▶ Your Answer :
Some argue, the best way to teach is to
focus on positive actions while some insist that, to focus on correcting
misbehavior is better. I argue, balance between the two is important while whether
to focus on positive actions or negative ones should be different depending on
characteristics and learning level of the students.
If a teacher wants to teach a lesson or a skill
to a student, s/he needs to strategize the teaching method. S/he should design
incentives and punishments for the performances of students. In designing the
teaching method, balance should be in consideration. If the teacher focuses too
much on incentives and praise in return for good performances of students, it
can have negative side effect. In other words, if the teacher only praises her
students and ignores faults, the students can possibly become overly confident without
knowing what to improve. In contrast, if the teacher only focuses on
faultfinding, it can discourage students from trying anything. They can end up being
diffident and having no motivation to learn any more. Therefore balance between
praising positive actions and admonishing negative ones should be made.
Where to stand between focusing on positive
actions and negative ones can differ depending on characteristics and learning levels/abilities
of students.
First, in terms of characteristics, if a
student has a great deal of confidence and strong personality, a teacher might
need to focus more on negative actions of the student, because the student is less likely to be hurt by what s/he is told about the wrongdoings. In
contrast, if a student is very timid and insecure, the teacher might need to
focus more on positive actions of the student so s/he can have more confidence
and motivation to learn and progress further.
Second, in terms of levels/abilities of
learning a teacher might need to focus more on positive actions to teach
beginners so they have enough motivation to keep learning. In contrast, to
students who are above certain level the teacher needs to focus more on
negative actions so the student can improve their performance.
To establish the balance between the two
different foci, a teacher needs to make a careful effort to figure out what
kind of characteristics his or her students have, and what learning level they
belong to. Active communication is, therefore, indispensable for effective
teaching. |