The best way to teach is to encourage positive actions and ignore negative ones Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim In developing and supporting your position be sure to address the most compellin

Learning is an important aspect of human evolution. We, humans, are continuously learning right from the day we were born. Learning happens most of the time through two sources, one where the person teaches himself something and the other where he depends on someone else (a teacher) having profound knowledge. Teaching is a cardinal element when it comes to learning because it dictates how you get the knowledge or information that you want to get. There are many strategies when it comes to teaching that various people adopt with every teacher/individual having variety in the ways they teach. There has been a lot of discussion around the teaching strategy which says – ‘The best way to teach is to encourage positive actions and ignore negative ones’.

It is true that encouraging positive actions is efficacious and that it may provide the desired results in most cases. Individuals when praised for something good or positive they do, feel more motivated and are more likely to repeat their positive actions. I agree with the point that teaching should encourage positive actions, however, although it is important to encourage positive action it is equally important to work on the negative ones. Ignoring negative problems will do more damage than the good that positive actions would in the long run. A teacher should be aware of both the positive and negative actions of his student and acknowledge both.

Actions when ignored will tend to get repeated sometime in the future because instead of acknowledging and working on them we simply chose to ignore them attributing their effects as inconsequential. By condoning the negative actions, we restrict the scope of our learning, we refuse to work upon something that might seem insignificant be detrimental in the long run. Moreover, ignoring negative actions is tantamount to encouraging them. The fact that their actions would not be criticized stymies individuals from trying to work on these actions and make sure that they do not repeat them. For example - When student completes an assignment by copying it from other source and the assignment is very precise, if the teacher chooses to encourage the student by lauding the quality of the assignment and simply chooses to overlook the fact that he copied it, the student will be encouraged to do the same thing next time. He might think that it is okay to copy the answers instead of trying to write them down himself.

Thus, it is very important for teachers to encourage the good that their students do but at the same time it is equally important to point out the negative actions and help their students overcome them. Positive and negative are just two aspects of human behavior both having their pros and cons and a teacher should address them with equal attention for the best outcome for the student.