Students can sometimes lack a little confidence when it comes round to getting involved in sports, but there are some simple ways to get pupils confident and excited about participating.
Speak up
Obviously, if a student lacks confidence, they are not going to be open to the idea of voicing their opinions in front of a group of people, especially their peers. However, speaking aloud in class or during activities can increase confidence tremendously.
When a student speaks up in class or activities they get immediate feedback from the person of authority. This can reinforce their ideas and therefore increase how confident they are in them. Talking through a student’s idea with a teacher can often settle them and arm them with the confidence that they need.
Write it down
This may seem counter intuitive when discussing getting involved but it is an important step to gaining confidence. If the activity in question has a lot of rules or a difficult technique, then after learning them students can write down everything they know on a blank piece of paper. This will let them know how much they do know about the activity and make them more confident in partaking.
Once they have written it all down, students may be surprised at how much they do know about the activity, and they will be more confident in their ability to get involved.
Take a holistic approach
Every time a student starts something new, they will falter at some point. It is important that they do not get too discouraged by any form of failure.
For example, think of progression as a line graph going upwards. After partaking three of four times, the student may have a bad session, however the student will still be better than when they began. Students need to be reminded of this in order to keep their confidence.
Students should also start slowly. If they are thrown in too deep, they may panic and this could derail the rest of the activity. Start slowly and work your confidence up as they continue.
Just do it
Students do need reinforcement, but sometimes they need to be left to their own devices. If a student can do something without being told or guided, then they will become far more confident than if a teacher is constantly looking over their shoulder and telling them how to do something.
Giving a student the ability to partake in sports, and giving them confidence comes about after you teach them how to do something. Part of this learning is leaving the students to do it themselves.
If you truly want students to gain confidence in their own abilities allow them to progress at their own pace. If they feel as though you are pushing too fast, they will give up. Similarly, if they feel as though you are not challenging them enough, they will give up.
