Teach English in Liangji Zhen - Xuzhou Shi

It is important to build confidence in students because confidence is a destroyer of fear. Fear in students creates stress and thus an inability to think and respond well in the classroom. Building confidence in students starts with teaching them mindfulness, helping them think differently about the mistakes they make and creating a sense of community in the classroom. Mindfulness creates confidence because it helps students be present in the classroom. If one is worrying about the past or stressing about the future they cannot focus on what is happening right in front of them and they won’t have the confidence to participate. Teachers can bring mindfulness into the classroom through breathing exercises, music, and movement. Taking slow deep breaths at the beginning of class will help students relax and become focused. Teachers can also have song breaks where students stop what they’re doing to listen to an uplifting and motivational song. Students should be encouraged to dance during these breaks to shake off any stress they might have to make room for confidence and resilience. To create confidence in the classroom the teacher must know how to respond to the student’s mistakes. Teachers should help students think about their mistakes as something positive because they are an important part of learning. Teachers should also tell students that their mistakes do not define them or their learning abilities as a whole. Mistakes in a classroom are usually small and easily corrected. To help build confidence students must not be scared to make a mistake. Helping the students view their errors as new learning opportunities and stepping stones will help motivate them to learn and move on. Especially for beginners and young learners where there is a lack of confidence, the teacher should explain right away to the class that mistakes are just as important as the correctness. A lot of the time students have the answer to questions but are scared to make a mistake out loud in front of their peers, so teachers must encourage students to respect each other when they make mistakes. Another great way to build confidence in students is to create a genuine sense of community in the classroom. Students should feel safe, respected, and supported by one another. It is key for students to establish rapport with each other and the teacher. To help shape the classroom community, teachers should introduce themselves and share some fun facts about their lives. When students know the teacher better, they are more comfortable and thus more confident and less scared to share their thoughts and ideas. Teachers can set up fun icebreaker games to help students get to know each other too. For example Two Truths and a Lie is a fun game to play where students, either in pairs or one at a time, say two truths and one lie and their classmates must pick out the lie. Teachers can also build confidence and community by assigning roles to students. For example having students take turns handing out worksheets and cleaning the white board. In conclusion a confident student is a thriving student. To build confidence in students the teacher should help them feel relaxed and to not worry about things that are happening outside of the classroom. Having mindful students will help to create quietness and promote focus. A confident student should think about their mistakes as stepping stones and to not let the fear of making a mistake silence their voice. Their voice should be respected by the teacher and their classmates. Establishing a sense of community creates a safe place for students to try their best and to learn without the presence of fear. Knowing how to build confidence in students will guarantee their success.