What We Say and How We Say It Matter: Teacher Talk that Improves Student Learning and Behavior

Have you ever said to a student, "I love the way you're working so hard!"? How about, "Here are the three things I'll be looking for in this next piece of work,"? Or perhaps you've said, "If you all work really hard for the next 30 minutes, we'll do something fun at the end of class!" You probably have—we all have. Even though these statements (among many others) are used with the best of intentions, they might actually lead students to disengage and learn less.

As educators, we all end up talking with students in ways that don't actually align with our best intentions and positive goals for them. In this webinar with Mike Anderson, author of What We Say and How We Say It Matter: Teacher Talk That Improves Student Learning and Behavior, you'll learn about several common language habits and patterns that many educators find themselves in and have a chance to explore better alternatives. You'll also learn about a process for changing language habits so that your language better aligns with your best intentions and positive goals for students.

Mike Anderson has been an educator for more than 25 years. An elementary school teacher for 15 years, he has also taught preschool and university graduate level classes.

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