Self-esteem in learning

Children learn best when they feel they have a positive mindset; when they feel they ‘can’ achieve, they are doing well in their work, and this is recognised and celebrated by others.

However, sadly the opposite is also true. When they can’t understand the learning, feel the pressure of colleague comparisons, feel they can’t do something as well as others, they can feel lower in confidence and self-esteem which in turn puts up barriers to future learning. When this happens, children can turn to other ways to ‘be noticed’ and feel accepted and ‘cool’, particularly involving a deterioration in their behaviour.

The best way to teach a child is to take small steps, at their speed, with lots of praise, acknowledgement, repetition and securing of concepts before moving on. This will create a sense of achievement and a mind-set which says, ‘I can’ rather than ‘I can’t’.

In addition, remember to praise effort rather than attainment to help them believe in themselves. This will make them feel confident and motivated to progress their learning as well as strengthening solid foundations in maths.