Behavioral Momentum to Build Confidence

It seems that your student lack confidence in his skills or that he struggles with some prerequisite skills.

First, give him work that gradually builds in difficulty. Begin with problems or questions that you know will be easy for the student to answer. Have him complete this work to build his confidence.

Once he starts to falter again, carefully analyze the work to determine if there is a skill deficit at play. Is the student missing a building block that would make performing this skill easier?

If you are unsure, make sure the student can perform the prerequisite skills with proficiency. If he can do these skills and still refuses to try, then we are working solely with confidence.

Provide reinforcement for trying, giving the student incentives for completing two problems rather than asking for the whole page. The goal here is to complete the problems and give a good effort, not about whether he completed the problems accurately.

Slowly increase the work requirement for the student to get the incentive.

Behavior Momentum is a strategy designed to to build a student’s “momentum” for following directions. Asking a series of easier questions or problems before asking the more difficult questions so that the student feels more confident and less anxious.

• Child's Age: 3-5, 6-10, 11-13, 14-17, 18+
• Planning Effort: Moderate
• Difficulty Level: Easy

Ability to answer easier questions

1. Design worksheets or assignments that begin with 2-4 questions that are easy for the student to answer.
2. Then, include some questions that are new or more difficult for the student. For example, if you are teaching two-digit addition without regrouping, begin the student’s assignment with a few-one digit problems. Sometimes just getting the work started is what is difficult for a student.
3. Once they get started, and feel more confident, it becomes less stressful to try the new concepts or problems.
4. If the student still struggles, break the skill down into building blocks. Have the student perform each subskill to ensure that he has the prerequisites to complete what you are asking of him. If yes, stick with behavioral momentum. If not, work on the subset skills until the student is fluent and confident.