How Would a Teacher's Commendation Influence the Process of Learning of New Comers into the 4th Grade Bilingual Classroom?



How Would a Teacher's Commendation Influence the Process of Learning of New Comers into the 4th Grade Bilingual Classroom?

Introduction

The one-to-one connection between teacher and student, often involving praise, is a powerful tool for establishing respect in the classroom. Using a child's name and bringing attention to positive behavior can do wonders. As Douglas Bartholomew notes, "The purpose of praising students seems to fall into four broad categories: to recognize or show interest in them, to encourage them, to describe what we observe in their behavior, and to evaluate their performance" (Baker, 2006). In my classroom, I tend to combine types of praise that recognize the student and describe the specific behavior while avoiding evaluative comments such as, "What a great student!" or "That makes me happy" or "1 like that." Thus, the student's behavior is motivated by the desire to follow directions rather than the need to please the teacher. This works especially well with students who may be embarrassed or resist the praise if it is connected to a comment.

This paper discusses a teacher's commendation influences the process of learning of new comers into the fourth grade bilingual classroom in a number of ways. First of all let's discuss the process of learning.

Discussion

If you need all students to sit quietly with their legs crossed, pretzel-style, simply say, "Sarah is showing that she is ready with her legs crossed. Jack is sitting silently with his hands safely in his lap." This technique capitalizes on a phenomenon that Jacob S. Kounin calls the "ripple effect."4 The ripple effect is characterized by one comment to an individual student who is influencing the behavior of an entire class. If there is a student who is not following directions, compliment the student or students near that person, specifically note the desirable behavior, and nine times out of ten the student will change his or her behavior to match the classroom expectations. For example, when one student is busy talking to a friend, bring attention to the positive behavior of other students: "Jean is sitting quietly and is ready to listen" or "Juan sat down without talking to his neighbors." The positive comments create a nurturing and encouraging environment while also building the teacher's rapport with the students who are working hard to be leaders in class (Baker, 2006).

Often, the large number of students in our programs prevents us from getting to know all students well. Positive and specific affirmation of individuals with exemplary behavior and leadership is another way to recognize and connect with the students who are on track without allowing the behavior of other students to take precious time in class.

Jim Fay and David Funk refer to relationship building as sharing control with the students by allowing them to make frequent decisions about their own behavior. Fay and Funk's philosophy of "love and logic" encourages the teacher to build a "savings account" of control ...