F2F Class Notes (Lily) [W]

what do you consider a “good distance” with a student?

Praising students seems to be a behaviour so ordinary that each teacher does it subconsciously. Students, too, are getting anxious to accept every praise by their teacher. So much so that they may unintentionally work harder, behave better, in order to be praised. Once praised, they will be satisfied with their earlier hard work and thus continue to do so as the teacher orders. This seems to be a virtuous circle. Who will say “no” to the effectiveness of praise? But every coin has two sides. There are occasions when praise seems to have reached its bottleneck.（Q: praise or praising？Which is better?）Much as the teacher may praise their students, no obvious improvement is made by the students. So praise is effective, but it depends on when and whom a teacher is praising.

When is praise most effective? At the beginning of a semester when the teacher and the students are not familiar with each other. In this case, ice should be broken, bonding created, before moving on to the the next stage when both praise and criticism are encouraged to ensure effective teaching and learning. Praise is most effective and highly needed at the beginning of a semester, because it can arouse a strong sense of fulfillment. Students with satisfaction are more likely to interact and cooperate with the teacher. It is also effective to arouse the students’ affection towards the teacher. Students with fondness for a certain teacher will surely like the subject. In this way, a nice beginning is made, with praise playing an important part.

Concerning whom a teacher should praise most, I would like to introduce a theory about “four temperaments”. Four temperaments suggest there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine (optimistic and social), choleric (short-tempered or irritable), melancholic (analytical and quiet), phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful). Even though most of the people have more than one type, it is likely to find one that is most representative. For sanguine and choleric students, criticism is recommended to remind them of carelessness and rudeness. For melancholic and phlegmatic ones, praise is suggested to encourage them in bravery and confidence.

As you can see, praise is not always the case with respect to effectiveness. But a teacher can learn to praise at the right time and to the right student. Are there any other effective ways to manage the class? The answer is yes. One way is grouping. By dividing the class into different groups, members of each group will strive for the goal for the mere sense of collective honor. They will also behave well for not being blamed by other members. Another way is role-play. A teacher can choose one naughty student to be a little disciplinary reporter. In this way, he or she will be more conscious of what should do and what should not do in class, and will push him/herself to behave well, or else other students won’t listen to him/her.

Surely there are many other ways of managing the class. A teacher must be creative and bold enough to try them in class. Just remember, praise properly and praise well.

Revised

Praising students seems to be a behaviour so simple/ regular behavior that every teacher does it subconsciously. Students, too, are eager to be complimented every praise by their teacher, so much so that they may unintentionally work harder, behave better, in order to be praised. Once (they are) praised, they will be satisfied with their input and thus continue to do so as the teacher gives instructions. This seems to be a virtuous cycle. Who will say “no” to the effectiveness of praise? But every coin has two sides. There are occasions when praising seems to have reached its bottleneck. Although teachers may praise their students, there’s no guarantee of the student’s improvement. So praising may be effective, but it depends on when and whom a teacher is praising.

When is the praise/praising most effective? At the beginning of a semester when the teacher and the students are not familiar with each other, we should break the ice and starting bonding., bonding created, before moving on to the the next stage, when both praises and criticisms are encouraged to ensure the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Praise is most effective and highly needed at the beginning of a semester, because it can arouse a strong sense of fulfillment/motivation. Students with satisfaction are more likely to interact and cooperate with the teacher. It is also effective to arouse the students’ affection towards the teacher. Students with fondness for a specific teacher will most likely be interested in the subject. In this way, we will have a good start of the semester with praises in place. 

Concerning whom a teacher should praise the most, I would like to introduce a theory about “four temperaments”. Four temperaments suggest that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine (optimistic and social), choleric (short-tempered or irritable), melancholic (analytical and quiet), phlegmatic (relaxed and peaceful). Even though most of the people have more than one type of personality, it is likely to find one that is the most representative. For sanguine and choleric students, criticism is recommended to remind them of their carelessness and rudeness. For melancholic and phlegmatic ones, praise is suggested to encourage them to show their bravery and confidence.

As you can see, praise is not always effective. However, a teacher can learn to praise at a suitable time and to the right student. Are there any other effective ways to manage the class? The answer is yes. One way is grouping. By dividing the class into different groups, members of each group will strive for the goal for the mere sense of collective honor. They will also behave well to avoid being blamed by other members. Another way is role-play. A teacher can choose one naughty student to be a little disciplinary reporter. In this way, he or she will be more conscious of what should be done in class, and will push him/herself to behave well, or else other students won’t listen to him/her.

Surely there are many other ways of managing the class. A teacher must be creative and bold enough to try them in class. Just remember, praise properly and praise well.