Students' Perceived Limitations

What are ways that you support students to challenge their sense of their own limitations, physical or mental?

Often, the barrier to our students' success is their own preconceptions of what they can or can't do. And this is totally fair- a student's academic self-concept (the way the feel and think about themselves in terms of school) is formed by the third year of education.

However, students sometimes need to be pushed to see past their sense of their own limatations in order for them to grow. One of the ways I support students to challenege their own limitations is simply by demonstrating pushiing my own sense of limitations. I often use personal stories of times I came up on my own limations as a way of giving and example, as well as practicing being vulnerable with my students. 

I find the most important time to address sense of limitations is as soon as you hear a student say they "can't" do something. I often start with questioning strategies in order to get a better sense of where the student is coming from with those emotions. Once you have gathered that information, you can begin to address areas of their thinking that can be challenged (in a way that still respects the students emotional safety). 

One simple thing I across all my students, is simply showing them my belief in their abilities. I respond to students who say they "can't" do something with "I think you can." Knowing that an adult believes in a student can sometimes be enough to help them push past a challenge they are facing.