Subject:  Creating an atmosphere of Success |
Author:
Liana Cortis
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Date Posted: 06:53:26 07/07/09 Tue
Techniques for Success
The school I work in values a lot the children's self-confidence and self-esteem. Hence we use a lot of reinforcing strategies in order to be able to reach out to all children in class. Despite of their abilities, every student's progress is valued on an individual level. Children accept the diversity in class and do not find it hard to understand that some children who have low academic capabilities do a bigger effort to improve.
I can easily recall students giving a loud applause to children with special needs when they were awarded a reward. Such warmth from their peers helped them become more sociable and confident in their own capabilities. This also helped them to increase their self-esteem and self-worth.
Throughout the year, as a team (teacher and LSA) we worked together so as to include everyone in class. Hence a lot of reinforcing strategies were used. These included:
- Certificates
Certificates were awarded during the week to those children who showed improvement. This was not based on the premise that those who do best will get the certificate, but it gave the children equal opportunities. Children who averaged in the low academic capabilities and who did well in reading, composition etc where given a certificate. Hence, certificates were used to praise students for:
Good behaviour.
Paying attention for a larger span of time during lessons / activities.
Reading Improvement.
Better social skills.
Doing an effort to improve.
Studying hard.
Being creative during art lessons.
Being sportive.
Being good at singing.
More participation in class.
Being kind and considerate to others.
Helping other children.
Being open to share with others.
Apart from giving out daily reinforcers in class, all the children in the school receive a medal during the sports day, and hence no distinction is made between the student who came first and last. Furthermore, a yearly certificate is given to students in the school Prize Day in one of these categories:
Diligence
Handwriting
Loyalty
Kindness
Effort
Generosity
Artistic Talent
Sports
In this way all the students are given a prize for their success. This makes it all worthwhile and the students' self-confidence is further enhanced through acknowledgement of such skills in front of the whole school.
- Praise
Children are constantly praised verbally for doing their best or for focusing well on the task they are performing. In this way the children also feel a sense of achievement. Apart from increasing their self- confidence, it is also a way of making others participative of the success of the children. Children also become more motivated to work hard in order to be praised themselves.
- Stickers
Children are also given stickers and stamps for writing neatly, working diligently and for doing their best to improve. Children look forward to seeing such stickers and stamps on their copybook and hence they so they always feel appreciated when their efforts are recognized and acknowledged.They are even motivated to learn more.
- Behaviour Chart
A behaviour chart is used for the whole class. Students get stars everyday whenever they behave well, however, such stars are immediately removed whenever they misbehave or do something which can harm someone else (such as fight during the break). Furthermore children are also given stars for quickly following teacher's prompts. Students with special needs are given their own time and still rewarded.
Children have learnt that the criteria for such rewards vary from child to child. This is due to the fact that we are all different and we have to appreciate such diversity since it enriches us. Children learn that what might be easy for them is not the same for one of their peers who might be struggling to perform it.
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