Asking for help in class can be challenging for any student. Some students can feel inadequate or too embarrassed to put their hand up. Many adults feel the same, from lifelong patterns of staying silent.

Not asking for help means that you don’t draw attention to yourself, but it also means that it is more easy to slip between the cracks.

We need to encourage our young people to ask for help more often. Asking for help needs to be seen as a strength, and as a life skill, which helps all of us.

There are different ways to ask for help and putting your hand up in class is only one of them. All of us - students, teachers and whānau, all have a part to play in encouraging young people to ask for help. Teachers can encourage questions at appropriate times, and “float” around the room asking students if they need help. Many students say “no” when they do in fact need help, so rewording or digging deeper might help students out. Whānau can help by encouraging this at home.

Asking questions is an important part of life as no one accomplishes anything great on their own. Even the best singers and fastest runners will have asked for help along the way. Also, asking questions may help other people. The chances are if a student has thought of a question they want to ask, then other students may have thought of the same question. Asking for help promotes community and empathy and when one person asks for help, it can build strong relationships with others within a classroom.

Getting help shows a growth mindset. It shows that our young people are thinking for themselves and are open to new possibilities. Once students feel confident to ask for help, no matter how small or large their challenges are, they can feel themselves start to thrive. It also normalises that learning involves hard work and creative thinking.

When students who are not comfortable asking for help can put their hand up or signal to the teacher or another classmate that they have a question, that is when real change and learning takes place, and they are creating a lifelong pattern that will help them when they are adults.

 Let’s all encourage our young people to ask for help in the classroom.