Student confidence

[PhotoFlyer]

How do you boost student confidence? Discuss!

Edited June 22, 2006 by PhotoFlyer

[rm7]

Buddy system. Make some friends and encourage each other.

 

Just my opinion.

[Voluptuary5]

Photo,

 

Do you mean from an instructor's or a student's point-of-view?

 

 

V5

[Guest pokey]

to quote Clint Eastwood : "a man has got to know his limitations"

 

I dont think confidence can be "taught" altho it can be "learned"

[PhotoFlyer]

Photo,

 

Do you mean from an instructor's or a student's point-of-view?

V5

 

From the instructors point of view...

[justfly]

Focus on positive feedback. Have student self-evaluate maneuvers in specific terms (ie. avoiding general terms like "..it was pretty good"), starting with the aspects of the maneuver that went RIGHT, before the parts that could use improvement.

[Vaqueroaero]

How do you boost student confidence? Discuss!

 

I used to show them my hands, so that they could see that whatever the aircraft is doing I was playing no part in it. This was particularly effective during hovering and autorotations. Obviously don't do this with someone who really needs help! hands off autos require a lot of confidence from the IP's viewpoint.

[helomaster]

Positive reinforcement.

[joker]

What a great question...very similar to one which I was presented during my education degree, which I had to write a paper on!

 

The bottom line is that confidence is built on a person's success at challenging tasks.

 

As an instructor therefore you must provide sitations and tasks which will challenge your student but still allow success.

 

Consider this cycle:

 

1 - The learner wants to succeed. This is motivation (another massive topic).

 

2 - Thus, as an instructor you must set tasks that have goals. Without goals there is no sucess or failure!

 

3 - The learner will then measure his own success by the assimilation of various forms of feedback.

 

4 - Revelling on the last success, the learner wants to succeed again. Confidence has gone up, and so has motivation...so we are back to 1 in the cycle.

 

 

Simple really!

 

 

 

 

Way more complicated is the different ways the student can measure his own success or failings at a task. Now we get into the complex topic of 'feedback' which some have touched upon.

 

Feedback comes in two main forms to a learner.

 

Intrinsic feedback comes from within...it is seen or felt by the learner.

Extrinsic feedback comes from someone (something) else. This is where the instructor can really make or break the quality of learning.

 

A good instructor will have a knack of knowing just what form to provide feedback. The manner, timing and detail have to be carefully measured if it is going to be good feedback. This is a whole topic in its self!

 

An instructor's feedback may be motivational ("If you keep doing approaches like that we'll soon be able to move on to the next stage!"), reinforcing ("We'll done on that approach, you ended up right over the spot!"), or informational ("You were a bit fast, so you need to use a little more aft cyclic").

 

Feedback must be as positive as possible.

Feedback must be done immediately after the task.

Feedback must be specific to the task set.

 

Remember that feedback doesn't have to be spoken either. As an instructor be so careful of your body language. I had an instructor who would tense up in his seat every time I came in hot! After a while, I ended up using him as an 'airspeed' indicator!

 

Positive feedback can also be un-spoken. A thumbs up can be a great way of giving informational or reinforcing feedback (especially in an aircraft).

 

Use your body language - slumped shoulders, huffing and puffing, sighing, wincing etc..etc.. can really deflate a student. On the other hand, smiling, sitting up, nodding etc..etc.. can go a long way to tell a student how he's doing.

 

Remember, as a teacher, you must assume the role of an actor. That's half of teaching! Some people are natural teachers, full of life, positive, their voice always showing keeness and interest, their manner bubbly and their demeanour unfailingly passionate and affectionate, they love everyone and everything!

 

However, most people are not - for them the rule when instructing must be ACT, ACT and ACT some more! At first you'll feel a prat always using your 'teaching voice', giving high-fives or thumbs up whilst grinning from ear to ear when a student does a relatively simple thing. You may even over do it some times! But after a while, you'll realise that acting works. Remember, that student is with you for 2 hours. If you don't show 110% enthusiasm for his learning in that 2 hours, he's wasted his money. The problem is that the next student also demands your 110%, as does your last student of the day. This is why you must act. Most of the time, you will be with a just another student, and not feel 110%. - but you can't let him see that.

 

As motivation is a huge factor, consider the use of rewards. This will work with some and not others, but can be a useful tool. Again, rewards don't have to be physical (although they can be!). I would caution the 'over-use' of rewards though. Also, of course, don't make promises you might not be able to keep. "If you nail this approach, I'll sign your solo endorsement!"

 

Someone suggested taking hands of controls. The idea of this is that the student then sees that he is controlling the aircraft. This is a form of reinforceing feedback - i.e. the student can see that he is succeeding.

 

Of course (as stated) you have to be sure of your student's ability before doing so. Generally, I don't like the risk involved with this, particularly low level. At this stage of learning students can do some pretty stupid things - quickly. Also, risks aside, is the fact that this could have a negative effect on some students. My point is that you must really get to know your student's learning style. One student might love the idea of being totally in control, whereas another might simply crack up under the pressure! Every student is different, and a good instructor will recognise this and adjust to this.

 

Another form of feedback which I have had some instructors use with me, is to (pretend to) be so relaxed that they almost appear blase. Tellling jokes, looking around or whatever, but generally trying to give the impression that they are so relaxed becuase I was doing a good job. I don't like this, as I think it is poor role modelling of cockpit manner, where really all pilots should be attentive to the job at hand at all times. It is also poor role modelling of 'instructional technique'.

 

OK, it's late and I have started to ramble! A testament to how interesting this subject can really be, and how deep you could get. Hope its food for thought though.

 

Also, I appolgise for the unedited text above and the lack of published references...it was from my head. If anyone wants more information, I could provide some references to classic research on this subject.

 

Joker

[centrifugalbumblepoppy]

Another form of feedback which I have had some instructors use with me, is to (pretend to) be so relaxed that they almost appear blase. Tellling jokes, looking around or whatever, but generally trying to give the impression that they are so relaxed becuase I was doing a good job. I don't like this, as I think it is poor role modelling of cockpit manner, where really all pilots should be attentive to the job at hand at all times. It is also poor role modelling of 'instructional technique'.

I had an instructor that fell asleep on my first dual cross country. I woke him up...and he fell asleep again. It didn't make me feel that he had confidence in me; it irritated me that I was paying him instruction time to sleep.

[skier]

A student's point of view:

 

I think that positive feedback can have drawbacks. I personally liked the how exact my first instructor (fixed wing) wanted everything done. He would say things like "I would have waited another tenth of a second before turning final" and other things like that. The most recent instructors I have gone up with, gyro, helicopter, and fixed wing all just compliment me and tell me how most of their students don't do as well. I don't want to hear that. My first instructor would do simulated instrument conditions and have me make a constant airspeed, constant rate of descent, standard rate turn while changing to track another VOR. Exercizes like these though difficult with how little time I had been flying gave me more confidence then any positive statement he could have made. I also liked the distraction of him talking to me about completely random things not related to flying. Another good thing he did was act very relaxed. On my first night cross country (not my first night flight) his head was on the door and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.

 

Overall I think the best things my instructor did was to keep giving me harder tasks, to push me to execute maneuvers as perfectly as possible, and to act as confident as me as possible while verbilizing positives only at the end of the flight and negatives throughout most of the flight.

[Gerhardt]

My CFI barked if I even thought about screwing up a maneuver. And it worked well. The closest thing to positive reinforcement I got was the morning of my checkride. He stopped by to see how the oral went and before leaving said "good luck". I almost got teary eyed.

 

One of the best instructors I've ever seen.

[joker]

Well, Gerhardt's and Skier's posts just go to show that everyone is different...that there are so many different learning styles.

 

Just one thing to point out.

 

I think that positive feedback can have drawbacks. I personally liked the how exact my first instructor (fixed wing) wanted everything done. He would say things like "I would have waited another tenth of a second before turning final" and other things like that.

 

Actually, Skier, this is an example of positive feedback.

 

There is a common misunderstanding of the term 'positive feedback'.

 

When I say 'positive feedback', it doesn't mean you have to congratulate the student for doing things wrong, or be false. Nor does it mean you have to settle for lower standards from your student. You should always expect the highest standards from your students. That's what they want.

The most recent instructors I have gone up with, gyro, helicopter, and fixed wing all just compliment me and tell me how most of their students don't do as well. I don't want to hear that.

Incorrect feedback is as bad as no feedback at all.

 

No, positive feedback means something different. To illustrate the point, I will use Skier's own example. Consider these sentences.

 

1. "I would have waited another tenth of a second before turning final." - Positve reinforceing and informational

 

2. "I would have done things slightly differently." - Postive, but no information

 

3. "You turned final at the wrong time." - Negative, non-informational

 

4. "You missed the spot! I know you can do better!" - Negative, non-informational, but at least motivating.

 

5. "That was crap. You turned too early!" - Negative, informational

 

#1 is positive in so far as it allows the student to go away feeling that he didn't totally fail. Furthermore, it provides information on how to improve that skill.

 

As for Gerhardt's instructor, that is funny. I know guys like that. However, for the most part, the hard-assed approach doesn't work (or could easily backfire). Quick question; ask yourself why this style is less often seen in the civilian world compared to the military world. What effect does motivation and ego have on the learners tolerance to this style of teaching.

 

What would impress me is if Gerhardt's instructor could turn on the hard-assed approach with Gerhardt (who obviously responds best to that) and then tone it down for the next student who might not like the hard-assed style. As I said, its all about acting.

 

Given that student learning styles and motivation needs are different, if you are the same for every student, are you being an effective instructor?

 

Joker

 

Sub-issues arising for later discussion:

 

Use and misuse of distractions in the cockpit

Self-evaluation; its purpose and effectiveness

[flingwing206]

Confidence is like motivation - it can only come from within. We can no more build confidence than we can create motivation. If motivation is "that which induces you to move", then confidence is "that which has you believe you will move the right way". (We can, however, quickly damage confidence and motivation - funny how that works.)

 

For example, say you are standing in the path of a wildly weaving oncoming bus. The bus isn't motivating you to move (if you didn't know or care it was coming, you wouldn't move). Your desire to stay alive will motivate you to move. Confidence will also determine whether you stay alive - if you are an expert on large-vehicle-dynamics, you will rapidly and accurately decide which way to move, then you WILL move, with confidence (of course if you only THINK you are an expert, you will move with equal confidence, but the results may vary). If you cannot figure out where the bus is going, you may not move at all, or move too late, or just move somewhere because you can't just stand there. This we put down to a lack of confidence, but in fact (as Joker has said), it is a lack of knowledge or ability.

 

Joker describes (in excellent detail) some of the processes driving motivation and confidence. They are mutually supporting. As you gain confidence in your new learning, you are motivated to move forward. If you don't trust your abilities at your current level, it's hard allow yourself into a situation where you will be asked to have no confidence once again.

 

Speaking of which, I'm off to fly a Citabria after a 14-month hiatus. Last I remember, I was almost able to land the thing without help. I have no confidence in my ability to land it right now, but every confidence in my ability to learn to land it, so I am motivated to get there!

[Gman]

Holy crap, thank you guys for your posts, especially your insights Joker. This kind of information is golden. I sure hope others realize this and benefit from it.

 

-Greg

[betr_thn_Icarus]

I am a pretty low hour student, 43.8. I'll tell you a couple of things that build my confidence. I have flown with five instructors and even though I am a low hour guy I still know when things aren't right. When an instructor seems to have a plan laid out for the flight that builds a little confidence. I have had times when an instructor just seemed to be winging it without any sort of plan. When an instructor starts contradicting themselves and telling you different things for the same situation it has a bad effect on confidence. I am fairly aware of my skill level and am not saying it is much but I am building a lot of confidence and feel that I can do a lot of maneuvers pretty well. When someone comes along and tells you contradicting information throughout the whole flight and scolds you for doing what they just told you to do, it can have a big effect on your flying and may chew away a little confidence.

 

I had an instructor who was always very picky and wanted things exactly so. At first I thought he was a little too much but now think he was an awesome instructor because if you fly with that instructor who is always a perfectionist and you do things better and better to try to please them it really is satisfying when they say "That was excellent". You know they really mean it. There is a line somewhere between being too strict and always giving positive feedback to the point the student doesn't know when to take it seriously. I like the idea of asking a student "How do you think you did on that maneuver?" I think you will find that a lot of students will be more critical of themselves than you would and then you can correct them or give them your experienced advice on how to do it better. If you think a student feels like you are too harsh maybe try it, some students may be more willing to take criticism from themselves backed by you than they would from you directly all the time. At the same time though they are there to learn and if they have too big of an ego maybe they should look for a different career.