Building our students’ academic stamina is one of the most effective ways we can increase school performance and success.
Similar to physical fitness, stamina in education is the mental fitness required for learning. Some may call it grit, persistence, endurance, resilience, or tenacity. It’s being able to sustain attention and effort long enough to gain understanding or master a new skill. It’s about improving concentration and staying on task, especially one that’s challenging.
Why are students having so much trouble with this? Let’s explore the causes, why mental health is a prerequisite, and strategies educators can use to help improve student focus and build their academic stamina.
The decline of academic stamina in recent years
Like any other skill, academic stamina requires practice. Students need to gradually increase the amount of time they can focus and keep working on something that’s difficult for them.
During the pandemic and prolonged period of remote learning, many students developed poor habits. There were lots of distractions, and students were no longer required to practice sitting and working at a task for long periods of time. Developmentally, they lost ground on their ability to focus.
The fast-paced nature of social media (and the presence of cell phones in the classroom) has also contributed to students’ reduced attention span and need for immediate gratification. In the past, educators expected 20 minutes of sustained concentration from high school students. Today their attention span may be only a few minutes.
Given these factors, what can we do to improve our students’ stamina? First, we need to address their mental wellness.
Improving concentration starts with mental health
Students suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, or other emotional distress often experience problems with executive functioning. Their brains are incapable of performing the processing required for learning. They often can’t focus on the task at hand, understand complex information, or remember what they learn. Needless to say, their academic stamina is far behind where it needs to be.
That’s why it’s impossible to improve students’ ability to concentrate and learn without addressing the underlying mental health problem.
The fact is, student mental health issues are more widespread than we may realize: in 2023, the CDC found that 4 in 10 students had persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and nearly 20% had considered suicide.
The good news is, strategies to improve mental wellness (such as teaching coping skills) will benefit everyone in the classroom.
Learn how to support student mental health with targeted PD for school staff, parents, and students.
10 strategies to improve student focus and academic stamina
1. Establish a growth mindset
An optimistic attitude goes a long way in the classroom. When we expect our students to succeed, and communicate our expectations effectively, they will often rise to the occasion.
Remember that education is a journey and students will improve over time. A skill they don’t have now is not one they CAN’T do, but one they have not achieved YET.
2. Create a calm and consistent classroom environment
A disorganized classroom where students don’t know what to expect can ramp up feelings of anxiety and hinder students’ ability to concentrate.
Greet students with a smile every day. Use lighting, music, props, and classroom rituals (like breathing techniques) to create a sense of calm. Post a daily agenda so students are mentally prepared for what they will be working on each day.
3. Set goals and break down difficult tasks
Always ensure that students understand the goals behind the work they are doing. And recognize that we may have to adjust expectations for students who are struggling.
If the task is too much for a student and their anxiety is ramping up, break it down into smaller steps that are more achievable. Success with each small step helps them build the confidence they need to keep at it.
4. Be flexible and provide options
Is there a different way for a struggling student to complete the assignment and reach the same goal? If one way isn’t working, we can try something else.
Be open to different learning styles and give students the opportunity to shine by using their unique skills and talents.
5. Include play and project-based learning
One of the best ways to build stamina is by making learning fun. For example, we can better engage students in learning to add and subtract when it’s part of a shopping game. When working on a project they enjoy, they get “in the zone” and spend much longer working.
Incorporating structured play and projects in the classroom also helps build creativity, problem solving, and teamwork skills. And it gives us the opportunity to make lessons more personal and meaningful for our students, which increases retention.
6. Focus on the sweet spot for learning
The ideal conditions for learning happen when the student is not ready to do the work independently but can achieve their goal with the right support. Psychologists call this the zone of proximal development. You may be familiar with similar concepts such as the flow state.
We can take advantage of this learning “sweet spot” by identifying exactly what our students can manage on their own and what’s too overwhelming. Then gradually increase the difficulty while offering “scaffolding” or support (such as modeling, prompting, help from other students, visual aids or other resources).
This strategy helps students gain confidence and independence until they can tackle the challenge on their own.
7. Recognize effort and celebrate achievement
Rewarding effort, even when the student has not yet reached their goal, helps them build the confidence and motivation they need to keep trying.
Students respond better to praise than criticism. When we notice and compliment their efforts toward a task, especially in front of their peers or to their parents, that’s a significant motivator to keep up the good work.
When they do achieve a milestone or goal, be sure to celebrate appropriately.
8. Teach positive self-talk
Struggling students, especially those with mental health issues, are full of self-doubt. Negative thoughts and self-talk hinder their ability to stay on task.
It can help to teach them the value of positive self-talk. Remind them to pay attention to that critical inner voice and deliberately change the message to a more positive one. For example, if they catch themselves thinking “I will never be able to do this,” they can decide to think more positively: “This is hard but if I keep trying and ask for help I can figure it out.”
9. Encourage academic risk-taking
Some students are so terrified of failing that they avoid trying anything new or challenging. That translates to poor academic stamina because they give up the moment anything gets difficult.
How can we help? Teach students that mistakes are not failures but simply a step in the process of learning. And praise them for trying skills that are outside their comfort zone.
10. Encourage parents to support academic stamina at home
As educators, we can teach parents about the importance of stamina for learning, and how they can support that at home. Encouraging independence and allowing their children time for imaginative play builds problem-solving skills and promotes resilience.
Learn more: Building Resilience in Children: How Schools Can Help
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