A little bit of positive reinforcement can do wonders toward improving a student's academic confidence. Students who feel like a failure may not be able to recognize any academic strengths they may possess. It may be up to you to point them out. If you are having a problem finding an academic strength, praise the student's effort. If you currently grade your students solely on academic achievement, consider revising your criteria. For example, assign a grade for effort as well as for academic. This effort grade can then be averaged in to the students' final course grade. Before you begin implementing this, you will need to determine the weight of the effort grade. Many teachers consider effort as one-fourth of the final grade. Another way to incorporate effort into your grading scale is to award one bonus point each class session for participation in discussion. Be flexible as to what constitutes participation. For instance, it may mean the student answer a question, volunteers to read aloud .For instance, it may mean the student answer a question, volunteers to read aloud, or assists you demonstration. Before implementation, decide if you will add these bonus points toward total points earned for the grading period or if students can use them toward recouping points lost on assignments.