What if a student was having trouble understanding an assignment, and they asked a smart friend to help them? This person had not taken the class but was able to get the student started on the assignment or at least unpack the instructions a little bit. Parents do this often when their children are struggling with an assignment. They know well to not provide the answer but help to get their children on the right track. Smart friends may not always play by the same rules but can be a great aid nonetheless. The informational and emotional support that friends and parents provide can prevent frustration, alleviate flagging motivation, and aid learning if they don’t just hand over the solutions. After all, the assignment needs to be the students’ work as it was intended to develop skills or content knowledge.
