I had another experience with productive struggle this morning, but it was definitely the highlight of my day.
Two students were working on converting measurements from between larger and smaller units (i.e. 1.35 L = ____ L ____ mL). For some reason, this pair was really struggling with this concept; everyone else had conquered this and moved on. But this group couldn’t for some reason, and I wanted them to keep working on it. I knew that it was a good opportunity for them to practice perseverance and experience difficulties in math.
They were making it a lot more complicated than it really had to be. They tried a whole lot of strategies that didn’t make any sense. I kept circling around them, asking them questions. We worked through a problem that they had gotten right, showing an intermediate step that might help them.
After we did that, I walked away, leaving them to grapple with an example, their knowledge base, and their problem solving skills. Eventually, I heard the golden phrase: “I finally get it!” Success.
Teaching With Mrs. Clark 
To any teacher, there can be no sweeter words. I love the idea of productive struggle and could very well describe half my life as such! I can’t wait to incorporate it in a slice. Thank you for inspiring me today.
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What a great lesson on perseverance and not giving up. So often the kids want the answers once they begin to struggle.
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The best words to hear when it finally clicks! Success indeed.They persevered and got it! Thanks for sharing!
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Wait time at its best…that is such a difficult strategy for teachers, at least for me. Sounds like you’ve got it down!
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Wow! Sounds like you really know how to wait it out, having the students discover the concept on their own. That takes a lot of patience on your part and a lot of perseverance on theirs. But, I think they will probably remember it all so much better now!
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