Principals Message

CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Continually let your students know you believe in them. Saying “I know you can get this” rather than “You need to try harder” for example is an indication of your belief in them rather than an accusatory statement.

Saying, “We talked about this yesterday. Did you forget?” is laying blame on the student. Instead a statement like, “You had this so well yesterday. I know you can get it today” reminds the student of their past success.

These are both subtle differences in language that can make a big difference in your students’ perception of your faith in their as learners…Use your language to show students that they are learning for their own benefit, not yours. Don’t begin an instruction or direction by saying, “What I need you to do for me…” This tells the student they are doing a task for the benefit and approval of the teacher. Begin with, “The first thing you need to do to learn this is…”

The learning has to be for the benefit of the learner, not the teacher.

Howard Pitler is an ASCD Faculty member and the author of several ASCD publications.