Teach English in Zhenzhuquan XiAng - Beijing

Building confidenceMike Lo ( ehow contributor) - Building confidence in students(76) Confidence is defined by Wikitionary. org as ' a feeling of certainty, quality of trust, self assurance ' . Being an educator means more than teaching your students their daily lessons, it involves developing their self confidence through their academic activities. A student who is self confident is better equipped to go through the stress of school, college education and life in general. A student who is self confident pays more attention in class, get along better with his/her classmates and is more focused. Building confidence in students is not an easy task but the best way to do that is to give them 'positive experience with a good comfort level, and the confidence will come with it '. By treating them with respect and praise, you can do wonderful things. A variety techniques can be used in building and promoting confidence in students. 1) Praise and tell them when they have done a good job on an assignment but only if it is genuine as students can tell when a praise is not merited. students thrive on praise and will push themselves to do more if they know the teacher will be proud of them for their achievements. Remain honest with each student and make corrections without damaging what little confidence they have. 2) Encourage students to set high standards for themselves. Reassure them that they are capable of achieving greatness. Oprah Winfrey once said ' Every time you state what you want or believe, you are the first to hear it. Its a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don't put a ceiling on yourself '. Let the student dwell on words like that. Don't make tasks too easy or difficult. Make goals realistically achievable so that the students will feel a sense of accomplishment when the goal is achieved. 3) Provide leadership opportunities for students. Make them class prefects, audio- visual assistants etc. This helps to build up their confidence as it makes them feel responsible and directly tells them that they are valued members of the class. 4) Make students active participants in learning. Pose questions, encourage them to suggest approaches to a problem. Don't tell students something , when you can ask them. Use teaching strategies that provide an opportunity for equal participation. According to Barbara Davis in her book ' Tools for teaching ', 'Inviting students to participate conveys the message that you value them as individuals with their own unique strengths and weakness. students learn confidence from trying to answer questions and solve problems on their own '. Push students to improve their weaknesses. See the learning in errors and mistakes. Turn mistakes inside out and focus on what was or will be learned from the mistake. 5) Create an open positive environment for learning. Get to know the students on an individual level. Call them by their names when you ask them questions. Provide many opportunities for group work to help them socialize with their classmates. 6) 'Treat your students like VIP's '.If you are late for a lesson (don't be. It should not happen) , apologize. It makes them feel that their time is important too. Never compare one student to another. Everyone is unique. Never make fun of a question -there is no such thing as a wrong question -. Remain positive Finally, to be able to build confidence in your students, the teacher has to be confident. He has to stand out, catch their attention and hold it. Be vocal, avoid talking too much or being too opinionated. Come across as informative, intelligent and as a person who is not afraid to speak his/her mind not arrogant and self centered. Be energetic. Enthusiasm is contagious. Above all, put an effort into your appearance. You need to make a good impression, so make sure you walk into the class looking good afterall 'Looking good is good business'.