Every teacher and homeschool parent has faced it: a student staring at a math problem, a reading passage, or a blank page—stuck, frustrated, and ready to give up.
The natural question is: Why do some children struggle so much, even when we’ve explained, practiced, and encouraged them?
The answer isn’t as simple as “they just need to try harder.” Research in the science of learning gives us key insights into why students get stuck—and, more importantly, how we can help them move forward.
Learning Builds Like a Tower
Think of learning as building a tower out of blocks. Each level depends on the stability of the level below it. If there’s a gap in the foundation, the whole structure becomes shaky.
- In reading, a child who misses out on phonemic awareness—understanding how sounds work together—will struggle to decode words later on.
- In math, a child who hasn’t grasped number sense will find multi-digit operations or fractions confusing, no matter how many times we review them.
- In writing, students who haven’t mastered sentence construction may hit a wall when asked to write paragraphs or essays.
Gaps in foundational skills will always show up later, often in more complex tasks.
It’s Not Just About Content—It’s About Processing
Sometimes we assume the problem is “they just don’t know their facts” or “they haven’t memorized enough words.” But the research shows that underlying processes play a huge role in learning.
For example:
- A child with weak working memory may forget the beginning of a sentence before reaching the end, making reading comprehension difficult.
- A student with poor visual-motor integration may write so slowly that they can’t keep up with their ideas.
- A learner with challenges in auditory discrimination may confuse similar-sounding words, affecting both reading and spelling.
When these processing skills are weak, simply teaching more content isn’t enough. We need strategies that strengthen the underlying processes at the same time.
Why Explicit, Structured Instruction Matters
The idea that students will simply “pick up” core skills isn’t supported by science. While some children thrive in less structured environments, struggling learners need direct, systematic instruction.
That means:
- Teaching phonics in a clear, sequential way.
- Breaking math concepts into steps and connecting them to concrete understanding.
- Modeling writing processes, from brainstorming to revising, so students see what good writing looks like.
Research shows that when instruction is explicit (we tell students exactly what we want them to learn) and structured (we build skills step by step), struggling learners gain traction.
Practical Strategies Teachers Can Use
So, what does this look like in practice?
In Math:
- Use manipulatives to build number sense before moving to abstract symbols.
- Teach multiple strategies for solving problems, not just one algorithm.
- Encourage students to explain their thinking aloud to strengthen reasoning.
In Reading:
- Incorporate daily practice with phonemic awareness, even in upper grades.
- Use decodable texts that match the phonics patterns students are learning.
- Teach comprehension strategies explicitly, such as predicting, summarizing, and questioning.
In Writing:
- Start with strong sentence construction before expecting longer pieces.
- Teach spelling and morphology (prefixes, suffixes, roots) as tools, not as isolated word lists.
- Break the writing process into stages: planning, drafting, revising, and sharing.
These strategies help students not just “get through” a task, but build the cognitive architecture they need for future learning.
Why This Matters for Teachers and Parents
Understanding the science of learning changes the way we respond to struggling students. Instead of feeling frustrated that they “should know this by now,” we can recognize that they may be missing a building block or an underlying process.
And here’s the good news: brains are malleable. With the right strategies, students can strengthen weak areas, build new connections, and experience real growth.
A Note About the Autumn Teacher Series
If you’d like to explore these ideas further, NILD Canada is offering the Autumn Teacher Series this November—three separate weekend workshops in Math, Reading, and Writing. Each one is built on the science of learning and equips teachers with practical, ready-to-use strategies.
Because when we understand why students struggle, we can finally give them the tools they need to succeed.