Strategies to Help Boost Your Students' Self-esteem and Confidence

Teachers know that if students feel good about themselves, they can learn everything taught in the classroom. But students with low confidence can get anxiety and frustration from day-to-day classroom requirements, and they can doubt their abilities.

In this article, you can find how to boost and maintain self-esteem and confidence.

Many reasons indicate how important it is to have good self-esteem because it improves academic performance and strengthens students' social skills.

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Address every student with cheer -

Address every student with a sweet gesture before starting your lecture. Call each student by name and ask them how they are doing. Share some positive thoughts with them. Ask a question of the day and then kick start your day with them.

Appreciate and complement efforts -

Students with low self-esteem tend to focus on negative aspects of anything they do. Mark these students and appreciate them whenever they do something correctly, both in private and in front of their peers. This small appreciation helps them acknowledge their small wins, and they get to know that you are giving attention to them.

Giving positive feedback or making the class applaud them will create a whole world of difference.

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Create rational presumptions -

Maybe it is nice to see every student getting high achievements, but it is not attainable for everyone. So, you must be careful about creating expectations from students. Let students create their own goals. Setting manageable and reasonable goals for your students can help them see how much they have grown.

Keep in mind what your students can or can not do without the support. Design and create tasks or activities that are not so challenging for them.

See the positive -

Students with low esteem tend to focus on their weaknesses and dwell on their mistakes. These students need to be encouraged to see the positive aspects. Tell your students some examples to get to realize their self-worth. Focusing on the positive doesn’t mean you can’t ever give negative feedback; it just means that you should praise most often and provide negative feedback sparely.

Provide a sense of ownership -

Ask your students to take ownership of their educational things by giving them some opportunities for decision-making. Before providing any assignments, discuss with them. By being part of some decisions, students will have a sense of pride in their learning and control.

Never compare among your students -

Everyone has their personality, talent, abilities, and requirements. You have to accept that some students will have a better understanding and strengths than others. So, never prioritize or compare your students. When students see their requirements don’t meet, they will feel left out. Modified learning can help students in learning a better way. Give attention to different sets of abilities your students have and create an environment where every student can learn simultaneously.

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Build healthy communication -

Communication is much needed soft skill everyone should possess. It is mandatory to build healthy communication with your students. This communication will surely provide more security and confidence to them. By this, they can easily share their problems and insecurities with you. And whenever students tell you their problem or issue, take them seriously even if you know it is not a big deal.

Give positive feedback -

An effective way to boost self-esteem in your students is by giving positive feedback and realistic encouragement. We generally focus on students’ negative behavior, but positive qualities are not recognized. Emotional support and encouragement are highly recommended to boost their self-esteem. Make a consistent effort to give positive feedback to your students. Just writing a little note on a student’s paper praising his effort can increase his motivation and sense of self-esteem. These small encouragements are especially crucial for at-risk students or learners with disabilities, who may feel discouraged when their progress is slow.

Contributed by:
Edmund Hinkel