Manda Barnes, Director of Curriculum at maths, English and science online tuition specialist, TLC Education, discusses the importance of confidence for learning and explains how the two are inextricably linked
Confidence is an attribute in children which has to be built slowly over time, but can be knocked quickly. If in a day a child receives 50 positive comments and one negative, you can guarantee it will be the negative that they remember and which has the greatest impact.
Why children lack confidence
For some children confidence comes more naturally than others, although the reason for this is difficult to pinpoint.
One hypothesis suggests that summer babies exhibit low self-esteem. Although this remains a theory, it is something that both parents and teachers claim to have noticed and is reinforced by research studies such as the one carried out by Cambridge Assessment in 2009. This proposed that pupils with birthdays in June, July and August are more likely to do worse in school than their peers.
Dyslexia is another reason for a lack of confidence. It is a frustrating condition and this is often reflected in a child’s self-belief. It can affect their feelings, behaviour, work and general progress at school. Additionally, building the confidence of a dyslexic child can be increasingly difficult as the child ages and becomes aware of the difference between themselves and their classmates. Their attitude becomes defeatist as they expect it to hold them back, and as a consequence (without the proper input from teachers and family) it often becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.
An additional frequently overlooked problem is the middle-placed child. While those who are extremely bright receive regular praise for their achievements, and those who struggle are given extra support and attention, those that are well-behaved, and neither excel nor fall behind can be unintentionally neglected. This lack of attention can affect their confidence as they become used to coasting, unchallenged, through the curricula.
Effects associated with a lack of confidence
Once a child’s confidence has been knocked, the damage can have long-term effects for their learning and school work.
Pupils that lack confidence find pressurised situations difficult. In a school setting, the ability to handle pressure is vital as students will be placed under stress throughout their education (more so now than ever before). Consequently they may struggle in a number of areas. For example, exams such as Mental Maths taken during Year 6 SATS can cause anxiety, and students often end up fighting panic instead of answering questions.
Adults must encourage children to accept, understand and deal with pressure in order for them not to be negatively affected by it. This is often easier said than done as anxiety and the urge to think ‘I can’t do this’ prevents them from absorbing such words of advice. It’s a negative mindset we see reflected every day in the people around us. People will tell you they ‘can’t do’ maths or art, this isn’t true, they just haven’t been taught.
How to help improve confidence
If a child suffers from a lack of confidence, their situation shouldn’t be considered hopeless. There are a number of methods which can be used to help them cope with the demands of schoolwork.
Self-help tools, designed to boost confidence outside of the classroom, are readily available. Programmes like BBC Bitesize can easily be accessed online and offer mock exams to prepare students for the real thing. Revision guides, whether on- or off-line are extremely helpful and allow students to take in information at their own pace.
Patience is essential. Support your child during homework time by explaining concepts and answering their questions patiently, calmly and in the correct way. Most importantly, don’t lose your temper if they struggle to get to grips with the task. Regularly getting angry puts your child at risk of entering a negative, downwards spiral. Try and gain an understanding of the way your child learns other subjects and then apply the same methods. Consider that not all children get to the answer the same way. While 1 + 1 = 2 may seem obvious to you, your child may see it as 2 = 1 + 1. Alternatively, if you find teaching difficult or you’re pressed for time, consider hiring external help, a tutor for example.
When choosing a tutor, bear in mind that they must be able to get on with your child and form a respectful relationship with them. The relationship is key to your child’s learning curve and their ability to grasp difficult areas of the curriculum. The student must trust them well enough to tell them when they can’t comprehend a subject as saying ‘I don’t understand’ takes guts.
Once you have a tutor in place, don’t be disheartened if they take your child back to basics. A good tutor will often do this in order to establish a secure groundwork to build upon. Think of learning as a wall. You need secure bricks at the bottom to confidently build on. If the foundations aren’t properly in place the wall will eventually crumble.
If you have a maths, English or science question for TLC Education’s Manda Barnes then please send it to: tlcquestions@toplinecomms.com and she’ll endeavour to answer as many as possible in future columns. Unfortunately Manda Barnes cannot provide individual responses.
