Praising students.

[Alaya]

Hello everyone.
I have begginer clases, thay are practicing for 5 weeks now. At the begining thay were similar with every move but recently some of them began to do much better. After the clases I told one of them that she is doing raly good and she said that it is wonderfull because she cried after each classes, she thought that she was realy bad and could not do the move corectly. I said that she is doing realy well and she should not change it.

I just want to know how often you praise your students? and any ideas how to avoid that kind of situations.
I would not like to hear that she has been crying again.

 

[Aisha Azar]

Praise

Hello everyone.
I have begginer clases, thay are practicing for 5 weeks now. At the begining thay were similar with every move but recently some of them began to do much better. After the clases I told one of them that she is doing raly good and she said that it is wonderfull because she cried after each classes, she thought that she was realy bad and could not do the move corectly. I said that she is doing realy well and she should not change it.

I just want to know how often you praise your students? and any ideas how to avoid that kind of situations.
I would not like to hear that she has been crying again.

Dear Alaya,
Correction and praise go hand in hand. They both need to be consistent and encouraging. I praise constantly and correct when necessary. Praise everyone individually at least a couple of times during each class. There is always a reason to do so with even the very slightest improvement or discovery that the student makes. Make teaching about the dance and the student as an individual person.
Regards,
A'isha

 

[Shanazel]

A'isha already said it, so I'll just ditto her sentiments.

 

[charity]

i agree you have to praise everyone on something. but not one person more than any other. cause even if someone does "better" or learns faster than the others, if you isolate them out it can cause comparisons and frustrations. and they will wonder things like maybe i shouldnt be doing this.
even though they should understand that these things take time and people learn differently and at different speeds.

 

[janaki]

I agree with A'isha and Charity!!!

If the students are not very good with technique I still try and find something to praise.

For example: " I like your attitude, I like the engergy, I like your arms, " etc., So that every one gets the praise in the class.

Don't compliment or praise if they don't deserve. A prasie and compliment should reflect something they are doing right and good. Sometimes I simply praise their "effort" and "progress" they are making!!!!

 

[sedoniaraqs]

This is a great thread, and a very important topic. Students deserve constant, ongoing direction and assurance. As we lead them through the lessons we have made as teachers, they need to know every step along the way whether they are on the right path or not. If they are not on the right path, they need our individualized help getting back on.

From the first day when I cover posture, each student knows I have looked at *their* posture and commented on it. If everything looks fine I say "good" to that person. If some need correction I give it and then say "good". If I can tell someone has a postural issue that is not going to be solved in one day, I tell them briefly they are going to have to work towards an objective and then tell them the rest of their points of posture are good.

The same process happens with each new thing taught. Sometimes I will tell the whole class that everyone is doing something well; the students still know I have looked at them and include them in the everyone.

The problem teachers often forget or don't know is that many students lack the body awareness to interpret general corrections. If you are teaching a basic hip drop and notice that some students are locking out their weighted leg, and you say -- make sure your weighted knee is bent slightly and not locked out, a few students may make proper adustments, but you will also have some knee-lockers who will not be aware and who will not self-correct, and you will have some students who were in the correct position to begin with, but they'll think you must have ment them so they bend more which is now too much. If you repeat the correction as a general comment to the whole class, pretty soon some students are bent down in a deep plie and most of the original knee-lockers are still locked.

That is why each needs individual needs to be told how they are doing.

Sedonia

 

[Ranya]

I agree with everything said...and praise is as important as correction. My teacher is a wonderful, talented and skilled dancer and she teaches really good, breaks every movement down and all that...but she praises very little if at all...and I can tell you, even though she is a wonderful person, it is annoying at some point.

 

[janaki]

I agree with everything said...and praise is as important as correction. My teacher is a wonderful, talented and skilled dancer and she teaches really good, breaks every movement down and all that...but she praises very little if at all...and I can tell you, even though she is a wonderful person, it is annoying at some point.

I would like to add something here. Once upon a time we had a very famous bellydance instructor from US visiting HK. The students in the workshop are mixed level....teachers to very beginner students. One of the girls in the class is my regular students with an attitude as big as mount everest. She is not a good dancer nor a good student. This instructor said to her in the class " you move good"" :lol::lol: (I was shocked because she is not good with her dancing and second of all I didn't think this compliment wouldn't do any good to her bad attitude). She replied back and said " I know, that is why I am here with all the teachers, eventhough I am a beginner". She wanted to be sweet to every girl in the workshop. It kinda backfired on her. She was shocked and pulled face, LOL I can never forget.

Yes, too many compliments or unnecessary compliments will do no good!!!!

 

[Aisha Azar]

Praise, etc.

I would like to add something here. Once upon a time we had a very famous bellydance instructor from US visiting HK. The students in the workshop are mixed level....teachers to very beginner students. One of the girls in the class is my regular students with an attitude as big as mount everest. She is not a good dancer nor a good student. This instructor said to her in the class " you move good"" :lol::lol: (I was shocked because she is not good with her dancing and second of all I didn't think this compliment wouldn't do any good to her bad attitude). She replied back and said " I know, that is why I am here with all the teachers, eventhough I am a beginner". She wanted to be sweet to every girl in the workshop. It kinda backfired on her. She was shocked and pulled face, LOL I can never forget.

Yes, too many compliments or unnecessary compliments will do no good!!!!

Dear Janaki,
A good teacher never gives praise or correction that is not warranted. Both are necessary, but both should be based on an honest evaluation of what is going on with the student, not on wanting to please people to no constructive end. The teacher was not ding the student a favor by misleading her.
Regards,
A'isha

 

[Alaya]

I also remember when my teacher was giving correction she was saing to the whole group but some of us were doing it correctly and afterwards I was getting a bit confused. I sometimes do that but only when I am posiive that the group missunderstood me and are not in corect position or doing the move incorectly.

 

[Aisha Azar]

Praise

I also remember when my teacher was giving correction she was saing to the whole group but some of us were doing it correctly and afterwards I was getting a bit confused. I sometimes do that but only when I am posiive that the group missunderstood me and are not in corect position or doing the move incorectly.

Dear Alaya,
That is why both praise and correction need to be given to individual human beings and not to just indirectly to the group in general. Some teachers, in fact, I would say many teachers either give no feedback at all ( especially in workshop situations), or they just make general statements, so that students never know if they are being addressed or not. Some teachers do not see individuals, but an entity known as "the class". It's very confusing for students. thanks for being willing to point it out!
Regards,
A'isha

 

[Amulya]

Complimenting or correcting students is a difficult thing. I always make sure that each single student gets compliments (genuine ones, there is always something you can find they are good at) even if they are students with not much talent at all*. However these ones know themselves they are not able to do much right and often don't want to accept a compliment. Then I feel so sad for them, because I really try to make them feel they are good at something.
If you try to correct them carefully, it's even worse, they say: 'I can't do anything right....'

*need to specify this because it sounds so nasty :shok: , but I mean the students who are really really unable to learn much, still, there are always things they can do

 

[janaki]

Complimenting or correcting students is a difficult thing. I always make sure that each single student gets compliments (genuine ones, there is always something you can find they are good at) even if they are students with not much talent at all*. However these ones know themselves they are not able to do much right and often don't want to accept a compliment. Then I feel so sad for them, because I really try to make them feel they are good at something.
If you try to correct them carefully, it's even worse, they say: 'I can't do anything right....'

*need to specify this because it sounds so nasty :shok: , but I mean the students who are really really unable to learn much, still, there are always things they can do

Hi Amulya,

I seen this happen in my class too. I also get this. When I correct them, they say they are ok with what they are doing. :wall::wall: