Online learners can feel isolated due to the lack of face-to-face interaction that traditional classroom settings provide. Isolation can lead to a decrease in motivation, a feeling of disconnect, and diminished performance. However, research shows that confident students may learn more quickly and persist when things get challenging. These learners are more engaged and don’t let setbacks keep them from tackling difficult topics, lessons, or other pursuits. Fortunately, as teachers, we have the power to help our online students become confident learners.
Online education has its hurdles, from overcoming technical glitches to balancing academic duties with personal responsibilities. Students who are armed with confidence are more adept at tackling these challenges. Building confidence in students encourages them to step out of their comfort zones. It makes them more confident initiating discussions, participating in group activities, and seeking help from peers and instructors. This enhances their learning experience and cultivates a vibrant online community where students feel valued and connected, despite their physical to the student.
The goal of education goes beyond achieving good grades or earning a degree. It’s about preparing students for real-life challenges ahead. You can empower your students to become confident individuals who can competently find their way in the world. You can help them navigate the world’s complexities with resilience, creativity, and a proactive mindset. Here are three practical ways you can help your students become more confident learners.
Tip #1: Help Students Set Realistic Goals
Setting goals that align with your students’ skills and resources will boost their confidence and set them up for success. The joy of achieving small victories brings a sense of accomplishment and progress that encourages them to continue. Help your students identify and refine goals by discussing their aspirations. You can encourage them to articulate their short and long-term goals. Once these objectives are clear, help them break down these big goals into more manageable tasks.
For example, if you’re helping students to improve their writing skills, you could assign a daily journal entry about their short-term goal and have them complete a short story, blog post, or article as a long-term assignment over the course of several weeks. During this exercise, ask your learners to write about their experiences. What part of the exercise did they find hard? How did they overcome their challenges? What did they learn from this process? This method and these questions encourage reflective learning, which enhances confidence and boosts critical thinking skills.
Tip #2: Offer Feedback
When giving feedback, it’s important to be specific and avoid vague statements. Instead of comments like “Good job” or “Try harder,” pinpoint exactly what your student did well and explain where there is room for improvement. This helps students understand their strengths and gives them clear direction on how to get better. This is especially pertinent if the structure of your online course limits one-on-one verbal interaction, which typically allows you to judge whether your message is being received and understood.
Engaging students in a dialogue about their work makes the feedback process more interactive and helps them become more invested in their improvement. This encourages students to think critically about their work and learning process. Inspire a habit of self-assessment in your students to help them develop skills that they can use in real-life situations.
Tip #3: Offer Flexible Learning Opportunities
When planning your lessons, think about what your students need. This means using different kinds of learning materials and providing options for activities that match the ways people learn: by seeing (visual), listening (auditory), and doing (kinesthetic). This way, students can learn in a way that suits them best, using their natural abilities and preferences. Here are two ways you can implement flexible learning opportunities.
First, use a mix of learning tools is key to flexible learning. For example, videos can help students who learn best by seeing and hearing, while podcasts are great for those who learn best by listening. Reading materials like articles and e-books are perfect for students who prefer to read and write, letting them learn at their own speed. Offering a variety of learning materials that reinforce the same lesson will ensure that there’s something for everyone, no matter how they learn best.
Second, assign projects that require students to apply what they’ve learned to solve real-world problems. This approach promotes critical thinking, creativity, and confidence as students take ownership of their learning.
Conclusion
Empowering your online students to become more confident learners will pay dividends throughout their educational journeys. By setting realistic goals, providing constructive feedback, and promoting a growth mindset, you can help them engage better and have the skills they can use to thrive in life.