Ashley Miller says that being an educator means more than just teaching students their daily lessons. It also means developing your students’ self-confidence in their abilities in their academic environment. When students are self-confident, they are better equipped to face the stress of school and college education. Miller lays out some steps that teachers can go through in order to build self-confidence in their students.

1. Provide positive feedback to your students when appropriate.
2. Give only genuine praise. I agree with this point. We want to discourage students from developing extrinsic motivation. DO provide positive feedback to students, but ensure that the comments that you make are meaningful versus saying something like “good job” to a student.
3. Set realistic goals for each student. Personalize each students’ goals to tailor their own capabilities.
4. Use teaching strategies that provide an opportunity for equal participation. For a personal example, in my own practicum classroom, we do a lot of classroom discussions. If I ask a question and I notice that a student who usually does not talk, raises up their hand to answer the question, I will choose that student to allow them to talk and share their idea. Also, I have found that using popsicle sticks with student names on them can be helpful in allowing for equal participation.
5. Create an open, positive environment for learning. Teachers can do this by doing something as simple as calling a student by their name when you ask them a question or giving them credit for trying when they give the wrong answer. The little things matter.
6. Show enthusiasm for the subject you are teaching and for your students’ success. Students will become bored if they sense that you are bored teaching the subject.

Reference:

Miller, A. (October 23, 2015). How to build a student’s self-confidence. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/188430-how-to-build-a-students-self-confidence/