Building Confidence in Students

Building Confidence in Students: Striking a Balance in Teaching Styles

Building confidence and properly inspiring students is an especially daunting task for teachers of foreign languages. This is because of the sometimes seemingly endless amount of rules concerning grammar that can turn an exciting exercise into a mundane cause of depression. When students begin to feel this way about a language it is easy for them to lose motivation and when they fall behind, confidence. It is hard to regain these prized educational possessions. There are, however, things instructors can do to either prevent the loss of confidence or curb it. The main way to do this is to analyze the students’ learning styles and model the teacher’s style after it. 

Students internalize and process information in remarkably diverse ways. Learning styles depend on whether a student processes information actively or reflectively, are sensory or intuitive learners, are visual or auditory learners, and are sequential or global learners. The assessment test given at the beginning of the course should be examined with an eye towards these variables. Typically, effective teachers will strike a balance between these various learning styles. This balance, while allowing for confidence in particular areas, can also allow for growth in weak areas. This improvement can foster even more confidence, if effective. To do this teachers should motivate students by teaching new materials, whether it be grammar or vocabulary, in a way that is relevant to the students’ lives; balance concrete information (such as definitions and rules for conjunction) with conceptual information (such as syntax); use plenty of visuals; and make activities useful to either active or reflexive learners. Active learners learn better in groups and class discussions while reflective learners learn best in individual writing assignments. (Felder, Richard M)

Furthermore, the materials used should not be of the nature that they alienate students. Caleb Corkery notes the benefits of literacy narratives. Although literacy narratives may or may not be appropriate for beginner students of English, some basic principles still apply. The materials used in a class should be those that are least likely to alienate the students. Throwing Ernest Hemingway at a class of Italians may be less productive than if they read a story by Boccaccio in English. Materials that offer similarities to a student’s culture will make them feel more comfortable and hopefully that comfort will be helpful when grammar and vocabulary are presented. Students, especially adults who feel hesitant to enter a classroom for the first time in 20 years, should also be encouraged to develop their ‘authentic voice’ or their student identity. With this, a form of the literacy narrative could be used. Students should be encouraged to write about their own experiences with the English language (if any), working towards a consciousness of purpose. Any sales book will tell you that the one way to get people to like you is to get them to talk about themselves. By the same principle, students will feel better towards a course and have more motivation. Then confidence will follow. A student’s sense of confidence should not be false. If students have an inflated image of their own ability, a loss in confidence will follow sooner or later. A proper balance in teaching styles, materials that illicit a high comfort level, and a positive attitude are the best ways to preserve the confidence of one’s students.

Building Confidence in Students

To learn English in today’s world seems to be not only a source of personal desire but also a necessity. Many non-native speaking country students may feel intimidated by the concept of learning this new language and therefore require as much encouragement and confidence building as possible from teachers of the English language.

Many students find that learning English is an important attribute for living in today’s society for it enhances their potential in the social, academic, and economic world. The study of English can be intimidating to the student who needs as much confidence as possible from those who are assisting him to achieve his English speaking goals.

ESL students have to cope with enormous pressures related to their lack of ability to communicate effectively in English as well as their different cultural conditioning and expectations. Experience working with ESL students at the Writing Center and elsewhere provide evidence on how hard ESL students work to meet academic requirements. Many make dramatic progress in their courses when they receive the necessary support and encouragement. 

Confidence may be given by the English teacher in a variety of ways such as: personal tutoring, verbal praise, approving body gestures, special ‘awards’, and acceptance of the student no matter how much trouble he may have during his study of the language.

A teacher must be available to his students during school hours and in a friendly manner, encourage the students to not fear approaching you due to the lack of confidence or shyness.

Cultural conditioning and shyness, as well as lack of confidence, may prevent many ESL students from going up to their professors to ask questions, or from asking questions in class. Try to initiate a friendly interaction with some of ESL students. Encourage ESL students to see you during your office hours, or to email you. Some students may need assurance that seeing their professors during their office hours is encouraged, and not considered a nuisance, as may be the case in some cultures. 

One of the most effective ways of building self-confidence in the students is to make them feel that their presence in the class room is important, that their attempts to learn English is important, and most of all, that they themselves are important as a human being. Once that trustful rapport is established between the student and his teacher, then learning may become much more easily obtainable due to a decrease of fear of failure by the student himself. Confidence or the lack of confidence can have many root systems from the student upbringing and cultural background. Therefore, the teacher much show patience all the more towards the student who seems shy or lack the confidence to learn the language that he is being taught. It is also vital that the student himself desires to be in the class to learn the new language. If he doesn’t want to be in the class or have the desire to learn the new language then the goal of success is twice as hard to obtain. It is like the old saying, ‘You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.’

Confidence, therefore, is obtainable for the student whose teachers is willing to show that he is important, show patience during his time of learning, and praise him for any steps towards success no matter how small they may be.

1. Teaching & Learning Services, 2006. This page was last modified on 23 January, 2006. Please send comments and questions to the Websmith. This website designed by ELD department. Content prepared by Dr.Elaine Khoo. All photographs by Ken Jones of Photographic and Digital Imaging Services.

2. Teaching & Learning Services, 2006. This page was last modified on 23 January, 2006. Please send comments and questions to the Websmith. This website designed by ELD department. Content prepared by Dr.Elaine Khoo. All photographs by Ken Jones of Photographic and Digital Imaging Services.