“This is too hard! I can’t do it. I”m giving up!” How many times as an educator (or parent) have you heard those words? I’m not sure I could count the number of times I heard my students say things like that. To be honest, I know I’ve said those things to myself as an adult more than I probably should have. Sometimes things are hard and sometimes students do feel like giving up. I think a lot of times, it comes down to confidence, and I think there are many students who are still working on building their confidence. So what do you do when you have a student who needs a little confidence boost?
Positive reinforcement is a huge factor in building confidence. People love to know when they’ve done something well. Even as adults, receiving validation is so satisfying. When students are younger, we often have to use extrinsic motivators to get students to do their work. Once they have the motivation, and they successfully complete a task, their confidence begins to build. Receiving positive feedback fosters a sense of pride. Knowing they did something well or correctly gives students a feeling of success. As a teacher, I always tried to give at least two positive bits of feedback for every negative or corrective bit of feedback. Letting students know they are doing well in something provides them with the confidence to keep going and to keep trying new things.
Students who lack confidence often benefit from a chance to lead. When given an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and skills, it provides them a chance to feel like what they can do and what they know is valuable, and that their efforts are important. Not only does the student who is leading benefit, but those that are learning from that student can also benefit. It should be noted that for students who are shy, asking them to lead or teach can be terrifying. While it is our job as a teacher to push students and help them grow, we should never put a student in a situation where they are feeling unsafe. If a student is hesitant about leading a whole class or large group, try having them lead a smaller group.
Pushing students to solve problems and think through things is another great way to foster confidence. When a student successfully figures out how to solve a problem, they gain so much confidence in themselves. This is especially the case when they have to really work to figure it out, sometimes even failing a couple of times. Encouraging students to keep pushing through, even when they fail, is crucial. Giving them praise, little nudges in the right direction, and acknowledgement can go a long way in building confident learners. One of my kids is an innate problem solver. He loves finding solutions to things and loves working through problems. I’ve watched him time after time trying to solve problems he is faced with. He almost always has to start over a few times until he gets it right, but when he does, he is beaming with pride! He feels so confident in his abilities once he can see that his hard work paid off. It’s good to let students struggle through things. It really gives them a chance to get their brains working. It’s important for them to also know that sometimes we have to ask for help, and sometimes we need to take a break and come back to a problem with fresh eyes and a clear mind.
Building confident learners is such an important part of a teacher’s job. Students need to know that they are capable of doing so many things. Confidence will help students feel successful, will empower them, and will fill them with a sense of pride that can’t come any other way. Knowing you are capable of doing hard things is something that every student should know.
