Most behaviour problems are prevented by planning, pitch and consistent routines rather than handled by sanctions. Praise and rewards are powerful and double-edged.
Where the sources disagree
- Rewards: Read lists reward systems as optional (“if used at all”), and descriptive praise warns against dependency. This matters for Tanga design. Read Alfie Kohn (bookmarked) next.
- Praise: Read endorses descriptive praise and CBG; Kohn rejects praise as control (“say what you saw” instead). The overlap is describe, don’t evaluate. They disagree on whether praise should be a management tool at all.
- Discipline: Read’s pre-emption is practical; Kohn’s “beyond discipline” questions the goal of compliance itself.
Notes
- Behaviour management is mostly pre-emption
- Descriptive praise beats evaluative praise
- Flexibility within a planned framework
- Teaching is the management of attention
- Pitch tasks inside the ZPD and hand over support
More notes (by source)
Alfie Kohn
- Beyond discipline - compliance is not commitment
- Five reasons to stop saying Good job
Barefoot TEFL Teacher (David Weller) - Why pairwork fails - fix the task, not the students
Book - Learn Like a Pro and Uncommon Sense Teaching (Barbara Oakley) - Phones and task-switching cut learning - protect attention
Book - The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt) - Phone-based childhood - what it means for teen classrooms
Cambridge World of Better Learning - Neuroinclusive classrooms - six pillars
Carol Read (ABC of Teaching Children) - Question purposefully - socio-psychological vs pedagogical questions
EFL Magazine - Agree how mistakes will be treated before correcting
ELT Rants, Reviews and Reflections (Mike Griffin) - Teacher talk - reduce it, then choose it
ELT-CATION (Svetlana Kandybovich) - Nomination cards for balanced small-group speaking
Edutopia - Attention spans aren’t shrinking - willingness to invest effort is
- Design lessons for the teenage brain
English with a Twist (Shanthi Streat) - Stop apologising for your English - listener-focused communication
IH World (IH Teach English) - Very young and young learner classes - pacing, routines, fairness
Larry Ferlazzo - Teach students to manage boredom
My Adventures in ESL - Mixed-level classes - one goal, differentiated response depth
- Psychological safety routines - check-ins and modelled mistakes
Nik Peachey (Peachey Publications) - AI as an interactive guide - empathy mapping one question at a time
Side Notes on ELT (Lina Gordyshevskaya) - Reduce speaking anxiety with anonymous dialogical feedback
TeacherTrain - Teacher confidence is built - plan, connect, buddy up, be kind
Teaching English with Oxford - Self-regulated learning - goals, triggers, self-talk
The TEFL Zone (Rachel Tsateri) - Connect first, correct later
From my books (highlights)
- Source - Book - 100 Teaching Tips (Penny Ur)
- Source - Book - Learn Like a Pro and Uncommon Sense Teaching (Barbara Oakley)
- Source - Book - Learning Teaching (Jim Scrivener)
- Source - Book - The Anxious Generation (Jonathan Haidt)
- Source - Book - The Sovereign Child (Aaron Stupple)
- Source - Book - To Children I Give My Heart (Sukhomlynsky)
Key terms (DELTA M1)
pre-emption · CBG · attention signal · transitions · proximity praise · intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation · overjustification effect · self-efficacy