Academic confidence distinguishes the top students from everyone else. At Lafayette Academy, we do whatever we can to help our students gain more confidence in school. We personalize instruction so our students can experience “aha” moments in their tutoring sessions or Shadow Classes. For example, some students are auditory learners and learn best with chatty instructors who use language to reinforce their messages. Others are visual learners, who learn best with instructors who write on whiteboards and provide students with visual aids. Our learning styles sensitivity helps students make tremendous progress at The Academy and build their academic confidence.
We Give the VARK Learning Styles Assessment
When we first gave our students the VARK learning styles assessment, we found that 45% of our students had atypical learning styles. For example, many kinesthetic learners struggle in school because they have trouble concentrating when they have to sit still at a desk most of the day. We’ve had tutors walk around our building with their students to help them absorb new material. We offer children the most effective tutoring experience possible based on their unique learning preferences. This approach works. Students have more “aha” moments and they slowly increase their academic confidence.
Our Tutors Model Behaviors that Help Boost Your Child’s Confidence
Many children lost some of their academic confidence during the pandemic. Because they have also lost a substantial amount of classroom time, their confidence level may be lower than usual in certain subject areas. This is often true in math, which many students find challenging. The following are some of the approaches our tutors use to help our students retain or regain the academic confidence they may have lost during this challenging period.
- Teaching with confidence and assuring students that we will help them. Tackling complex, challenging material with an upbeat attitude and a lot of preparation.
- Remaining calm and focused when students make mistakes or seem confused about a topic. Confident people don’t let errors affect their efforts, so we model how to take obstacles in stride.
- Praising students for their perseverance in learning new or especially challenging material. We explain that confidence is not a function of always succeeding, but of staying strong and flexible enough to continue trying even if you’re not the best at a specific skill or subject.
- Also, we try to avoid false praise. Most children can sense when they’re struggling; tutors lose credibility with false praise.
If you wish to help your children build their academic confidence, contact us today at Lafayette Academy for a free consultation. We will help your children reach their highest level of scholastic success.
Aha Moments Lead to Academic Confidence
The teaching and mentoring strategies that help students build confidence pale in comparison to aha moments. Our ability to make complex topics easier for students ultimately has the greatest impact on your children. If you really want your children to build their academic confidence, get them tutors who help them feel smarter. How do we do this? We give our students the easiest way to understand complicated topics and help them prepare for their tests. There is no substitute for success, and you cannot fake success in school.
Our tutors collaborate on Slack. We exchange tutoring tips, curriculum ideas, knowledge about local teachers, and anything else that will help our tutors help your children. We have several tutors who have helped students in all of our local schools for many years. They know the curriculum, the textbooks, and the teachers! Whenever we survey our students, our local knowledge is always one of the top reasons students like coming to Lafayette Academy. As we look to expand to new markets, we are targeting areas that are similar to ours and use the same math textbooks.