Challenging students in the Classroom

By Michael Hilkemeijer

 

Challenging Students in the Classroom: Why It Matters

Challenging students in the classroom is vital for fostering an engaging and dynamic learning environment. When students are presented with tasks that push them beyond their current abilities, they have the opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially. This kind of challenge helps to develop not only academic skills but also essential life skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and resilience.

 

As educators, it's crucial to create a learning environment that encourages students to step out of their comfort zones. The right kind of challenge, paired with support, promotes deeper learning and keeps students engaged. It encourages them to move from passive learning to active exploration, which leads to more meaningful educational experiences. Below are the key reasons why challenging students in the classroom is important:

 

Key Benefits of Challenging Students:

Benefit	Explanation
Promotes Critical Thinking	Challenges encourage students to analyze, question, and engage with the content deeply, rather than memorizing information.
Encourages Problem-Solving Skills	By facing complex tasks, students learn to think through problems, test solutions, and troubleshoot errors.
Fosters Resilience and Perseverance	Overcoming academic obstacles builds students’ ability to persist in the face of difficulty, a vital life skill.
Stimulates Intrinsic Motivation	A meaningful challenge fosters a sense of achievement and drives students to pursue further learning.
Builds Confidence	Successfully overcoming challenges boosts students' self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
Prepares for Future Success	Students equipped with problem-solving and critical thinking skills are better prepared for real-world situations.

 

 

Why Is It Important to Challenge Students?

The impact of challenging students goes beyond simply improving their grades. When students are challenged appropriately, they are more likely to develop:

• Deeper Learning: Research consistently shows that when students face tasks that require them to think critically and engage actively with the material, they retain information better and gain a deeper understandingLearning about computersOutdoor digital storyte….

• Future Readiness: The skills that students develop when faced with challenges, such as adaptability, critical thinking, and creativity, are vital for navigating the complexities of modern society and the workforce. The world is constantly changing, and students who are used to overcoming challenges will be better prepared to handle new situations and opportunities.

• Supports Growth: Offering challenges that are within a student's capability but still require effort and persistence ensures that they are not just passively receiving information but actively growing. This kind of challenge builds resilience, encourages goal-setting, and fosters a lifelong love of learning.

 

Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment where students not only gain knowledge but also the skills to think critically, solve problems, and succeed in various contexts. Challenging students in the classroom isn't just about increasing difficulty—it's about providing them with opportunities to grow and excel, both academically and personally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overcoming Technology Challenges in the Classroom: From Problems to Possibilities

Today’s educators face more than just the task of engaging students—they’re navigating a digital world that evolves faster than traditional teaching models can keep up with. Many want to introduce more challenging activities for students, but feel held back by technical barriers or lack of confidence. Before educators can truly challenge students in the classroom using technology, they need a clear path forward through the most common obstacles.

 

What Are the Most Common Technology Challenges in Education?

Educators across all sectors report recurring difficulties when integrating technology into classroom practice:

Challenge	Description
Lack of Confidence or Training	Teachers feel underprepared to use new tools effectively【ERIC, 2017】.
Limited Access to Devices or Wi-Fi	Inconsistent access to tech infrastructure disrupts learning【Lead School, 2024】.
Inconsistent Support or IT Help	Many schools lack a structured tech support system【FutureLearn, 2023】.
Classroom Management with Technology	Difficulties arise in keeping students on-task with digital tools【Edsembli, 2024】.
Teacher Perception of Technology	A major barrier is the mindset that tech is risky, time-consuming, or unmanageable【Edsembli, 2024】.
Curriculum Integration Gaps	Struggles to meaningfully align tech with outcomes and pedagogy.

 

These issues don’t just impact your day—they influence whether or not your students get access to rich, tech-integrated learning experiences.

 

 

 

Why the ICT in Education Teacher Academy Is the Solution

Educators don’t need just more tools—they need support that changes perception, builds confidence, and turns challenges into professional momentum.

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy isn’t a typical PD platform. It’s a transformation model—one that:

 

✅ Prepares you with digital pedagogy foundations
✅ Reassures you by connecting you with others who’ve been there
✅ Identifies what’s getting in your way—and gives you a way through
✅ Involves you in a supportive, professional culture of change

Here’s how the membership helps you overcome each of the key challenges listed above:

Challenge	How the Membership Helps
Lack of Training & Confidence	Guided by the Success Path: Technology Integrator's Learning Journey to Transformation, step-by-step.
Perception Barriers	Engaging with real teachers in the exclusive community shifts perception through shared success stories.
Inconsistent Support	Post a question in the community and get practical advice from frontline educators who’ve already solved it.
Curriculum Integration	Download lesson plans that embed tech meaningfully into real learning goals.
Need for Immediate Answers	Use the Wisdom Tool to search the database of member questions and expert responses—available 24/7.
Classroom Management Strategies	Learn from peers who’ve tackled digital classroom management—and see their routines, tools, and adjustments.

 

 

This isn’t just professional development. It’s a professional shift. Members grow in capability and confidence, and over time, their mindset around technology evolves too.

“Before joining, I avoided using apps. Now I teach coding through play and can troubleshoot on the fly—all because others in the community showed me how.”
— Foundation teacher, member since 2023

 

 

 

The Power of the Exclusive Community

The exclusive member community is where transformation becomes practical. It’s where tech-related fear is replaced by shared wisdom and genuine encouragement.

• Ask anything—from “How do I introduce coding to 4-year-olds?” to “How do I prevent tech becoming a distraction?”

• Learn from others—see how educators like you have tackled the same tech hurdles, adapted lesson plans, and created manageable routines.

• Build confidence—as you contribute, reflect, and see progress, your perception of what's possible shifts.

In short: You’re not alone. You’re learning alongside educators who have already walked the path you’re just starting on.

 

 

 

What Happens When You Overcome Technology Challenges?

Once these barriers are addressed, something powerful happens: you open the door to authentic, challenging activities for students. These aren’t just flashy tech experiments—they’re carefully designed, curriculum-aligned tasks that help students think deeply, create meaningfully, and problem-solve independently.

Here’s what shifts:

 

Before Solving Tech Challenges	After Solving Tech Challenges
Avoids digital tools altogether	Selects and applies tools purposefully for student outcomes
Lacks time or knowledge to troubleshoot	Confidently adapts and resolves issues as they arise
Repeats the same activities to play it safe	Offers new, challenging student tasks that build capability
Feels uncertain about what’s ‘worth it’	Aligns every tech use to developmental and curriculum goals

 

 

And this is where your journey leads next.

 

 

 

 

What’s Next?

If you’ve ever felt like technology in the classroom is more trouble than it’s worth, you’re not alone—but you don’t have to stay there. With the right support, the right structure, and the right community, you can turn those roadblocks into real momentum.

 

In the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, you’ll find the practical tools to teach with confidence, the peers to guide you through real challenges, and the structure to transform your perception of what technology in education can really do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Challenging Activities for Students Look Like (and How to Use Them with Confidence)

Once educators overcome the initial hurdles of integrating technology, the next question becomes: How do I create meaningful, challenging activities for students? Whether you're teaching in early childhood or primary school, finding the right balance between support and stretch is key to truly challenging students in the classroom.

 

But it’s not just about difficulty—it’s about designing classroom challenges for students that promote problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork. When done well, these activities elevate engagement, boost capability, and build resilience.

 

In this blog, we show you what these types of activities look like inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy—and how teachers are accessing them through lesson plans, community insight, and the Wisdom Tool.

 

 

 

Why We Need to Challenge Students in the Classroom

Challenging students isn’t about making work harder. It’s about giving learners opportunities to:

• Stretch their thinking

• Take risks with new tools and ideas

• Collaborate meaningfully with others

• Persevere through multi-step problem solving

• Reflect on their own learning

These are more than just educational buzzwords—they’re essential outcomes in a tech-rich world. Yet many teachers still ask: How do I challenge students in the classroom without overwhelming them? That’s where thoughtful design—and the right support—makes all the difference.

 

 

 

What Challenging Activities Look Like: Membership Examples

Inside the ICT in Education Teacher Academy, you’ll find hundreds of tech-integrated lesson plans designed to stretch thinking and embed core skills. Here’s a sample of challenging activities for students drawn from across ECE and primary levels:

 

✅ Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

Activity	Description
Take Apart a Computer	Children explore how computers work by safely dismantling a non-working tower, sparking investigation and reflection. (ECE)
Bee-Bot School Bus Challenge	Students design a map and program a Bee-Bot to simulate a school bus route, requiring spatial reasoning and multi-step coding. (ECE/Lower Primary)
Outdoor QR Code Nature Hunt	Using devices to scan clues about plants and insects, children apply logic and collaborate to solve nature-based riddles. (ECE/Primary)

 

✅ Teamwork & Communication

 

Activity	Description
Digital Storytelling in Groups	Children record sounds outdoors, create collaborative audio stories, and edit them in a shared app like Book Creator. (ECE)
Shape Design Challenge	Teams of students use Paint 3D to create real-world images from 2D shapes, encouraging shared decision-making and discussion. (ECE/Primary)
AR Nature Exploration	Students work in teams to identify, record, and compare biodiversity in different environments using augmented reality apps. (Primary)

 

 

✅ Creativity + Complexity

Activity	Description
Abstract Art with Bee-Bots	Children program Bee-Bots to draw using coloured markers, exploring sequencing while creating expressive digital artwork. (ECE)
Coding with Nature Paths	Students build nature-inspired obstacle courses and code programmable toys to navigate them using logic and trial-and-error. (ECE/Lower Primary)
Interactive Digital Portfolios	Learners compile evidence of learning into digital journals with text, voice, and images—combining reflection with tech literacy. (Primary)

 

These activities aren’t worksheets with a twist. They’re designed to be engaging learning challenges in the classroom, encouraging students to actively apply thinking, digital tools, and teamwork.

 

 

How Members Find and Adapt These Challenges

One of the most powerful features of the membership is that it doesn’t just give you activities—it teaches you how to adapt them, improve them, and build your own.

🧠 Use the Wisdom Tool

Members can search for “how to challenge students in the classroom” or “challenging group activities for Year 1” and get:

• Real examples from lesson plans

• Answers from the expert knowledge base

• References to the original lesson plans or community posts they came from

This means every idea is traceable—and adaptable.

“I searched ‘group problem solving for Bee-Bot’ and found a thread that led me to an activity I’d never considered. It included the plan, the reflection questions, and the EYLF outcomes. That saved me hours.”

👥 Ask the Community

Sometimes, the most effective classroom ideas come from real stories—not just theory.

The exclusive community allows members to:

• Ask: “How do you challenge Year 2 students with coding?”

• See multiple responses, including adjustments based on context

• Share outcomes, gain feedback, and build their next challenge with peer insight

“I posted about needing more group-based challenges for my Prep class. Within a day, I had three responses—each with examples, photos, and tweaks they’d made.”

This exchange of ideas ensures that no member ever has to plan in isolation.

 

 

The Difference Is in the Doing

Teachers don’t just want ideas—they want ones that work, that stretch students, and that are supported by community and reflection.

That’s what the ICT in Education Teacher Academy offers: a growing bank of challenging classroom activities supported by professional tools, shared wisdom, and community-driven insight.

If you’re still wondering how to challenge students in the classroom, maybe the better question is: Who’s helping you do it?

Because when the right support is in place—everything changes.

 

 

 

 

 

Empowering Educators to Maximize Technology in the Classroom

As classrooms increasingly integrate digital tools, the role of technology in helping students learn has never been more critical. From improving engagement to enabling personalized learning, technology is transforming the educational landscape. But how exactly does technology help students learn, and what role do educators play in ensuring that it’s used effectively? Let’s explore the ways technology enhances learning—and how the ICT in Education Teacher Academy equips educators to harness these benefits for their students.

 

 

How Technology Helps Students Learn

The impact of technology on education is profound, offering students new ways to engage with content, collaborate, and demonstrate learning. Here are several key ways technology helps students learn:

 

Way Technology Helps Learning	Description
Increases Engagement	Technology allows for interactive, multimedia-rich content, making lessons more engaging and stimulating【Explorance, 2023】
Facilitates Personalized Learning	Digital tools enable students to learn at their own pace and target areas where they need improvement【ScienceDirect, 2023】.
Enhances Critical Thinking	Digital tools support interactive learning, requiring students to analyze, evaluate, and create, fostering higher-order thinking【Quintilian School, 2023】.
Improves Collaboration	Students can collaborate more easily through digital platforms, working together on projects and problem-solving【ACC, 2023】.
Provides Immediate Feedback	Technology enables immediate assessment and feedback, helping students track progress and adjust their learning strategies.
Supports Accessibility	Digital tools provide accommodations for students with disabilities, ensuring all learners can access content effectively【Explorance, 2023】.

 

 

 

Each of these benefits contributes to creating a dynamic and inclusive learning environment where students are more motivated and empowered to learn. However, for these advantages to truly be realized, it’s essential that teachers have the knowledge and confidence to integrate technology effectively into their classrooms.

 

 

 

 

How the ICT in Education Teacher Academy Ensures Technology Helps Students Learn

Now that we understand how technology helps students learn, the next question is: How can educators ensure that technology is used to its full potential? This is where the ICT in Education Teacher Academy comes in. Through its structured support, resources, and community-driven guidance, the membership provides educators with everything they need to ensure technology enhances student learning.

 

Here’s how the membership directly supports educators in making sure technology helps students learn:

How the Membership Supports Educators	Impact on Student Learning
Access to Ready-to-Use Lesson Plans	Educators can seamlessly integrate tech-based activities into their lessons, ensuring that technology is applied effectively【Membership Resource】.
Success Path: Technology Integrator's Learning Journey	Guides educators through progressive stages, from basic tech integration to transformative teaching, ensuring meaningful student outcomes【Success Path】.
Exclusive Community	Members learn from each other’s real classroom experiences, gaining insights into the best tech practices that directly boost student engagement【Community Insight】
Wisdom Tool	Provides immediate access to answers and strategies from the membership’s extensive knowledge base, giving educators solutions for overcoming technology challenges【Wisdom Tool】.
Ongoing Professional Development	Teachers engage in continuous learning, refining their ability to use technology effectively, which directly benefits their students’ learning experiences【PD Resources】.

 

 

Through these resources, the membership doesn’t just provide information—it transforms how teachers apply technology in the classroom, ensuring that technology helps students learn by aligning digital tools with pedagogical goals.

 

 

 

Why the Membership Makes a Difference

The membership does more than just provide lesson plans—it empowers educators with the tools, resources, and community support they need to successfully integrate technology. For example:

• Success Path Support: The step-by-step journey from technology adoption to full integration ensures that teachers build the confidence to utilize tech tools effectively. As they progress, they gain a deeper understanding of how technology helps students learn and how to adjust their teaching practices for maximum impact.

• Exclusive Community: By engaging with peers in the community, educators receive practical advice on technology use—such as how to better manage digital tools or integrate them into collaborative projects. This real-world insight directly impacts the way technology is used to support student learning.

• Wisdom Tool Access: When a challenge arises—whether it's finding a new app for coding or troubleshooting a tech issue—the Wisdom Tool provides educators with ready-made solutions and practical tips, ensuring that technology never becomes a barrier to learning.

In short, the ICT in Education Teacher Academy ensures that educators are equipped to fully harness the potential of technology to foster an engaging, personalized, and effective learning experience for every student.

 

 

Conclusion

How technology helps students learn is clear—it increases engagement, promotes collaboration, facilitates personalized learning, and empowers critical thinking. But to truly unlock its full potential, educators need the right tools, guidance, and community support. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy provides just that, ensuring that technology isn’t just an add-on, but a transformative force that enhances every student’s learning experience.

 

If you're ready to make technology work for your students, the membership gives you the resources to do just that—whether it’s through lesson plans, peer support, or ongoing professional development. Join today and start ensuring technology is a key part of your students’ learning journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Challenge High-Achieving Students with Technology

High-achieving students present a unique challenge in the classroom. While many students benefit from standard lesson plans, these students require more to stay engaged, stimulated, and progressing. As an educator, you’re tasked with ensuring that these students are consistently challenged, while also ensuring they develop critical higher-order thinking skills.

 

But how to challenge high-achieving students using technology? It’s not just about increasing task difficulty—it’s about creating an environment where students can apply and expand their skills in ways that are meaningful and productive. In this blog, we’ll explore strategies for challenging high-achieving students, focusing on technology’s role, and how the ICT in Education Teacher Academy can provide the resources, lesson plans, and community support you need to successfully challenge your most gifted learners.

 

 

 

 

Key Strategies for Challenging High-Achieving Students

1. Higher Order Thinking Skills

High-achieving students require opportunities to think critically and engage in tasks that challenge their problem-solving, analysis, and evaluation skills. Technology can play a huge role here by offering dynamic tools that push students beyond rote memorization, allowing them to analyze complex problems and think creatively. Whether it’s through coding, digital storytelling, or interactive simulations, technology empowers students to synthesize information, make predictions, and draw conclusions—skills that are at the heart of higher-order thinking.

 

Strategy	Description
Critical Thinking with Digital Tools	Provide tools like interactive digital whiteboards or mind-mapping software to help students analyze and synthesize complex topics.
Problem-Based Learning	Use simulations or coding challenges that require students to work through real-world problems, refining their critical thinking skills.

 

 

2. Appropriate Task Goals

High-achieving students often struggle with feeling under-challenged or disengaged when tasks are too easy. The goal is not just to assign harder work, but to create tasks that stretch their thinking while remaining achievable. Using technology for differentiated tasks allows you to adjust complexity based on the student’s ability, which can result in more meaningful and motivating challenges.

 

Example: An advanced student working with programming tools like Scratch or Blockly can be tasked with creating more complex projects that require them to experiment with variables, loops, and debugging techniques. These tasks offer an appropriate challenge while still being relevant and engaging.

 

 

 

3. Differentiated Instruction

Differentiation is key when working with high-achieving students. Technology enables you to easily adapt lessons to meet individual learning needs, ensuring that all students, regardless of their ability, are appropriately challenged. Through differentiated instruction, high achievers can work on advanced content, use enriched resources, or collaborate with peers on complex tasks.

 

Differentiation Strategy	Description
Tech-Based Enrichment Tasks	Provide students with additional digital resources (like Khan Academy or interactive e-books) for deepening their knowledge on specific topics.
Advanced Collaborative Tools	Tools like Google Docs and collaborative apps can allow high achievers to create more complex group projects, allowing them to share ideas and strategies with other students.

 

 

 

4. High-Impact Teaching Strategies

High-impact teaching strategies are designed to engage students and deepen learning. Using technology to apply these strategies in the classroom enhances their effectiveness. Examples include:

• Feedback for Learning: Students can receive instant feedback on their digital work, whether it’s a quiz or a coding project. This rapid response allows them to reflect on their thinking and make adjustments quickly.

• Collaborative Learning: Through online platforms, students can collaborate on advanced projects, sharing ideas and learning from each other’s strengths.

• Problem-Solving Activities: Digital games or coding challenges designed for high achievers promote creative problem-solving. These tasks stretch their abilities while providing feedback to improve their process.

 

 

 

5. Engagement and Motivation through Technology

Motivation is key for keeping high-achieving students challenged and engaged. Technology can provide the interactive and immersive experiences that keep these students excited about learning. From interactive simulations to personalized learning pathways, tech tools can help make learning relevant, rewarding, and challenging.

 

Technology Tools for Engagement	Description
Digital Games and Simulations	Use technology like educational games or coding simulators that present challenges in fun, engaging formats.
Interactive Learning Platforms	Tools like Edmodo or Kahoot! offer instant feedback and competitive elements that appeal to high-achieving students

 

 

 

How the ICT in Education Teacher Academy Supports You in Challenging High-Achieving Students

The ICT in Education Teacher Academy is not just about giving you lesson plans—it’s about giving you strategies, tools, and community support to elevate the learning experience for all students, including your highest achievers.

 

How the Membership Helps You Meet High-Achieving Students' Needs:

Feature	How It Helps Challenge High-Achieving Students
Differentiated Lesson Plans	The membership provides lesson plans that are specifically designed to cater to differentiated instruction, allowing you to challenge students at all levels, especially those who need advanced tasks.
Higher Order Thinking Activities	The lesson plans encourage critical thinking through problem-solving, project-based tasks, and interactive tech tools that require students to apply their learning, not just recall information.
Community Support	The community allows you to share and discuss strategies for engaging high achievers. Teachers who’ve faced similar challenges can offer practical advice for keeping these students motivated and engaged.
The Wisdom Tool	The Wisdom Tool provides access to a knowledge base that answers common questions about challenging students in the classroom, giving you real-world examples of how technology is used to foster deeper learning.

 

 

Real-Life Example from the Membership

• Mia, a Primary School Teacher, was working with a group of high-achieving Year 5 students. She used one of the membership’s lesson plans focused on project-based learning with technology to engage them in creating a digital story about local wildlife. They used Book Creator to write, narrate, and animate their story. The activity pushed their creative boundaries while fostering collaboration and higher-order thinking. Mia was able to tweak the lesson to make it more challenging, using feedback from the community and a quick search on the Wisdom Tool.

 

 

 

Conclusion

Challenging high-achieving students doesn’t have to be difficult. By focusing on higher-order thinking, personalized tasks, and high-impact teaching strategies, educators can ensure that these students stay engaged, motivated, and continuously growing. The ICT in Education Teacher Academy equips educators with the resources and support to implement these strategies, making it easier to meet the needs of high-achieving learners through the effective use of technology.

 

By integrating tech tools and collaborating with other educators, you’ll be able to challenge students in the classroom in ways that encourage their academic and personal development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Challenging students when using Tech in Subject Learning

Gauging the level of challenge for ICT activities can be difficult particularly as the children progress in their capabilities. Some children may be highly proficient when using one piece of software but inexperienced with another.

 

The difference between confident users of ICT and inexperienced ones is that confident users have a greater repertoire of knowledge from which to draw. They will continue to try things out until eventually something happens; either the computer carries out the required task or it does not.

 

His is how to challenge high achieving students:

1. Provide them with content-free software - Research shows that you will not only be able to challenge students intellectually by giving opportunities to use programs such word processors, spreadsheets and drawing and painting in meaningful and context driven tasks, but you will also develop their ICT capabilities alongside the subject learning. The computer for one, must always be used as a tool for learning and the student must be in control at all times.

2. Give them more sophisticated programs when the curriculum context asks for it - This is the best way to ensure that progression occurs for the student. Don’t just give them sophisticated software just because you can. If this type of software is required by the curriculum activity then it is essential that you provide them with it.

3. Challenge naïve ideas about handling ICT tools - This is following on from being able to develop their ICT capabilities and focusing on the concepts behind the ICT skills in the primary classroom. It can occur in whole-class teaching, where appropriate, and when monitoring the progress of individuals or groups.

 

 

For example:

When students use spaces to spread out text on a line or page – show the effect of adding extra text so that the spaces move to a different position on the line.

If they use the backspace key to delete back to an earlier mistake and retype – set a task the editing of previously composed text to achieve a different goal.

When type calculations in a spreadsheet using values directly instead of formulae in the cell references – change the values in the cells and point out the incorrect result from the calculations based the previous values.

 

4. Track their progression in ICT capability - If you devise a system that will accurately assess and record their progress in learning it will enable you to avoid not only teaching them ICT skills which they may already know but also to determine what they don’t know and therefore, set them challenges to accomplish these capabilities in ICT.

5. Set them challenges in the subject content or the style and mode of presentation - One example which research gives (Bennett, Hamill, & Pickford, 2007, p. 60) is “if a pair of children is working on a slide for a presentation, you could ask them whether they have thought about changing the size of the text, including another picture or modifying the content of the text so that it makes more sense.” To help them make progress in their ICT capabilities it will be important for you to intervene in order to show them more advanced ICT techniques or to show them a feature of the software which could enable them to be more productive in their use of time.

6. Let them plan, or at least negotiate, what they might try - Students are bound to have their own idea about what they want to do, so you might want to encourage this. It is a good idea to have a model or plan they can follow.

7. Let them teach - Give the students the chance to act as experts and allow peer tutoring.

8. Set them a challenge in a drill and practice program - If you have one of these in the classroom, crank up the level and set them a challenge to do this. 

9. Keep the software handbook handy - If a bright student needs answers then provide them the handbook.

10. Draw further support from the following resources - for example:

• the manual for the software — it has usually been written with the ‘average’ teacher in mind
• the on-screen help menu — most programs include on-screen help, either designed for the pupil or the teacher
• experimentation — computers are quite happy to provide you with feedback if you make a mistake; keep trying things until something happens; if in doubt, close the program; as a last resort, turn off the computer (hold in the power button for five seconds on most computers)
• the children — if you get stuck, ask if any children have found a way of solving the problem; if they have not, they might be able to suggest a strategy that they have developed for tackling similar problems and might be able to find a solution or interpret the manual if you are finding it particularly unhelpful
• the internet — visit the software company's website to see if there are any help files. If it is a problem to which you can find no solution, send them an e-mail asking for advice. They are usually very responsive; most educational software suppliers rely on recommendations by teachers to other teachers to spread the word about their products.
• a colleague — others on the staff may have experienced the same problem and found a solution; the ICT coordinator might know what to do, or might know a colleague in another school who could help
• a friend — one of your friends might be quite a confident user of computers and might be able to find a solution or interpret the manual if you are finding it particularly unhelpful.

 

Generally speaking, other strategies such as those that follow can be used to further show you how to challenge high achieving students:

Offer the most difficult first

Successful teachers have used this strategy for all students. Those students who have successfully completed problems can be excused from doing homework that night.

Pre-test for volunteers

Prepare to Take it up

Speak to student interests

Enable gifted students to work together

Plan for Tiered learning

Encourage self-assessment

Ok independent learning projects

Teach creativity

 

Conclusion

My advice is to choose a program that has many applications for students to use across the learning areas and is one that you are already familiar with. Try to master these programs, so that when the children come to use them you have rehearsed their tasks to an extent whereby you are able to cope with most problems and issues that might arise. You can never be prepared for the unexpected, but gaining confidence with the software will help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What about difficult students?

When learning how to deal with difficult students in the classroom there are a number of rules that you should remember as a teacher.

I know, it isn’t easy to apply them but remember that you are the adult and that they need to learn from you both academically and behaviourally.

 

According to SmartClassroomManagement, these rules will help you avoid the most common pitfalls. You can learn more about them from them. So I have summarised what they are below to give you an idea.

 

• Don’t ask questions;
• Don’t argue;
• Don’t give false praise;
• Don’t hold a grudge;
• Don’t scold, lecture or yell;
• Don’t lose your cool and;
• Don’t ignore misbehaviour.

 

Other strategies that will help you learn how to deal with difficult students in the classroom come from TeachThought and include:

 

TRUST

It is important that you build trust so that you can have a working student-teacher relationship. You can achieve this by becoming a cheerleader for your students particularly for those students whose actions make others want to ignore the behaviour going on. You can thank them for their cooperation and be sure to make time to ask them how they managed to look after themselves.

 

ENGAGEMENT       

If you’re learning content is to be compelling then it is important that you DO establish a starting point for their learning by assessing their capabilities and knowledge – in technology and non-technology use – so that you can help them plot their course for learning. You can also make it a goal to begin each class with something that grabs their attention. From this you can try to connect the lesson content you are teaching.

 

PERSONALISATION

As mentioned earlier, assessing their capabilities and knowledge is useful but it can be your plan of attack to ensure that you personalise learning for all students. Personalisation also means that you can personalise what you emphasise. For example, cultivate responsibility on a student-by-student basis.

 

POSITIVITY

Momentum is important too in success. It is true that nobody starts school expecting to fail! You need to create and modify assignments, quizzes, tests etc. along with behavioural expectations

 

SAFETY

Set your expectations early in the lesson and ensure that all students follow the safety rules.

 

So I hope that this helps you learn more about how to deal with difficult students in the classroom.

 

Conclusion

The top strategies will enable you to learn how to challenge high achieving students as well as being able to do the same for difficult students. As a teacher, it is important that you understand that each strategy will be different for the students in your classroom both individually and as a whole class. So make the best choices in terms of what to use and adjust them accordingly so that students will be more engaged and motivated in your lessons today.

 

 

 

 

Challenging Students with Technology: Unlock Their Full Potential

In this series, we've outlined how to effectively challenge students in the classroom through technology:

• High-achieving students thrive with higher-order thinking and personalized tasks.

• Technology drives engagement and provides instant solutions to common tech challenges.

• Challenging activities like problem-solving and critical thinking come to life with the right tech tools.

• Overcome obstacles with support from the community and real-time answers from the Wisdom Tool.

Why Join the ICT in Education Teacher Academy?

By becoming a member, you gain exclusive access to differentiated lesson plans, expert community support, and ongoing professional development—all tailored to help you integrate technology and challenge your students effectively.

 

With the annual plan, you save while gaining an entire year of resources, guidance, and a community ready to support you every step of the way.

 

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your classroom?

Join today and start empowering your students with the tools they need to succeed.