The Application of Praise in English Class

摘 要：Praise plays a very important role in language teaching and learning. So it is necessary for English teachers to strengthen students confidence by giving praise in English class. This article introduces the effects of praise is in English class and how teachers give students proper praise in different ways.

P键词：Application； Praise； English class

中图分类号：G632 文献标识码：C 文章编号：1672-1578（2017）11-0003-01

1 Introduction

As we all know， languages are used for communication. There are many different factors that have influence on language learning. Among the positive factors in language learning praise can never be ignored， especially in foreign language learning. Praise plays a very important role in English learning.Praise is encouragement that makes students have confidence and a sense of success， and this will help students to learn foreign language more effectively.

2 Necessity of giving praise in English class

The environment for learning English is always limited in China. Students usually learn English at school. There is little chance to use English in daily life. The pressure and motivation of learning English are far smaller than those of learning their native language. Besides， students can not gain so timely enthusiastic and patient encouragement as they did when they learned their native language. It seems more important to give them timely praise. There are too many st ☹udents in one class. They can only have one English class every day， and the teachers’ patience and enthusiasm are limited. Therefore， there is less chance to gain encouragement laid on each student. Because of this， language learning is no longer fun for some students. Active input of language is replaced by compelled ヅ study. Most students concentrate their efforts on passing English examination and it seems that they learn theories， not a living communicative language. Speaking fluently becomes an ideal aim which students’ desire but can not be reached. Under such circumstances， students are in urgent need of praise. Praise is like sunshine and makes miracle effects on students.

3 Application of praise in foreign language teaching and learning

English teachers should be aware of the effects of praise and learn how to give praise properly.

3.1 Effects of praise on language learning

When young children begin to learn to speak， their parents are pleased at each word， each phrase， each simple sentence they can say. Parents praise their children greatly to speak more and better. Since then， children make progress every day. The children can imitate words， phrases， say half sentences and whole sentences， tell stories and at last make speeches with their growth. None of the progress can be parted from the praise from the children’s parents . It is the same in English classes. As Jespersen （1922） stated： “A child’s teachers are greatly pleased at every little advance the child makes. Every awkward attempt meets with sympathy and encouragement and the most difficult step on the path of the language becomes the merriest game.” Praise will make language learning easier and happier and bring out better learning results. Praise will make lower-level students better and good students excellent. According to Krashen， factors that affect second language teaching can depend on whether there is sufficient ‘comprehensible input’， and whether mental blocks from mental blocks keep the input out of the ‘language acquisition device’. He points out “A very interesting hypothesis is that we acquire best only when the pressure is completely off， when anxiety is zero， when the acquirer’s focus is entirely communicative， in short， when the interchange or input is so interesting that the acquirer ‘forgets’ that it is a second language”.

Praise is the best way of giving students reward. Learning English is hard work， which needs reward. Reward can make interchange and input successfully. And the success itself is approval and praise. Whether students can get the praise or not relies on teachers in English class because there is few chances to communicate with foreigners in China. Learning English is a course of mastering skills. It needs a lot of practice， which means working hard. Can students keep on working hard continuously？ It depends on whether the students’ initiative is stimulated fully. Otherwise， students do not cooperate with teachers， and teaching and learning will not succeed forever. Timely and proper praise is the best factor to stimulate students’ initiative.Giving students more praise makes students more interested in English learning ， more active in taking part in classroom activities， accordingly makes better results in English learning.

3.2 Rules English teachers should follow

Eckersley said： “By judicious praise the brighter students can be made aware of their progress and by patience and encouragement even dullest ‘Hob’ can be made to feel that he is getting on.” In an English class， there are always top students and lower-standard students. If lower-standard students can say a word actively in class， they should be given encouragement， whether the answers are right or not.“OK” “Good”“Very good” should be often prepared to give out. If top students give perfect answers， they should gain “Wonderful” “Excellent” “Terrific” with teachers’ surprised expressions and tones. Thus， lower-standard students who do not do well never lose face but make up their minds silently that they will get “Wonderful” “Excellent”“Terrific” next time. In this way， students get rid of the feeling of losing faces and make continuous progress gradually. Their sense of success becomes stronger and stronger. They will be likely to study hard at English and ready to answer questions actively. Besides， the relationship between students and teachers will be harmonious and English classes become a place of happiness. When class begins， students will be in good moods， they will look forward to have chances to show their intelligence in front of their classmates. They will be more active to take part in classroom activities and more ready to give answers to teacher’s questions. However， there are some rules which teachers must follow in giving praise：

（1）Praise students with proper words. Never exaggerate to students who do not do well.

（2）Praise students in a friendly and kind way.Never praise in ironic tones.

（3）Ask students to try again or think it over to give better answers if they can not answer correctly. Better answers are particularly necessary. Never say“you are not right， or sit down”.

（4）Pay attention to ordinary students， too. They are often ignored by teachers. They usually dislike expressing themselves whether they can answer the questions or not. Never only notice top students or the lowest students.

（5）Say something new to stimulate them to think more deeply. Never say the same praising words all the time， which will have no effect on students day by day.

（6）Be patient to the lowrest. Believe sooner or later they will make progress. Sometimes teachers have to pretend to appreciate students’ answers. Never be anxious to see the students’ progress.

（7）Use different ways to praise， including different expressions， gestures， tones of voice， smiles or touching in class or after class. Never be too serious.

（8）Give students some instructions after praising them. It can help students know how to develop further. Nツever be too simple.

With tฌeacher’s giving praise to students， students improve their confidence in English day by day and their English level improves gradually by means of answering questions. It is also fun for them to have English class.

4 Conclusion

Praise costs nothing for the praiser and it is an easy but effective method in English class.Praise is an art. Proper praise may helps students a lot. Students will feel pleased and successful， so their self-confidence will be enhanced after being praised. If teachers desire to make their students learn English actively instead of compulsorily， they should never miss chances to praise and encourage their students patiently. In a word it is beneficial to both teachers and students in giving and receiving praise in English class.

Bibliography：

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