You're faced with a student frustrated with academic progress. How can you show empathy in this situation?

By showing empathy and by being receptive,we may assuage the stress and strain of a student who is upset with lack of academic progress.While discussing his issue, we should suspend our judgement briefly and try to see the issue from his perspective. We should exhibit appropriate body language by looking engrossed. We should not interrupt and allow him to complete, admitting him a few seconds of silence, if it is required for his composure. We should also keep summing up his outpourings periodically to show our understanding and keenness to address the issue. Our listening should be with a view to find a solution that will expedite his progress. Thus the factors responsible and ways of coming out of the messy situation will be discovered.

One thing I have found being “the most crucial part “ is listening to students without making any judgements. Empathy undoubtedly is something that these young adults need to be dealt with, however my experience has taught me that listening to them and giving them the confidence that they will and are not being judged works wonders. Each student has his own path academically and thus will have their own challenges. Reassurance is imperative and telling them that we have their back, I have seen bounces them back with more self worth and confidence

In my experience, it’s crucial to respond with genuine care for them as a person. Start with respect and value them as an individual beyond their academic performance. Begin by actively listening, inviting them to share their perspective on the challenges, what they’ve already tried, and what they see as an ideal solution to the issue. Clarify and summarize what you’ve heard to ensure you fully understand their viewpoint. Ask if you can share your insights based on your experiences to foster a collaborative conversation. Do not judge or assume, instead focus on how you can support them in moving forward. Be invested in their success and not just "policy and procedure". By doing this, you create an environment of trust and empowerment.

Listening is key, this allows the student to feel relieved by having someone listening to his problems. This also gives the student confidence that you want to help solve his problems.

The strategy I apply is to motivate the student. Sometimes it just needs right set of words and a slight push which steers the academic journey of a student to another direction. Instilling self belief and promoting determination will do the trick!

In my experience, validating students' frustrations is crucial. Letting them know their struggles are real and understandable shows true empathy. Rather than comparing their situation to others or rushing to offer fixes, I reassure them that feeling overwhelmed is normal, and many students face similar challenges. This helps reduce their sense of isolation and confirms that their emotions are a natural response to academic stress. By fostering this kind of understanding, we build a more supportive and compassionate environment for students.

La empatía es fundamental para todo proceso educativo y formativo. Es clave para acompañar los procesos de facilitación del aprendizaje y para manejar adecuadamente la frustración de los aprendices. Es necesario ayudarlos a clarificar que las dificultades y las fallas son consustanciales en cualquier actividad humana y en la académica son inevitables. Estamos en una época en la que se promueve el éxito instantáneo y de poca preparación para el manejo de la frustración. Dentro de nuestro quehacer académico es preciso analizar críticamente y actuar en consecuencia.

I know there's some debate about this, but I find a great way of connecting on an empathetic level is by sharing how you have felt this way in the past, not in a way to minimize their current experience but to show them that you truly understand how they're feeling. Also asking about times in the past when they felt like this before and what did they do then. Acknowledging is fantastic, but helping them to see that they've been through situations like this before and came out okay on the other side. Sometimes people get stuck in that catastrophic thinking and we need to help them ground themselves in realistic thought patterns.

Asking someone how they would like your support is really important. We often jump right into assisting and giving our opinion, when that may not be what that person needs.

Being a teacher everyone should always be accessible for students wherever possible and support morally. Will power is indispensable for a person to act in the right direction. Hence always support and lead them towards sound and healthy ways.

One of the biggest ways to offer support is to ensure they are aware of any options and resources available to them. Calmly talk to them about any decisions they have and the impact that may come from them. It is important for them to be able to make an informed decision about any potential next steps

Creo que creo-crear un plan de trabajo alcanzable y medible, permite generar una perspectiva más amplia y visualizar el alcance de objetivos.

Las razón de frustración de un estudiante con una materia que estudia se puede deber a tres factores:1) Su estructura mental y/o lógica no es adecuada para resolver ese tipo de cuestiones; 2) La forma en que el profesor transmite la información no es la pertinente para ese tipo de materia 3) El nivel de abstracción es tan alto que el alumno o el profesor no entiende o no transmite la lógica particular del asunto. De los tres niveles, los dos primeros tienen solución, pero la del tercero es muy difícil de superar, ya que implicaría cambios psicológicos que no están alcance de todos.

Some students fail to get the credit they deserve despite their intelligence and hard work because they are not seeing themselves or their approach in the right way. It is important to learn how to work smart rather than hard, to develop self confidence in incremental improvements, and to practice focus and time management. Yesterday I encouraged one of my doctoral students with the stones, pebbles and sand metaphor for time management.

It is important to remember, that sometimes a failure is not just a failure but an experience. This is particularly true for research students, who often see negative results as a failure, however may still get a valuable experience from obtaining them. The same however may equally work for the taught students, who often may learn from failure equally well, but a reminder about seeing a broader perspective may be essential for setting up a landscape for further learning.

One thing I used is finding small wins for students to look at with small improvements. Their D may still be a D, from Week 3 to Week 4 but if it’s going from 62% to 65% that huge improvement and something for the student to be very proud of in my eyes. It’s not always getting to the next grade, it improving even if it is to the next percentage. You get to watch your student gain confidence and excited that they are improving on their skills sets. Small victories are just sometime the best victories! And they are just so excited to tell you when they see you!

First listen carefully about the students' problem and do encouragement by giving an examples as well as do not ever make them to feel inferior or demoralise. The way of boosting them varies person wise but always make them to feel in a positive way.

s'il est frustré c'est qu'il a envie de poursuivre. Il faut donc identifier les freins et les contourner. Puis progresser pas à pas. Encourager la prise de risque , l'erreur

Now he identified issues with no immediate solution. Since he is aware of it 1.) He finds alternatives 2.) Or works around them

A lending ear to estimate the volume of efforts invested, understand the state of mind and emotions is essential. Help the student understand, setbacks are stepping stones of success that everyone experience. Discuss the alternative options and methods of study available, guide him to choose what suits best, to achieve the desired progress.

Sempre que nos encontramos em situação como essa, parar para reflexão é um passo importante e devemos fazer uma auto análise profunda e tendo esse autoconhecimento poderá explorar outras possíveis talentos e dons que possam corroborar para uma mudança de rota e com isso se redirecionar para uma outra possível carreira.

I agree, many individuals think there are no alternatives once they choose the path, but this is not always true. However, it can be difficult to change direction if a decision is not made early in the process. Changing course after the freshman year, can add extra time to the process.

This is somewhat a comment on 1-5. As both project student and supervisor, have seen the student realise that the project is too much for the time/resources available. A good supervisor will have seen this already and give the student opportunities to express this (“how’s it going?”). Once the student articulates the problem, the non-leading questions are “How can you fix this” and “What help do you need from me?”. It will be recognised (stated) that the academic goals of the dissertation will still need to be met

I planning together can have all the previous notions. For instance, before I start planning with this student, I need to listen actively. When listening actively, I would be able to show support in the areas of improvement. Thus, I can encourage my students after validating all their emotions and feelings.

Frustration while studying is a very common occurrence these days. I believe one should listen actively to the student and empathise with them. While talking to them you will be able to understand their concern/fear and validate them. At this point you should be able to understand and create a solution oriented roadmap for the student to follow and genuinely be in touch with them to see progress and keep them motivated.

El estudiante requiere conectar con mentalidad de crecimiento, de posibilidad, enfocando en recursos: se puede empáticamente y aplicando microcoaching acompañar a ese estudiante en la planificación, con claras condiciones de satisfacción

I believe every problem has a solution. I know the student is frustrated. I’d suggest they write down everything that makes them feel nervous or doubtful. I will sit with them to identify the gaps we can address. I’ll also review their previous reports to determine whether the issue is sudden or part of a pattern. Then, I’ll help them understand that this is just a small part of life, and it won’t matter if they consistently work on the areas where improvement is needed.

One strategy I’ve found effective is using the WOOP Framework (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan). Developed by Gabriele Oettingen, it combines goal-setting with mental contrasting. You start by defining the student’s wish (goal), then visualize the best outcome. Next, identify obstacles that might stand in the way, and finally, create a plan to overcome them with ‘if-then’ statements. It’s practical, research-backed, and empowers students to anticipate setbacks and keep moving forward.