A teacher named Dan received feedback from one of his former students: “You saw the potential in me from the beginning. The fact that you believed in me as a learner had huge meaning for me. It really boosted my self-confidence and resilience.” That was feedback after 20 years.
One of Dan’s strongest qualities as a teacher is that he always believes in his people. He believes that with encouragement and responsibility, anyone can be a good learner. Dan knows how to support kids and the growth of their positive self-image as a father figure and a teacher.
Unfortunately, some teachers tend to do the opposite. Sometimes I run into teachers and parents who don’t believe in their students. I often hear them say things like, “The kids in my class are this and that… They are lazy and don’t take responsibility for their own school stuff.”
And when I meet ‘these people’ I often realize they are nothing like persons described by their leaders. They are not lazy — they were just not mentored with the same kind of “Dan’s” attitude.
Dan’s strength as a teacher is his understanding of the meaning of creating the right class spirit and how it supports a successful learning.
Strength-Based Teaching is the Way to Life-Long Success and Confidence
People have different types of psychological dimensions. The term PsyCap by Fred Luthans, which is backed by over 30 years of research, consists of four dimensions: hope, realistic optimism, resilience and self-efficacy. This is the so-called HERO-model.
It has been proven that poor teaching and parenting can diminish a classroom’s attitude and affect potential utilisation of people’s strengths. The best way to develop kids is to lead student’s learning attitude and motivate them to learn in new ways.
Five ways a teacher can develop Student’s Self-Confidence and Learning Attitude are:
- Check your ego at the door.
The classrooms’s attitude always partly mirrors that of its teacher’s own attitude.
Ask yourself: What Confidence and Attitude am I reflecting? How can I strengthen my own attitude? - Believe in your students.
Teachers need to cultivate confidence in their students and help them cultivate their strengths. One of my old teachers once said, “Every person we teach is an uncut diamond. A teacher’s job is to encourage every individual and help them see their own skills and potential.”
Ask yourself: How can I help my students find (and use) their strengths? Which of my beliefs are undermining the learning, growth and success of others? - Let go.
If you want students to learn to take responsibility, you need to give up control. Let them make decisions about how to learn and decide on their own study breaks. Don’t be a micromanaging teacher.
Ask yourself: How can my students exercise individual responsibility in the classroom? - Don’t be afraid of praise and gratitude.
Some of us believe that compliments and recognition make kids arrogant or perhaps even lazy. Of course this is possible but it’s highly unlikely. You are better off taking this small risk and believing in the potential they have instead of ignoring it.
However, don’t be afraid to give negative feedback aloud (in a positive and respectful manner). Speak from the heart and give constructive feedback. Show an understanding of factors that might have contributed to missteps but at the same time challenge the person to see the weak links that can be developed.
Ask yourself: When and how did you last show gratitude to a classroom member? - Cultivate a team learning environment.
Let you kids talk to each other every now and then. Communication between students is a really effective way of learning. Try to create a team learning culture. Team learning is accelerated learning.
Ask yourself: What kind of learning example and use of your own potential have you showed over the past year?
One less obvious but still a very effective way to enhance learning is by introducing modern digital solution to your students. Follow this link to sign up for a pilot of Eduten Playground, a digital learning platform used by thousands globally, with scientifically proven results.
About the Author: Eduten’s VP of Marketing, Makke Leppänen (teacher, MSc of psychology) is a visionary teacher and a motivational psychologist. Makke is in charge of spreading Eduten Playgroung out globally.
