I often wonder how we can get students who may feel uncomfortable speaking in class to become active participants in the classroom. How can you reverse what could be years a student's feelings of inadequacy in regards to his or her academic ability. While doing some research on this topic, I came across a very telling quote: "It is much easier to be the class clown or the bully than it is to be the student who can't read well." This made me think about how many issues with behavior in the classroom can stem from a student's feelings of inferiority. How, then, can we increase a student's confidence to the point where they WANT to be active participants in the classroom? Students don't participate because they lack confidence. It's as simple as that. Maybe someone disagrees? I just feel that students who possess this academic confidence are also the students that you will find are self-regulated learners. It goes hand in hand.
Encouragement and positive reinforcement are two ways to do this. The more success a student experiences, the more their confidence will begin to rise. I've seen this multiple times in the classroom over the course of this semester. A student may not answer a question correctly, but the teacher takes what that student said and acknowledges a positive aspect of the response, making the student feel as if they added something positive to the discussion.
Group work can be another way to build student confidence. Let's face it - students feel more comfortable talking to their peers in the more personal environment that group work typically creates. If students begin to see success in this environment, it is likely that their desire to participate in class will increase.
Any other tips or advice regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated.
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