----- Original Message -----
From: "Adele Raemer and Laurie Levy" <raemer@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: From the British Council
In response to: Cure difficult pupils with praise, Lev wrote:
It does not look like food for thought to me - it looks more like wishful thinking.
I want to relate a little anecdote, which I taught me the power of positive feedback, and ever since then, I have transferred it to the classroom:
Years ago, (can't remember/ don't care to think about it;) we started having a dental hygienic come to check us (I live on kibbutz), before any visit to the dentist, so she could clean our teeth. She asked me if I flossed, and I told her I did. (In truth, I had just started flossing sporadically not long before - but - hey - she didn't ask how often!). She checked my teeth and praised me for taking such good care of them. "I can see that you are from the States- they are so much more aware of the benefits of flossing there! I wish everyone were as good as you with that!"
Well! I thought, if it was so beneficial, and I was only doing it sporadically, imagine how good my dental health would be if I flossed regularly! (Besides, I now had a standard to live up to, not to mention the good name of my fellow American ex-patriots!) And this is how I turned into a flossing groupie, who CANNOT go to bed with out first flossing, then brushing.
The effect of positive reinforcement.
Nothing succeeds like success, is my motto. And once you (or your learners) get the sweet taste of praise and positive reinforcement (a thing that many of your difficult learners probably receive precious little of, both in school, and - more importantly - at home) believe me, you want more of it.
It's definitely worth reading! I hope even the skeptics give it a try. Adele
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