Help students to build their self-esteem
By Dr Jan L . Jones
Sharing Good Practice
do not have to be perfect at everything . The idea that students must be perfect in every subject is a very real problem in our school systems today . It can cause an incredible amount of stress and anxiety for students . Be a superhero to them but remind them that you are not superhuman and that you learned as much , if not more , from your mistakes and failures as you did from your successes .
As I sat in my favourite café writing this article , my daughter and her two friends ( high school sophomores ) worked on an extracurricular United Nations project . After I wrote the article , I thought to ask them “ what can your teachers do to build your self-esteem ?”
I was so excited that they mentioned all of the tips I have provided below .
Be an inspiration
Inspire your students with your personality and teaching methods . Find ways to make learning in your classroom fun , creative and interesting . This takes practice , so don ’ t be discouraged if you try something and it doesn ’ t work right away . Being creative and inspirational requires a certain comfort level with your curriculum and teaching environment . Be aware that students pay attention to your enthusiasm and often respond accordingly . You also don ’ t have to be an extroverted superstar to be an inspiration . Being genuine and passionate go a long way in the classroom .
Don ’ t be afraid to remind your students that you love teaching and that you want them to succeed . This advice applies to every discipline . Some of my friends in the Sciences used to say that they had less flexibility to be fun and creative , but I always disagreed . The most outstanding and inspirational teachers I had were from Engineering , Science and Math disciplines ( areas that I always struggled in ).
Be honest about your own journey
Let your students know about some of the struggles you had as a student . I overcame various struggles during my academic and career pursuits . I remind students that “ life happens ” and often takes us in new , exciting and sometimes overwhelming directions . It is important to let them know that they
Encourage . Encourage . Encourage .
Teachers are trained to provide feedback . Constructive feedback is important . How you provide your feedback has an impact on their self-esteem . Find ways to provide corrections in a way that encourages them to try harder next time . It is counterproductive to provide feedback in a way that makes students feel overwhelmed and anxious . Be very clear with your students about how they can better prepare for their next assignment . This requires being accessible to your students .
Connect their interests to your course content .
Everyone can excel , if you nurture his / her interests and passions . As an Undergraduate student , I avoided taking Statistics courses . I thought that I was terrible at Math . This changed when I finally had an inspirational teacher . He understood that in order to learn statistics , students needed examples that related to their interests . He spent the first class asking us what we were interested in . I became one of the top students in my statistics class . I have tried to do the same in my teaching . I love when students comment that I tricked them into doing more work , because they were so excited about the topics .
Remember , students feed off of your energy and confidence . Nurture their interests , give feedback that builds their self-esteem and most importantly , be accessible and real .
Class Time
| | Nov - Dec 2016 |
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