Teacher Confirmation Theory (Ellis, 2000) explains how instructor behaviors communicate to students that they are valued, respected, and capable of learning. These confirming behaviors reduce psychological distance, increase motivation, and improve affective and cognitive learning outcomes. The theory identifies four core dimensions: willingness to engage, recognition, acknowledgment, and endorsement.
Creating spaces where all students feel empowered to discuss tough topics openly and respectfully can be difficult. The Conversation Café provides a practical way to foster equitable dialogue by guiding students through structured rounds of sharing and listening in small groups. This free resource from OneHE shows you how to set this up in your own classroom.
One of the challenges of teaching is reaching every student. This can be especially difficult in distance courses where you don’t have a chance to grab a student after class to check in on them.
Rubrics are handy tools for providing clear expectations and consistent feedback to learners, but students also welcome authentic feedback that sounds like it came from you. You can add your own “voice” through the commenting tool on the rubric in Brightspace or by adding multimedia feedback.