Helping Struggling Students Build Resilience and Confidence in Class

Some learners fall behind not because they lack ability but because they face challenges that get in the way of learning. These include learning disabilities, language barriers, social and emotional difficulties, poverty, or trauma. This guide is for teachers who want a clear, step-by-step way to spot these learners, give them the right support, and help them grow in resilience and confidence.

On this page 8 sections

Why struggling students need a champion

Not all students have the same opportunities, resources, and support to succeed in school. When challenges pile up, learners can feel frustrated, anxious, and unsure of themselves. Many then stop taking part in class. This can start a cycle of underachievement that affects their future.

Teachers can break this cycle in three steps:

1. Identify the students who are struggling.
2. Provide interventions that target their specific difficulties.
3. Build resilience and confidence in the classroom.

Step 1: Identify struggling students

You cannot support a learner until you know what they need. Use several ways to check both academic progress and social and emotional well-being:

• Standardized tests
• Formative assessments
• Classroom observation
• Checklists
• Interviews with the learner

You can also talk with other professionals, such as special education teachers, guidance counselors, or psychologists. They can help you see the full picture of a learner’s strengths and challenges.

Once you have identified a struggling learner, make a personalized plan that fits their needs and goals.

Step 2: Provide effective interventions

Choose evidence-based strategies that match each learner’s area of difficulty. When support fits a learner’s needs and preferences, motivation, engagement, and confidence go up.

Challenge	Strategies that can help
Learning disabilities	Multisensory techniques such as visual aids, manipulatives, and mnemonics to reinforce concepts and improve memory
Language barriers	Extra support in English language development: simplified language, translations, or pairing with English-speaking peers
Social and emotional difficulties	Mindfulness, relaxation, or social skills training to improve self-regulation and relationships with others

Step 3: Foster resilience and confidence

Resilience is the ability to cope with hard times, adapt to change, and bounce back from setbacks. Confidence is a learner’s belief in their own abilities, worth, and potential. Together, they help learners keep going through challenges, take risks, and learn from failure.

Here are four ways to build both in your classroom.

Encourage effort and progress

• Focus on the learning process, not only the final result.
• Praise effort, improvement, and perseverance.
• Recognize and reward hard work and progress to build a sense of competence.
• Give feedback that is specific, timely, and constructive. Point out strengths and areas to improve, and invite learners to reflect and set goals.

Build positive relationships

• Show interest, empathy, and support for each learner.
• Listen to their side, validate their feelings, and give guidance. This builds trust and a sense of belonging.
• Encourage good peer relationships through collaboration, communication, and respect.
• Address conflicts and bullying when they happen.

Cultivate a growth mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed through effort and learning. They are not fixed traits. This belief helps learners let go of limiting ideas and stereotypes about themselves and treat challenges as chances to grow.

• Model it: share your own struggles and successes.
• Reframe mistakes and failures as learning experiences.
• Give learners time to reflect on how they learn, set goals, and track their progress. This builds self-awareness and self-efficacy (belief that they can succeed).

Provide a safe and inclusive environment

• Acknowledge and celebrate learners’ cultural, linguistic, and individual differences. This strengthens their sense of identity and belonging.
• Set clear expectations and boundaries.
• Address bullying and harassment.
• Point learners to mental health and social services when needed.
• Keep the classroom physically comfortable and stimulating so it supports learning and creativity.

Challenges teachers may face

These strategies work, but they are not always easy to carry out:

• Limited resources. A lack of time, funding, and personnel can make personalized, evidence-based support hard to provide.
• Need for training. Teachers need professional development on how to identify, support, and advocate for struggling learners, especially those from diverse and marginalized backgrounds.
• Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic widened learning gaps and worsened mental health issues among struggling learners. This shows the need for new and fair approaches to education.

Looking ahead

Several directions can help schools do more for struggling learners:

• Technology and digital tools that support personalized learning, make assessment and feedback easier, and widen access to resources.
• Stronger partnerships among teachers, families, communities, and other stakeholders, for a more complete and responsive education system.
• More research on the long-term effects of resilience- and confidence-building interventions on learners’ school and life outcomes, and on why these interventions work.

The bottom line

Championing struggling students takes a planned, many-sided approach. Identify each learner’s academic and social-emotional needs. Give targeted support. Build a classroom where effort is valued, relationships are strong, mistakes are part of learning, and every learner feels safe. When teachers do this, learners are better able to overcome challenges and succeed. It is also a step toward a fairer and more inclusive society.

Frequently asked questions