How To Praise Your ESL Students: The Magic of Verbal Praise

You do not always need to give away a treat. Learning verbal praise is not as easy as it sounds. Yet, the more you praise, the easier it gets to put this tactic into your teaching. A healthy dose of praise works wonders.

Disruptive classroom behaviors do not go away like magic. It takes both time and practice on the part of the teacher. Praise is very effective if it is used appropriately. Students will know if the praise is not sincere.

The following are some examples of verbal praise:

Way to go!
Keep it up!
What good work!
Top-notch!
That's great!
Right on!
Great work!
I am so proud of you.
Wonderful!
Fantastic!
Super-Duper!
You make me proud!
How about that!
Far out!
Super work!
Wow!

Read the following list to get an idea of things for which you can praise a student:

taking turns
participating in a lesson
listening well
learning a new skill
having all materials
being on time for class
helping a friend
staying on task
using good manners
entering room quietly
keeping busy when work is finished
returning materials
asking questions when things are not understood

(Caution: You can cause more problems if you praise and it is not deserved. Be honest and forthright. Give praise to all students, not just the ones who make the best grades. You have students who may be working up to their abilities, but not to the grade level of other students. These students should get an A for effort and praise for trying.)

This article comes from a great book called ‘Year-Round Classroom Tips’ published by Teacher Created Resources. Article displayed by kind permission of Teacher Created Resources.