At the JEI Learning Center, we encounter students with all different learning strengths and weaknesses on a regular basis, but sometimes, certain behaviors and approaches to learning are harder to pin down and identify. Learning helpnessness is a common belief that some students have, where they think that no matter what they do when it comes to tests and classwork, the outcome won't change. As opposed to other children, who think that if they study hard enough, they will ace the test, students who have developed learned helplessness feel that no matter how hard they study or try, they will continue to get bad grades regardless. Typically, this behavior crops up in children who have had a series of academic failures that have left them feeling demotivated and demoralized, which leads to a vicious cycle of poor performance in school. If you would like to learn more about the most common indicators of learned helplessness, read on:

1. Passive Behavior – When students feel like they can’t get anything right, they simply stop trying in order to avoid failing again.

2. Downplaying success – If a student receives a good test score, they will just chalk it up to good luck or a happy accident, rather than taking any accountability for the positive performance.

3. Lack of Motivation – Someone who has developed learned helplessness will often exhibit signs of low motivation and a lack of goals that they are aspiring to.

4. Sense of No Control – As mentioned above, one of the most common signs of this helpless attitude is a sense of zero control when it comes to the outcome of a test or project. 

5. Negative Focus – Rather than concentrating on the positive aspects of their academic performance, students with learned helplessness will only harp on the negative parts.

At our learning center, our instructors are taught how to pick up on signs of learned helplessness and help students break these bad habits and regain their academic confidence before it's too late. We start by training children to concentrate on productive and useful strategies that can help them stay focused and achieve their goals, and we also teach them how to feel self-empowered and in charge of their own behavior. If you would like to learn more about how we help students break the cycle of negative thinking and poor academic performance in our reading, writing, math programs and more, we would love to hear from you. Simply fill out this contact form and we will reach out to answer all your questions!