Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1419056
"I believe in you." Teachers are required to correct papers, hand out grades, and at times chas- tise poor behavior. That power dynamic can subtly undermine students' self-confidence. Saying "I believe in you" is a powerful way to redress the imbalance and remind kids that you are there first and foremost to help and to serve — and that at the root of all your feedback is an abiding belief in their uniqueness and their potential. Finding language that blends constructive criticism with faith in the student's ability can be delicate, but being straightforward generally works. In a seminal study in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, when teachers used language like "I have high expectations" for an essay, for example, but "I know you can reach them," the number of kids who submitted revisions doubled, from 40 percent to 80 percent. "We missed you." Instead of asking "Where were you?" which can carry a note of suspicion — or simply sound like prying — try to respond to a student's absence with a more positive twist. Say "We really missed you yesterday " to signal that you thought about the student when they weren't there and to underscore that they are a valuable contributor to the classroom community. "I'm listening." Used as both a confirmation and an invitation — for example, as an open-ended prompt when a student looks troubled or starts to feel frustrated — the phrase "I'm listening" signals that there is space and respect for student voice in your classroom. Experienced educators in our community are keen to remind fellow teachers not to jump in to fill the silence too quickly. Refrain from speaking directly after an "I'm listening," and pair the phrase with body language — eye contact if the student is amenable to it, for example — that invites them to fill the vacuum and speak their mind. "Oops, I made a mistake." There are a thousand ways to say you messed up. Saying " That's a real whopper!" or "I can't believe I did that again!" can even convey the idea that academic or social miscues can be both frequent and humorous. In several threads on Edutopia's social media feeds, teach- ers emphasized that a certain comfort level with errors is essential to academic resilience in students. To reinforce this idea with their students, many educators weave preplanned mistakes into their lessons, stop to acknowledge and praise the thinking behind a student's creative error, or pepper their instruction with references to epic mistakes that they 've made themselves. While mistakes are never the objective, academic progress always involves failure — and actively challenging the taboo against academic error by saying "I made a mistake," in whatever form you prefer, should be a regular occurrence in your classroom. "We'll figure it out together." This deceptively simple phrase is more profound than it seems. In classrooms, where instruction tends to flow in one direction, collaborative language that positions the teacher and student as partners and co-learners flips the script and is subversive in all the right ways. Students who are struggling with a concept and hear you say "We'll figure it out together " retain a sense of agency, are reminded that even teachers need help, and are encouraged to think of themselves as competent, equal participants in a problem-solving exercise. "You've really improved…" and "I really admire…" Feedback that is specific, measured and focused on a student's process or effort is motivating and actionable. But it also requires that teachers be attentive to the intricacies of a student's learning journey. When teachers notice and then articulate areas of aca- demic progress by saying " You've really improved on your descriptive writing — I loved the way you described your family in this story," for example, they signal that learning is a tangible, ongoing process powered by effort and persistence. Steer clear of feedback that engages in hyperbole, lacks specificity, or praises ostensibly inherent qualities like intel- ligence. Research suggests that from the upper elementary grades on, students recognize praise that is inauthentic, and complimenting children for "being smart" or for outcomes like good grades reduces their tolerance for taking academic risks and stymies growth. "I'm sorry." Saying "I'm sorry " can be a bitter pill. It's a frank admission of wrongdoing, and in classroom settings it can feel like ceding authority and thus losing ground in the struggle for discipline and focus. But a judicious use of "I'm sorry " also models one of the most powerful — and rarest — acts of civility and instantly humanizes the relationship between teachers and students. A simple, heartfelt "I'm sorry " instills trust, signals respect for the receiver, and makes you more accessible. This story originally appeared on edutopia.org. 1 5 6 7 2 3 4 47 O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 21