How to help a student rebuild confidence

Imagine that everything your child knows and can do can be represented by these nested rings:

The violet center represents that which your child has mastered.

The red outer ring represents skills and knowledge that your child has very little exposure to.

Too often, the learning process requires students to spend the majority of their time on shaky ground:

The student, who may already be lacking in confidence, grows bored, frustrated, or even demoralized by the constant exposure to completely unfamiliar material, especially when that material builds on a foundation that’s actually missing. For example, a student who is being asked to simplify fractions will struggle if they haven’t mastered their multiplication tables.

Better to spend more time in the indigo ring, pursuing material that is new but contains familiar elements.

In fact, the less confident the student, the more time should be spent strengthening the violet center:

This would mean improving recall or execution of something the student already knows or knows how to do. As they get faster, better, stronger, more comfortable, and more graceful, they will have more fun and get more confident. They will gain momentum that will help on the next challenge.

Working from the inside out will allow the student to develop true mastery. As time goes on, the blue “turns indigo” without even having to spend time on it directly. Even the green and yellow will be more accessible. That’s because consistent effort over time allows the learner to make leaps and take risks that lead to breakthroughs.

If we pay attention to not just what we’re learning but how well we’re learning it, we can see the opportunities for growth that lie in the indigo ring.