t real?
Technology/Computer Science: What would happen if Artificial Intelligence could feel emotions?
Art: Can there be meaning in art if the artist didn’t intend meaning?
Chorus: Is silence part of music? How?
Band: Can music exist if there is no rhythm?
Physical Education: Can you be strong physically but not be healthy?
Theatre/Drama: If you improvise during a play, is it still the same play?
Career/Technical Education: What jobs will still exist (or not exist) in 20 years, given the growth of AI?
Family/Consumer Sciences: If you prepare correctly, does that guarantee success?
Agricultural Education: Can farming ever be completely natural?
Media/Journalism: Can news ever be bias-free?
Debate/Speech: Can you win a debate if no one changes their minds?
Engineering/Makerspace: If you create something that works, but the design is imperfect, is that good enough?
Incorporate Activities and Tasks that Foster Productive Struggle
Finally, the heart of productive struggle is the task or activity students are expected to do, whether in a small group, a pair, or individually. Let’s look at a sample of a challenging activity that supports productive struggle for each of the four core areas.
Math: Linear Equations
Review the three linear equations, each of which represents a real-life situation, as well as its solution. Determine which, if any, of the solved problems are incorrect. If there is an equation that is solved incorrectly, justify why it is incorrect, solve it correctly and explain how you know it is now correct.
There are several characteristics of a challenging assignment reflected above. First, students are required to recognize and explain misconceptions, which is an aspect of reasoning as they consider the appropriateness of the solutions to the problems. Next, they must verify the reasonableness of their answers and provide a sound argument in support of their response that elaborates on the real-life scenario (e.g., money earned for hours worked).
Science: Catastrophic Events
Using their knowledge of past catastrophic events that have affected the Earth and life on earth such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, weather devastation and asteroid contact, students must predict the next catastrophic event that is likely to occur. They must base their prediction on research from a minimum of three sources other than the classroom text. Additionally, they must justify their prediction using their research and real-life examples and provide information as to how, if at all, people could prevent or lessen the effects of the catastrophe.
In this example, based on the range of events that happen across the world, students must make and justify a conjecture using a logical argument. Because they must research and synthesize information about past events, they are also attempting to generalize a pattern.
Language Arts: Reading and Writing
Choose a controversial issue of interest to you. Use credible sources to research the various perspectives surrounding the topic. Based on the information learned, explain two or more possible solutions to the controversy that would address the key aspects of the issue. Finally, write a logical argument that contains a proposal/compromise to satisfy groups on both sides of the conflict. In your argument be sure to explain how you will address the problem and justify your solution with logic and evidence from research.
There are several characteristics of a challenging assignment like the one proposed above. First, students are required to evaluate credibility of sources, which is an aspect of reasoning, as they consider the validity and relevance of each source. Next, they must synthesize information from numerous sources and explain possible solutions before developing a compromise that would appease all opposing viewpoints. Finally, they must use evidence from their research to justify their solution and explain how they will accomplish it.
Social Studies: Exploring Perspectives
As a class, brainstorm issues that might be taken up by special-interest groups. The list might include areas such as lessening opioid addiction, protecting animals from research, increasing school funding, etc. They will discuss what makes a special-interest group (nonprofit status, electioneering ban, etc.) and introduce sample special-interest groups and how they work.
Next, students will divide into small groups, each selecting and researching a global, national, state or even local issue. Students should also research the special-interest groups that have formed around this issue, noting their size, their constituency and their messages and activities during the primaries or recent elections.
Afterward, students form their own special-interest group. They must develop an agenda to promote their interest, arguments for their goals and refutations against possible opposition points. Students must include a written rationale for their position that addresses the above points. It must include specific, factual evidence from two or three credible sources. Finally, students create a 2- to 4-minute persuasive infomercial advocating for their point of view. It should include real-life examples of how the issue affects people’s lives, as well as how supporting their issue is a solution to actual problems.
In this example, students are beginning with research on special-interest groups, which in itself is not extremely challenging. However, students must extend their learning by forming their own special-interest group with a topic of choice, again researching existing special-interest groups before developing their own unique agenda with documented belief statements, arguments and refutations. All of this must be based on evidence from sources they have deemed credible.
The assignment culminates with a persuasive campaign to advocate for their interest. This idea of making research become more relevant and personal helps students to dig deeper, make more connections and use reasoning skills that wouldn’t have happened with a simple research paper on special-interest groups. This could be easily adapted for an ELA classroom at any grade level by focusing on the research skills and argumentative writing standards.
A Final Note
Productive struggle is part of your classroom instruction, building a structured task into the flow of learning so that students can apply what they know in a new and novel way. Although we have looked at myths, dispositions, and tasks, this only begins to reveal the learning power we can achieve when we ask students to apply their learning with determination and our support.
Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn, a “Top 10 Global Guru in Education,” is a bestselling author of more than 30 books and a sought-after consultant. She was an award-winning professor at Winthrop University and has taught students of all ages. In addition to speaking at conferences worldwide, she regularly presents virtual and on-site workshops for teachers and administrators.
Barbara is the author, most recently, of Productive Struggle in the K-5 Classroom: Strategies Across the Content Areas and Productive Struggle in the 6-12 Classroom: Strategies Across the Content Areas from Routledge/Eye On Education. Visit her website and follow her on X-Twitter. See an annotated index of all of Barbara’s MiddleWeb posts, including her ongoing leadership series with professor and former AMLE/NMSA executive director Ron Williamson, here.
