praise
I found some of the methods chosen for praise were a bit to overbearing. I would never tell a student how good a student he/she is. That is a real put down for the other students in the class.I just say excellent answer.
I use a method where all students are engaged in the learning process. I create a real problem and asked each student to give me a solution for the circumstances and write his/her answer on the board. There will be a numer of different answers, I do not address the answers until everyone has given an answer. I then explain why they are incorrect and move along until I answer the correct solution. This allows each student to participate in the questioning process and learns at the same time with out the stigma of being wrong.
some times i found this method challenging becase of students perception and especially if we jave jelousy issues in the class. i wish we could have a video of how to properly do it
J.,
You are correct, we should never put down any student. I often let students know if they are doing well in my class, mostly privately. Sometimes when they do very well on a test, I ask them in the class about their study habits and how they prepared for the test. This is an effort for others to learn good study habits and perhaps prepare a little more. Without writing the answers on the board, my technique is similar to yours in that I use a lot of probing to get to the correct information, this can involve more than one student. Like you also, I do not tell students they are wrong, I use probing to guide them and they often arrive at the correct answer. If not, I move to another student, without putting down the first student.
Judy Mohammed
Najib,
I am not aware of jealousy issues in the class. I try to offer praise to every student in teh class for one thing or the other. I call on the quiet students to share opinions so as not to put them in a bad position. Many times, I speak to them before or after class and during breaks.
Judy Mohammed
Hello J. Newman,
I have to agree that telling one student that he/she is a good student in front of their classmates is not a great morale booster for the class. I do like how you engage all of the students by asking them to write an answer on the board, however. I think this is a very good way to keep the students engaged and on-their-toes. It's also a great assessment tool for the instructor to see who is paying attention and/or who is struggling with the material in the class. It also seems to be a good way to address an issue I have been having. Often times students are calling out answers in the class, and I find that I may have two students calling out answers at the same time, one correct and the other incorrct. Usually when this happens, I will say something like, "That is correct. Tammy stated that......," and I will repeat what she just said. I will then explain why Tammy's answer was correct. However, I will often not address the incorrect answer, because I did not want to focus on that answer. After viewing this module, and seeing what you wrote, however, I am now feeling that I should probably address the incorrect answer to make sure everyone understands why it is incorrect. What are your thoughts on this?
It is important to make sure that the student does not leave with the feeling they know the answer when the are mistaken. You need to make sure that all misconceptions are cleared up before the end of the class. This is the only way we, as teachers can truely be effective in our field.
Hi J.,
Thank you so much for the feedback. I have to agree with you after doing this module. This has been a subject that has been bothering me since I started teach a couple years ago, and I am glad to finally have some direction regarding this issue. Thanks again for the feedback.
Jodi
Jodi,
You are quite right, all answers should be discussed, especially since others may have been thinking the same. However, it is best to set yout class procedures at the beginning so that you do not have students shouting out answers simultaneously.
Judy Mohammed
J.,
You are so so right. We need to ensure that our students have the correct information. As I teach, I review what we have already learned at every opportunity, just to make sure that everyone has the correct information.
Judy Mohammed
Jodi,
Keep up the excellence! Always great to share best practices!
Judy Mohammed
I COMPLETELY agree. I think it comes across as insincere. It is important to engage each student and to incorporate their input, which can be challenging when/if they just have not grasped the course content.
I agree. I would never tell a student how good he/she is but I would give praise for a job well done. I would be genuine with my praise because students need that. It's very helpful in improving their confidence. We as instructor's tend to put a lot of emphasis on students mistakes so I believe that it is just as important to highlight their accomplishments. Positive reinforcement.
Kelli,
This is true, but we can gently guide them to the corect information, letting them know why their response is incorrect.
Judy Mohammed
Irving,
I agree completely. Praise must always be genuine. I endeavor to focus on accomplishments.
Judy Mohammed
I agree with this as well. And instead of praising all the correct answers I also never agree with the student when they open their own questions with "this might be a stupid question, but...". When a wrong answer or question is given, if possible, I try to figure out how they came to that answer/ question and nudge them towards answering it themselves. I also have to keep my "know-it-alls" on a short leash because they tend to confuse the slower learners even more.
Lisa,
This is very true, we need to control some of our persistent students. Probing has always helped me to guide students to the correct information.
Judy Mohammed
I'm enjoying this thread very much. I teach culinary students how to bake and it's challenging at times. I know their interests are with cooking savory items but they still need to pass my class to continue with their program. I find praise to be beneficial, especially for the students that have a reputation of falling behind. I care equally about my students and praise their work daily. When a student has an off day and their product is not up to par, well, this can be a downer for the individual. I like to assist them through the process by providing positive feedback for the things they did well that day. I have noticed a huge difference in their work and self-confidence. There are a few students in my class that have almost failed previous classes. Now they are doing great with A's and B's! Other students have pulled me aside to acknowledge the the positive feedback is helping them and that they have never had that previously.
Paul,
Feedback on the whole is appreciated by students and when it is positive it just makes their day. Sometimes we need to remember that we are teh only cheerleadrs that they may have. Keep up the good work!
Judy Mohammed
