Students Experiencing Low Self-esteem or Low Perceptions of Competence (2024)

Do: Give specific and genuine positive feedback on effort rather than outcome, when warranted. For example, “You made a lot of progress on that project in just an hour,” or, “The topic sentence of that paragraph is really strong.”

Don’t praise excessively or vaguely or provide generic praise like, “Good job.”

Do: Point out concrete signs of progress, even if they are small.

Don’t give repeated, general pep talks that include, “You can do it!”

Do: Showcase accomplishments by displaying students’ work in class or calling parents to tell them how proud you are of the students’ efforts.

Don’t focus solely on suboptimal behaviors or performance.

Do: Engage students in a conversation about their interests, and point out students’ skills privately.

Don’t address the behavior publicly or assume a student is just like other students.

Do: Engage the students’ interests by setting them up for success: give them specific tasks at which they will excel, such as caring for the class pet or running things to the front office. In a VLE, this may look like choosing music for the virtual classroom, posting a math question on the discussion board, or reflecting on their strengths on a particular assignment with a peer in a breakout.

Don't ignore or avoid the students or the issues they’re facing or assume they aren’t up to a task.

Do: Be mindful of ensuring equity in terms of acknowledging and providing positive feedback to all students.

Don't continually affirm certain/the same students or compare achievements between students.

Do: Remember that students transitioning from the classroom to VLE, or vice versa, may experience different levels of success depending on the environment.

Don't base feedback upon historical achievements, expectations, or successes; the transition between learning environments impacts many students.