Duration: 9:22
About the teachers
Henri King is completing his Master of Teaching through a teacher training program. Henri was previously a youth worker.
Emma Cheers has been teaching for 6 years. She has experience in both rural and metropolitan contexts, teaching primary school students in Years 2 to 5.
Dave Chettle has been teaching for 17 years. He became a teacher following a career in sales. He has taught both primary and secondary students in a metropolitan context.
Transcript
[On-screen text] Viewer advice: First Nations people should be aware that it is possible that some individuals depicted in this video may have since passed away.
Henri King, classroom teacher, Xavier Catholic College: Acknowledgement is being able to explicitly name and recognise students when they're meeting the behavioural expectation.
Emma Cheers, classroom teacher, Renmark Primary School: Praise is where you recognise students who exceed behaviour expectations specific to them.
Henri King: It's so important to acknowledge and praise students when they've met or exceeded their expectations because it helps to build their confidence. It makes them feel like they can experience success.
Dave Chettle, classroom teacher, Woodcrest State College: By continually acknowledging and praising students who meet and exceed behaviour, that helps the students who maybe aren't on track. For example, if I was setting expectation of coming into the class and standing behind the chairs, I would use acknowledgement to say well done for those 5 students who are standing behind their chairs properly. That helps the other students quickly get to their positions they need to be.
Emma Cheers: It is important to use acknowledgement and praise to reinforce that that is the expectation within the classroom and the school.
Dave Chettle: Okay, I love the way you're walking in, awesome job. Margaret, great stuff.
When you're acknowledging, just use your normal tone of voice because you don't want to make it too effusive, because it sounds false and kids can tell that straight away.
I like the way Jeriah and Nick are already standing behind the desk. So's Riley. So's Flynn, so's Elliot. They're doing a great job.
To acknowledge students, I'm looking for students who display appropriate behaviour. By acknowledging their good behaviour, that brings the other kids on board to also display good behaviour.
Margaret, Jamison and Makarea are ready. You guys are doing a great job putting the iPads away properly. I really like it. Thank you. Nick's ready as well, good job. Hudson's just about ready. Jackson, Alex are. Nico's good. Lucas has been great this morning. Awesome.
In my teaching practice, acknowledgement is used often. I think it's a really important skill to have and it helps the students understand what is expected of them.
Look at the guys at the front doing a great job. Okay, that's what I want.
When you're giving praise because they're exceeding the expectation, you therefore need to be a bit more effusive in your tone of voice. That means something to the student: they understand they're going way and above what's expected.
Okay, your behaviour today, perfect. Can you keep doing that for a long time? Promise? Good job, okay?
Using acknowledgement and praise in the classroom has had a huge effect because students love it and they enjoy being acknowledged for what they're trying to do. By using acknowledgement and praise, you actually build a relationship with the student because they start to respect you and, most importantly, trust you.
Good, I'm wrapped, man. Great job. Okay, so listen, keep it going. Okay? Good.
So, building that trust means that when things go off the rails, it can quickly get back on the rails because they understand you, you understand them and you have a connection.
Emma Cheers: I use acknowledgement all the time in the classroom, in the yard, anytime where I can see students exhibiting those expected behaviours.
Thank you. Well done, Tiana. Thank you, Chloe, for following all of the instructions. Well done. Well done to Piper and Brooklyn. When acknowledging students, I would use a regular tone of voice. I'm focusing on general or specific behaviours that are meeting the expectations.
If you've got all those things organised, hands on your head. Thank you, Brooklyn. Thank you, Georgia. Thank you, Jacob. Oh, excellent work to this whole table. They've organised. Excellent. Okay. You can put your hands in your lap. So, you might have already noticed that on your table ...
When praising students, I would be using an enthusiastic but genuine tone of voice.
Yeah, you've done a good job. Well done.
When praising students, I'm focusing on their behavioural effort.
Well done, Toby. I can see that you're working really hard to sort your words and you've taken really good pride in your work. Well done for paying attention.
Expectations are being exceeded, so that might be individually, in groups or whole class.
Good job, Sophia. I can see that you're working really hard with your group and you're communicating really well. Great job, girls, I can see that you're working really well as a group and that you're all making sure you're all on the right track. That's awesome.
Praise differs from acknowledgement because it is more targeted. So you're looking for specific behaviour expectations that have been exceeded for specific students.
Yeah, good job. I like – I really like how you've sketched though and you've used light brush strokes so that you don't actually have a lot to rub out.
When using acknowledgement and praise, I've noticed that my students are more confident, they feel valued and we are meeting expected behaviours consistently.
Great job, Toby, for following all those instructions. Well done.
Henri King: When I'm acknowledging students, I always try and maintain that calm, contained tone of voice. It's not about building them up and escalating them, it's just about naming the fact that they're meeting that expectation, that I've seen that and that that's something that should be recognised. Reptile.
Student: Reptile.
Henri King: Excellent work. Front row, facing the front, already writing. Fantastic start. Great work, Paul.
When I'm acknowledging students, I'm focusing on the explicit expectation that they're meeting. So, let's name them for doing a good job by meeting that expectation. Also helping to remind the whole class that that expectation is there.
Three. Thank you, Jake. Thank you, Shanae. Two. Thanks, Jolena —— One —— [Speaks Tiwi language] Zero. Thanks, everybody. Excellent. Just looking up ...
I'm acknowledging students whenever they're meeting the expectation because it helps to build that student confidence consistently. It operates as a positive interaction, so I take that chance whenever I see it happening and I name it in front of the rest of the class.
Amazing work, you mob. Everyone's made a start.
Whenever I'm praising students, I try and build them up through escalating them a bit in a positive way. I use an enthusiastic tone that helps them feel like I'm actually really proud of what they're doing and they feel that emotionally when I use that tone that's a bit more elevated.
Students and Henri King: [Speaks Tiwi language] Yes. This one? Yes.
Henri King: Oh, Outlaw, excellent. [Speaks Tiwi language] Frill-necked lizard, yes. Good work.
When I'm praising students, I'm focusing on the fact that they have completely busted through whatever their ceiling was for that expectation. So, that will depend on the student and where they're at with their learning, but I'm trying to be enthusiastic about the fact that they've broken through and reached a new level in their expectations.
Excellent work, Steven. Paddy, Robert up the back, fantastic. Focused, facing the front. That's amazing.
I've noticed a great impact on my students' behaviour through using acknowledgement and praise because it means that by acknowledging students, I'm helping within the entire classroom management process, by naming that expectation in front of the whole class, recognising that individual students are meeting it, and also reminding the whole class that expectation is there to be met. And praise has a great impact because I can individually build students up, boosting their confidence, congratulate them for exceeding the expectation and helping them to feel more confident in what they're doing.
[On-screen text] Acknowledgement and praise: Recap of elements for success
Acknowledgement
- Regular tone
- Focus on expected behaviours
- General or specific
- Frequent
Praise
- Enthusiastic tone
- Focus on behavioural effort
- Specific
- When expectations have been exceeded (individual, group or class)
Acknowledgements
- Briar Road Public School, New South Wales
- Renmark Primary School, South Australia
- Woodcrest State College, Queensland
- Xavier Catholic College, Northern Territory
- Tammy Kerinaiua for Tiwi translations
Keywords: student engagement, disruption, disruptive behaviour