Academic confidence is defined as one’s strong belief or expectancy of self in the classroom (Sanders & Sanders 2004). That is to say that if your child believes they will be successful in an area of study then they will be successful. Unfortunately, we see many children do poorly because they needlessly expect to fail.
Low academic confidence creates poor test scores, low motivation to learn or to complete projects and could prevent children from making friends and connections outside of the classroom. With the pressure of standardized testing and the high demands of curriculum we see more and more students falling behind. Once a student begins to fall behind, low academic confidence sets in. It’s never too late to start building your child’s academic confidence! Building their confidence today ensures a foundation for a successful future. 1. With your child, make a list of academic strengths and focus on them. Having your child see all of their academic strengths is a very powerful tool to maintain confidence. Bringing focus to these strengths helps counteract negative thoughts about their academics. Try to be specific, for example, if your child believes math is one of their academic strengths, list specific math skills- addition and subtraction? Number sense? Mental math? List them all! If your child is feeling down about a grade or feedback from their teacher, have them look at their list of strengths to remind them to stay positive. 2.Identify the source of academic insecurities. Similar to the list you and your child created to bring light to their strengths, create a list of things that cause your little one to feel insecure about their schooling. Acknowledging other factors that cause low academic confidence can allow your child to see what they can control. For example, your child might feel anxiety about the upcoming standardized test. Are they insecure about the content of the test? Are they worried about their computer shutting down mid test? Identifying the source can help you formulate a plan to boost their confidence. 3.Make a list of goals and steps to achieve them. Using your child’s list of strengths and insecurities, create a visual aid to help keep your student focused on the positive aspects of their classroom experience. Taking steps toward achieving a goal will help build your child’s confidence. Try to integrate their strengths in the goal process and remember to keep them realistic! Let’s say your child feels like a strong writer but insecure about their math skills, you might create a board with a goal of "Get an A or B on my math test next week." Make a column that says "This week: Write multiplication problems in word sentences and have a friend answer them." Another column could say "Next week: Write multiplication problems into sentences and explain to someone how to solve. And take a practice test!" This tool allows your child to visualize their goal and the steps needed to get there. 4.Encourage your child to think and BE positive. Having your child use positive language in addition to positive thought can lead to academic confidence. Starting the day with “Today is a good day. I’m going to pass that test with flying colors!” instead of “Ugh I don’t want to go to school today. There’s no way I can pass that test.” can significantly influence their outlook for the day. Try making a list of affirmations like “I trust my abilities.”, “”I make good decisions.”, “I give my best.” or any positive phrase that works for your child. Remember, if your child thinks they CAN then they WILL. 5.Get help from a tutor. The guidance from a tutor can help your child develop academic skills and build confidence in a positive, safe way. By: Jordan Smith
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