help students sense

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "help students sense" is not entirely correct in standard written English.
It may be used in contexts where you are referring to assisting students in perceiving or understanding something, but it lacks clarity. Example: "The program aims to help students sense their surroundings better during field trips."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Academia

News & Media

Science

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

These activities help students make sense of, and take responsibility for, their learning and future.

The Guardian

We examined a context in which novice pre-service teachers and a mentor teacher implemented inquiry-based science instruction to help students make sense of genetic engineering.

Teaching and Teacher Education

The results of this study demonstrate that certain conceptualizations of the definite integral, including the area under a curve and the values of an anti-derivative, are limited in their ability to help students make sense of contextualized integrals.

The Journal of Mathematical Behavior

To help students make sense of it all, friends at Drexel, Goucher and McGill developed an app that maps social opportunities like parties, club meetings and sporting events happening in real time and, to seal the decision, which of your Facebook friends plan on attending.

The New York Times

TC: How do you help students make sense of options among for-profit schools?

TechCrunch

To help get students ready for success, teachers freely swap learning strategies, like the one math teacher Paige Stoecklin uses to help students make sense of word problems.

University of Chicago

Teachers have to help students make sense of this large volume of information and to differentiate good information from potential misinformation.

Huffington Post

Such counselors can also help students make sense of the many other factors that are important in the college-selection process -- something that the Scorecard doesn't do.

Huffington Post

Again, the reason we have classified this task as level 2 is that the physics framework is used to help students make sense of the relationship between plaque buildup in arteries and changes in blood pressure.

CBE Life Sciences Education

Officials want to protect students' heath and honor parents' demands for information, but they also want to help students develop a sense of independence.

The Washington Post

This conclusion does not, however, eliminate the obligation of educators and administrators to explicitly help students develop a sense of responsibility and good judgment.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming to express assistance in understanding, opt for more direct phrasing like "help students understand". This enhances clarity and avoids potential misinterpretations.

Common error

Avoid using "sense" when you mean "understand". While technically correct in some contexts, it often leads to awkward phrasing. Instead, use verbs like "understand", "perceive", or "comprehend" for clearer communication.

Linguistic Context

The phrase is intended to function as a verb phrase, where "help" is the main verb and "students" is the direct object. However, the use of "sense" makes the phrase grammatically awkward and uncommon.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Science

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News & Media

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Formal & Business

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "help students sense" aims to convey assisting students in understanding or perceiving something. However, according to Ludwig AI, it is grammatically awkward and uncommon. More direct and clear alternatives such as "help students understand" or "help students perceive" are recommended for improved clarity. While its intended meaning is understandable, its infrequent usage and potential for misinterpretation suggest opting for more conventional phrasing. Top sources include The New York Times, The Guardian and Huffington Post.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

help students understand

Replaces "sense" with the more common and direct verb "understand".

help students perceive

Substitutes "sense" with "perceive", providing a more formal and precise alternative.

assist students in understanding

Replaces "help" with "assist" and "sense" with "understanding", offering a more formal tone.

guide students to perceive

Uses "guide" instead of "help" and "perceive" instead of "sense", suggesting a more directional approach.

enable students to understand

Replaces "help" with "enable" and "sense" with "understand", emphasizing empowerment.

facilitate students' understanding

Uses a more formal and academic tone by employing "facilitate" and "understanding".

aid students in perceiving

Offers a more formal substitute for "help" with "aid" and replaces "sense" with "perceiving".

support students' comprehension

Focuses on "comprehension" as the outcome, replacing "sense" with a noun form.

develop students' understanding

Emphasizes the growth of understanding, replacing "help" and "sense" with a developmental focus.

foster students' awareness

Shifts the focus to creating awareness, a slightly different but related concept.

FAQs

What is a more appropriate way to say "help students sense"?

Instead of "help students sense", consider using phrases like "help students understand", "help students perceive", or "assist students in understanding" for greater clarity.

Is the phrase "help students sense" grammatically correct?

While not strictly incorrect, "help students sense" is considered awkward. It's better to use clearer alternatives like "help students understand".

What does it mean to "help students sense" something?

It generally means to assist students in perceiving, understanding, or becoming aware of something. However, using clearer language such as "help students understand" avoids ambiguity.

Which is better, "help students sense" or "help students understand"?

"Help students understand" is generally preferred over "help students sense" because it's more direct and less prone to misinterpretation.