In the Confidence presentation, the group asked the class if any of us had ever avoided a task because we were afraid of failing. Every person raised their hand. With the increase in automation, we have so much more time to overthink everything. I imagine cavemen were terrified before hunting a mammoth, but it was either bring sharpened sticks to fight a massive beast or starve. Now, we get nervous about calling to order pizza.
The less we use a skill the more daunting it becomes. Lots of students are terrified of presenting. It is a critical skill for careers, but how do we bring students from fear to excitement? A quote that has stuck with me is "thinking will not overcome fear but action will" (William Clement Stone, 1902-2002). When we face our fears, we build competence. We don't have to start at the highest level. When I learned how to drive, I started in a parking lot and it was still scary, but if I had started on the highway it would have been impossible.
When we know what students are scared of, we can build them up. If they are scared of presenting, start with getting them to answer questions in front of the class and praise those that make the effort. We can then move towards presenting within small groups and work up to presenting in front of the class. We praise those small victories until facing a big fear feels more like driving in a parking lot rather than a highway. The more fears we help them face, through supported activities, the more competent and confident our students will be, so that one day when someone asks our students if they've ever avoided a task because they were afraid to fail, no one will raise their hand.
Courtesy of TaraC@OTU
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