1 Thing All Teachers MUST do for Students to Succeed

It’s the start of another school year and teachers everywhere are slowly starting to prepare themselves for the rush that is the first few days of school. Energy is at its peak in the halls as people are excited to see each other again, students get to see who is in their classes and check which teachers they have for the year, and so much more. Over the first few days teachers will share classroom rules and expectations to help create structure and a common understanding of what is expected from each person in the learning environment. While this can be a very important strategy to help students succeed in their academic achievement there is something else we must do that can produce a much greater effect on student learning and growth as individuals: letting them know we believe in them.

Believing in our students might seem like a common sense thing to do, but it is more challenging than a lot of people like to admit. Common phrases like:

• “oh, she just doesn’t get it no matter how much help she gets”
• “he is just not good at math”
• “he is such a trouble maker and I don’t want him in my class”
• and others

show us that there are many instances when we have the thought that our student(s) cannot do something we think they should be able to do, be it academic, behaviour, or other. This is not to say that it’s a ‘black and white’ scenario when these teachers have these types of thoughts; rather, we need to recognize that these types of lines lead to a very slippery slope into how we act and speak with them (as well as about them) and that over time they can form a fixed mindset about these students and their potential. We also need to be aware that our students will pick up on these energies at the same time, if not before us, and this can have a devastating effect on their self-esteem, their learning potential, and growth as an individual.

To help remedy these types of judgments it is important to remember a key line: each student can succeed and success is different for each student. This does not mean that everyone will master the material and skills being learned (success does not mean a particular grade), nor does it imply that each student will receive an individualized learning plan. Rather, it means that regardless of what is being learned by the students there are points of success for each person and these need to be acknowledged and focused on throughout the learning process.  Along the way we should ensure that they feel supported and safe to try, make mistakes, and learn from them in order to progress in their learning.

An important point to remember is that the students still need to be actively responsible for the work in the learning process and we need to let them know that wherever they are in their learning; whatever mistakes they might have made; whatever choices that we might disagree with; we believe that in them and their ability to progress. While there are many steps and strategies to consider using to let students know you believe in them the following three points are quite simple to implement and can have profound effects on the students and their learning:

Be a support in their journey, not a barrier

It is imperative that students know we are there to help and support them throughout their learning, regardless of how well they are progressing. When students make a mistake it is important to understand their thinking and processing behind that mistake without rushing to judgement on it. Having the student(s) explain their thinking about it allows them to reveal the processes involved while exploring what could have been done differently so that they could avoid it in the future. This conversation also allows you and the student(s) to develop a more trusting relationship which will likely produce deeper learning experiences in the future (i.e. they will likely be more open and honest about their thinking).

The amount of time and effort we put into supporting students will provide many benefits throughout the year. Conversely, when we do not support each student, and/or are quick to judge them and their progress, we run the risk of creating the perception that we are not there to help them, and thus become a potential barrier in their learning. How we support each student will likely look different and what is important is that we ensure each student knows we are there to help them in their learning, not hinder them.

Develop Trust to Challenge Them

Developing trust with your students provides a world of benefits in the learning process especially when it to challenging them. When the student(s) know that the teacher is a trustworthy person, and they feel safe with them, they are much more likely to accept being challenged by them. On the other hand, when they do not feel this way they are much less likely to be open to the challenges and simply shut down our attempts to push them in their learning.

The stress zone model below is a good representation of what can happen when a student trusts the teacher enough to be challenged by them. As humans, we are most comfortable on the middle zone, or the comfort zone. We do not grow or develop in this zone as we simply stay as we are. When we are pushed too much or too quickly, or we do not feel safe in that moment, then we jump to the outer zone or the danger zone. This would kill any learning potential as the student would be in flight mode (hopefully not fight mode) and the brain would not be open to learning as it thinks it is in survival mode.

Ideally, we want to challenge our students to the point where they find themselves in the green zone, or the growth zone. This can be more easily accomplished when they have a sense of safety and trust with us as they will go beyond their comfort zones but not yet go into the danger zone. The more we get to know the student(s) the better we are at anticipating when they might be in each stage and what we can do to help them successfully navigate through the growth zone. Through these actions we definitely show the students that we believe in them and are trying to help them grow as learners and as individuals.

Let Them Know; Don’t Keep it a Secret

This can and should be as organic as possible; if you try to force it, it will likely come off as being phony and the students will smell that a mile away. Sometimes a quick check in to let them know about the progress they are making can go a long way. Or, a little pat on the back saying something like, “I know you can do this” can really have a lasting impression on the student(s). It does not have to be a whole class announcement and many times the more personal it is the more effective it will be for that student.

This becomes especially significant in times where they have made a big mistake or did not do as well as they would have liked on any type of assessment. There are many thoughts, feelings, and doubts that could be running through their minds and a quick reassurance that you see them and believe in them can be a life altering moment for them.

Teaching is very complex and anything but formulaic. As every student comes to us with varying degrees of prior knowledge (a vital aspect of the learning process), processing and output skills, self-regulation skills and much more, we need to be adaptable and flexible with our pedagogies and support structures. While these aspects can be different between any two classes, what should never wane is our belief in our students to succeed and our intentions to let them know through our actions and words. After all, each student can succeed and success is different for each student.

What strategies do you use to ensure you students know you believe in them? Please feel free to share in the comment box.