How can I build confidence in students developing reading skills?

Last updated: January 20, 2026

You’ve seen it in their eyes—the moment a student who was once curious and engaged starts shutting down before the reading lesson even begins. You’ve watched bright, capable children convince themselves they “can’t read” while their classmates move ahead, and you’ve felt that ache of knowing there’s something more you could do if you just knew what it was. That mix of frustration and protectiveness you feel isn’t weakness—it’s the sign of a teacher who refuses to accept that any child should stop believing in themselves. And if you’ve wondered whether there’s a better way to reach these students, a way that builds them up from the inside rather than just pushing through the curriculum, you’re asking exactly the right question.

TL;DR

Replace intelligence-based praise with effort-based feedback to build lasting confidence
Help students understand that struggle is evidence of brain growth, not inability
Create opportunities for students to track their own progress and build internal motivation
Use growth-oriented language that frames reading as a skill being developed, not a fixed ability
Your genuine belief in each student's potential shapes their actual outcomes

Understanding Why Confidence Matters for Reading Development

Students developing reading skills often face a unique challenge that extends far beyond academics. Every day in your classroom, you see it happening—the bright child who shuts down before even attempting a reading task, the one who’s learned to say “I can’t” before trying. This isn’t about ability; it’s about what repeated struggle has taught them to believe about themselves.

Here’s what neuroscience tells us: confidence and learning are deeply connected at the brain level. When students believe they can improve, their brains actually change and form new neural pathways more effectively. Students who approach reading with fear and doubt show different patterns of brain activation than those who feel capable of growth.

The good news? Confidence is buildable. It’s not a fixed trait that some students have and others lack. Research from Stanford shows that children’s beliefs about their abilities literally change their performance outcomes. When you understand this, you can start using specific strategies that build genuine, lasting confidence in your students.

True confidence in struggling readers isn't built by making things easier—it's built every time they prove to themselves they can handle something hard. Tweet Now Follow Learning Success

The Science of Effort-Based Confidence Building

Traditional approaches often try to build confidence through praise and protection—making tasks easier or telling students they’re doing great even when they’re struggling. But research reveals this backfires. Students sense when standards are lowered, and false praise creates fragile confidence that shatters at the first real challenge.

Stanford research by Carol Dweck and Mueller demonstrates something different: children praised for effort show increased motivation after setbacks, while those praised for intelligence show decreased motivation. The type of feedback you give literally rewires how the brain responds to challenges. Learn more about growth mindset research and how it applies to your classroom.

True confidence comes from proving to yourself that you can handle difficulty. Each time a student persists through a challenging reading task, their anterior mid-cingulate cortex—the brain area associated with willpower and resilience—actually grows stronger. This means the hard moments aren’t obstacles to confidence; they’re the actual building blocks of it.

Author Quote "

Stanford research by Dweck and Mueller demonstrates that children praised for effort show increased motivation after setbacks, while those praised for intelligence show decreased motivation and are more likely to avoid challenges.

Laura Lurns Learning Success Expert

Expert Insight: Brain imaging studies reveal that students with a growth mindset show increased activity in cognitive processing centers when making errors, while students with fixed mindsets show primarily emotional reactivity—this explains why growth mindset students learn from mistakes while fixed mindset students avoid them.

Practical Strategies for Your Classroom

Start by changing how you frame challenges. When a student encounters a difficult word or passage, instead of jumping to help, try: “This is your brain getting stronger right now.” Help them understand that the struggle feeling means growth is happening, not that something is wrong with them.

Build what’s called a confidence account—small deposits of success that accumulate over time. Create opportunities for students to notice their own progress. Have them track words they’ve mastered, strategies they’ve learned, or moments when they persisted through difficulty. This builds internal recognition rather than dependence on external validation.

Focus your feedback on process, not ability. Instead of “You’re a good reader,” try “You used a great strategy there” or “I noticed you kept trying even when it got hard.” This helps students develop grit and perseverance because they learn that their effort matters more than any fixed talent. Teach them specific self-talk scripts: “This challenge is making my brain stronger” or “I’m not there yet, but I’m building my skills.”

Key Takeaways:

Effort-based praise builds stronger confidence than telling students they're smart

True confidence comes from proving you can handle difficulty, not from avoiding it

Teacher expectations literally change student brain activation and performance outcomes

Creating a Classroom Culture That Builds Readers

Your expectations as a teacher carry enormous weight. Harvard research on the Rosenthal effect shows that teacher expectations literally change student outcomes—students perform at the level expected of them. When you genuinely believe that every student can become a capable reader, that belief shapes your behavior in hundreds of small ways that students pick up and internalize.

Watch your language carefully. Move from deficit framing (“This student has dyslexia”) to growth framing (“This student is developing reading skills through specialized instruction”). Research shows that children who hear their brains are “learning to read” versus “can’t read” show different patterns of neural activation and reading improvement.

Finally, remember that building confidence isn’t about making reading easy—it’s about helping students prove to themselves they can handle hard things. Create appropriately challenging tasks, celebrate the willingness to struggle, and help students build an identity around being someone who persists. That identity becomes more powerful than any single reading success or failure.

Author Quote "

Brain imaging studies reveal that students with a growth mindset show more cognitive processing in learning centers when receiving feedback on errors, while those with fixed mindsets show primarily emotional reactivity.

Here’s what I believe with every fiber of my being: every student in your classroom has a brain capable of extraordinary growth. The child who struggles with reading today isn’t broken—they’re building skills at their own pace, and they need a teacher who sees their potential, not their limitations. The system may have taught these students to doubt themselves, to shut down before trying, to believe that some people are just “not readers.” But that belief can’t survive a teacher who refuses to accept it. Your words become their internal voice. Your expectations shape their neural pathways. Your daily presence is more powerful than any label or assessment. When you choose to see capability instead of deficit, you’re not just teaching reading—you’re rewiring how a child sees themselves. Start your free trial of the Learning Success All Access Program and discover the tools to help every student in your classroom build the confidence they deserve.

References

Stanford University - Dweck, C.S. & Mueller, C.M. - Praise for Intelligence vs. Effort Study - Demonstrates that effort-based praise increases motivation and performance after setbacks while intelligence-based praise decreases motivation
Harvard University - Rosenthal, R. - Expectation Effects Research - Shows that teacher expectations literally change student outcomes, with "intellectual bloomers" (randomly selected) showing greater IQ gains
Current Neuroscience Research - Anterior Mid-Cingulate Cortex Studies - Reveals this brain area associated with willpower and resilience grows when individuals persist through challenging tasks they'd rather avoid