Have you heard of the “Third Quarter Slump?” It’s a common occurrence in schools at the end of February or the beginning of March, when a number of students’ grades dip and moods decline. The slump can be attributed to a number of factors, including a long stretch of days without a significant break, cold, overcast weather, an increasing level of difficulty in the academic content, and of course, the ongoing uncertainty associated with the COVID pandemic. The good news, however, is that there are ways teachers and counselors can support their students during this time of year that will invigorate their energy and motivation.
Here are six suggestions
- Encourage students to create short-term goals and write them down. Whether as simple as getting out of bed to the first alarm or as ambitious as achieving all A’s for the quarter, goals, when achieved, provide boosts of confidence and build energy and enthusiasm.
- Assist students in analyzing their grades to determine what strategies and work habits are helping them achieve success in their strongest classes. They can then apply these habits to their more challenging subjects.
- Suggest that students form a study group. As the saying goes, “misery loves company,” and studying with friends can make school work fun.
- Recommend studying in short, frequent blocks, instead of tackling a large amount of material at one time. This helps us to learn more, while avoiding boredom and overload.
- Show students how to use active study strategies for information retrieval. A few of these include sketching concepts, explaining what has been learned to someone else, and making notes of the main points in one’s own words.
- We all need something to look forward to. Encourage students to plan small rewards for themselves AFTER completing their work.
Most of all, it’s important to remember that the “Third Quarter Slump” is only temporary and quarter four is not far behind. This is good news for all.