Confidence is Critical to a Child's Academic Success
Oct 30, 2018
~ Understanding What Causes a Lack in Confidence is
Key to Performance Both in the Classroom and Beyond ~
For many children who are struggling in school, the problem may be self-evident – they may have poor study skills, they’re not strong in math, or they don’t spend enough time on their homework. In each of these examples, the problem could be solved with a more diligent and structured approach to schoolwork. For other children however, it may not be clear what is causing their grades to spiral downward. At the same time, they may withdraw from conversations about school and other aspects of life. What causes this? It could be a child’s lack of confidence in his or her own learning ability.
Poor performance in school can drag down grades, but ongoing trouble can undermine a child's whole academic experience and his sense of self-esteem. Lack of confidence can lead to many problems – failure to participate in classroom discussions, failing grades and unwillingness to talk to teachers or parents are just some examples.
Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of tutoring to students of all ages, grades and skill levels, offers study skills training as well as specific subject tutoring for students whose lack of self-confidence begins to affect their learning ability. By improving studying and test taking skills, it not only benefits a child in all his or her subjects, it builds confidence as well.
Sylvan Learning bases its instructional services on a proven process and the “mastery learning” concept. It starts with a Sylvan Skills Assessment®, which identifies the child’s personal skill gaps. Sylvan’s personal instructors then begin to develop those skills by reinforcing the child’s existing skills and building on them until the new skills have been learned and mastered. Sylvan also builds confidence in students by offering rewards for performance and attitude. As a result, the child’s level of self-esteem begins to grow, which helps build confidence in overall learning.
Sometimes, it may be necessary to go back years in the curriculum to get at the root of a child’s individual skill gap. Although, Sylvan supplements – not re-teaches – what is learned in the child’s school classroom, in order to develop the skills, habits and attitudes needed for lifelong success. The reward is seeing a child begin to understand what he or she is learning and the student’s confidence beginning to soar.