What Teachers Say: What Students Hear: What We Can Change

C0-presenters: Josette LeBlanc & Tana Ebaugh

This is part II to the workshop given at the 2011 National Conference in Daejon with modifications as requested by the workshop attendees.

Daejeon National KOTESOL Conference - May 2011

Daejeon National KOTESOL Conference - May 2011

“Wow! You’re a genius” and “You can do better than that” may seem like words of encouragement, but is it possible that these expressions could decrease student motivation or hinder student learning?

What we say as teachers in the classroom may not be what our students hear. The message we intend to send to our students may be distorted by the words we choose to use. The presenters believe that certain types of language that teachers use to talk to, and about students, can reduce learning, and create a state of classroom disharmony.

During this presentation we explore these expressions experientially to examine the effects of language choices used by teachers in the classroom. The audience works in groups and with the presenters to develop harmonious solutions. Expect to leave this presentation with a new awareness of their language use and new language to use!

Daegu-Gyeongbuk KOTESOL workshop - October 2011

Daegu-Gyeongbuk KOTESOL workshop - October 2011

Related posts:

Have You Reflected on Your Feedback Lately? – This post describes our Daegu-Gyeongbuk KOTESOL workshop of October 2011, and examines what we learned from participant feedback.