{"id":5298,"date":"2015-10-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/cw_post\/learner-centered-tip-of-the-week-choice-words\/"},"modified":"2020-02-27T16:38:14","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T21:38:14","slug":"learner-centered-tip-of-the-week-choice-words","status":"publish","type":"cw_post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/cw_post\/learner-centered-tip-of-the-week-choice-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Learner-Centered Tip of the Week: Choice Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ScienceThis post originally appeared on Courtney Belolan’s website<\/a> on September 14, 2015. Belolan is the instructional coach for RSU2 in Maine.<\/em><\/p>\n

By now the school year feels under way. The chaos of the first week has subsided. Classes are settling into routines. Units and projects are underway. Our excitement and expectations for the new year, and our students, is still there.<\/p>\n

It is these expectations, the ones we as teachers hold up, that have the most power for our students\u2019 learning. This piece from NPR explores the research behind teacher expectations and student achievement<\/a>, and also offers some ideas for recognizing and adjusting our expectations.<\/p>\n

In the book Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children\u2019s Learning,<\/em> Peter Johnston talks about how the way we speak to our students conveys our expectations. He argues that our language is the central tool for the social, emotional, and academic development of our students. Here are three of my favorite suggestions for how we intentionally use language with our students so that we can create the intellectual life we want them to grow into:<\/p>\n

Notice and Name:<\/strong> Be explicit about the praise you give. Say who you saw doing something you want to praise, then say what it is they did.<\/p>\n