This term we are focusing on developing confidence.

Being confident is one of the Cambridge teaching and learning attributes, but what does it look like to be confident and how do we become more confident?

Confidence: (noun) a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities.

"she's brimming with confidence"

Synonyms: Self-assurance, self-confidence, self-reliance, belief in oneself, nerve, aplomb, presence of mind, level-headedness, boldness, fortitude.

(Oxford English Dictionary)

Confidence in the classroom usually shows itself as those children who always contribute to class discussions, volunteer information and are willing to speak out in front of an audience of peers as well as unfamiliar faces, but confidence is so much more than this.

We all can suffer from bouts of doubt or uncertainty and this is no different for children. As adults we have developed over time a toolkit to help us deal with this and display confidence when sometimes we don’t feel it. These are the skills we are working on developing in your children.

Self-confidence comes from a sense of competence. A confident child needs a positive and realistic perception of his or her abilities. This arises out of achievements, great and small. Your encouraging words can help develop this confidence, especially when you refer to your child's specific efforts or abilities.

Here are a few ways we can help children become more confident in their learning.

1) Give praise where praise is due

It's important to give your child praise and positive feedback because children—especially young ones—measure their worth and achievements by what parents, teachers and others think about them. However, we need to be realistic. If a child fails at something or shows no talent at a particular skill, it’s important to praise the effort, but don't unrealistically praise the results. Reassurance is needed to be given to children to let them know it's OK not to be able to do everything perfectly, some things take repeated effort and practice—and sometimes it's OK to move on after you've given your best effort.

2) Teach resilience

No one succeeds at everything all the time. There will be setbacks and failures, criticism and pain. These hurdles can be used as learning experiences rather than dwelling on the events as failures or disappointments. The old adage, "Try, try, try again," has merit, especially in teaching children not to give up. However, it's also important to validate children’s feelings rather than saying, "Oh, just cheer up," or, "You shouldn't feel so bad." We should be aiming to help children learn to trust their feelings and feel comfortable sharing them. Children should learn that setbacks are a normal part of life and can be managed. If your child does poorly on a test, don't smother them with pity or tell them that they will never be a good reader. Instead, talk about what steps they can

take to do better next time. When they do succeed, they will take pride in their accomplishment.

3) Promote Problem Solving

"Kids are confident when they're able to negotiate getting what they want," (Myrna Shure, PhD). It is possible to teach even very young children how to solve problems. If your child come to you to complain about something, ask them what they think they could do. If the first answer they give is not the best solution, ask them what they think might happen if they do it. In one of Dr. Shure's studies of this situation, 4-year-olds came up with surprisingly mature ideas, like telling the truck-grabber, "You'll have more fun if you play with me than if you play by yourself."

4) Instill independence and adventure.

Self-confident children are willing to try new things without fear of failure. With young children we need to supervise from the sidelines. In school we use opportunities to set up situations where children can do things for themselves, ensuring the situation is safe but there is still an element of risk involved. This can be anything from outdoor play to making a sandwich. We encourage exploration through trips and visits right through to trying out new foods. All these expand children’s horizons and help them build confidence in their ability to handle new situations. They can do more than we think.

5) Say it out loud

Quiet classrooms can be scary places, if the class is buzzing with noise it’s usually because the children are saying it out loud – it’s the verbal processing that takes place through talking with a partner or teacher to test out ideas, especially if it is a topic or concept that is being touched on for the first time, before committing them to a larger group or down on paper, it’s a trial run that helps children feel more confident to tackle the topic independently.

6) Brain Dump

This is the ‘dumping’ out of all the information a child knows about a topic or concept on to a blank piece of paper to help them realise that they have been learning. In school we sometimes use a chart with the headings ‘What I think know’, ‘What I want to know’ and ‘What I know now’. The first two headings are used at the start of a topic and the final heading completed at the end. This helps to raise confidence as children can physically see what they have learned. Dumping this information out on paper can also lessen children’s anxiety. The dump can also be used as a study aid.