Children’s characteristics session 1

Getting to know our students

Do you observe your students? When? Do you think it’s important for a teacher

to know certain things about his/ her students? Why?

How does knowing your students better may affect your teaching?

Read the article entitled: Children: How They Grow, Elementary School Children – Ages 9 to 12.

Highlight the characteristics that are common to your students

Write a summery of it on a piece of writing paper.

State how knowing this may affect your teaching. (Give Examples)

Try a notebook of incidents Try adding important information about

the group in your lesson plan You may use a checklist of observable

behavior

Positive feedback

Praise your students

Give emotional support

Care about their weaknesses and problems

Pygmalion effect

Refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the expectation placed upon people, the better they perform.

Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson (1968/1992) report and discuss the Pygmalion effect at length.

In their study, they showed that if teachers were led to expect enhanced performance from some children, then the children indeed show that enhancement.

The purpose of the experiment was to support the hypothesis that reality can be influenced by the expectations of others.

Do you remember a case in which you had a labeled student?

What was your attitude towards this student?

Do you think applying the Pygmalion effect with difficult students may help reach your goals? How can you do that?

Share your experience with other colleagues.