Should I Ask My Teacher for Help?

Quora Question: Is it beneficial for students to ask their teacher for help?

Absolutely!! Please do ask! If any teacher EVER makes you feel bad for asking then that is not on you. That is on that teacher, UNLESS…

Caveat: If you were not listening, you were talking to the student next to you during instruction, AND you are asking a question that your teacher just answered, then ask after class and do your best to focus on the instruction.

Although most teachers check for understanding with their students often, they may not know which individual students want/need help. Students are often uncomfortable asking but this is the best way for both the student and the teacher to find out who needs help and what they need help with.

Here are some of the strategies that I have found that really helped my students after they’ve asked me for additional help:

1. Peer Tutoring-Although at first it was a bit of an ego buster for me, I found that sometimes a peer helping another peer was the best way to clear up any misunderstanding. Because of this, I developed a system of peer tutoring in my classroom as an integral part of my teaching. I set up peer tutoring during class and during my lunch tutorial. I put topic signs on each table showing students what concept was being tutored at that table. Then students would go to the table that had the topic they needed help with. At one time I counted 60 students in my classroom during lunch tutorial. It was very productive and students were all sincerely helping each other. Why did this work so well? Because……..

   
   

   1. Even if I thought I did a good job of explaining a concept, sometimes another student (a different brain) can explain something in a totally different way that makes sense to the student they are helping.

   2. One on one help from a peer reduces stress and anxiety because there is often less pressure than when the teacher is explaining a concept again.

   3. Learning by teaching-Our depth of understanding increases when we help another person to understand. If we can’t explain something then we don’t really understand it well enough. Students “sink” their learning when they explain/describe a concept to another student. My peer tutors soon learned that after helping other students their test scores went up and they felt good about helping.

      
      

2. Reexplaining to the entire class is valuable!

   
   

   1. It helps other students if you ask-If one student does not understand AND they were listening and focusing, then there are probably other students that do not understand either. So, be BOLD, ask! You will most likely be helping other students that were not comfortable asking for help or clarification.

   2. Takes more than once to get it-Depending on the complexity of the concept, the majority of a classroom full of students will still need some help after being shown a new idea for the first time. The experienced teacher knows this and will immediately follow the introduction of new content or process with a peer/partner share or some form of review. However, if your teacher does not do this then let them know that you have questions. I know, this take a LOT of courage, but if you are willing then you will be helping others.

      
      

3. If you are confused-If you are confused then you are on the verge of learning something. You are thinking about it and trying to sort it out. If you don’t want to ask in front of the entire class then let your teacher know that you need help on your way out of class, via email, a written note, etc… It is your teacher’s job to help you understand.

   
   

Final Thought: Yes!! It is beneficial to ask for help. The vast majority of instructors will appreciate that you reached out.