Teh One Who Knocks
01-22-2013, 12:11 PM
By Lucy Kippist - news.com.au
http://i.imgur.com/NNtAodT.jpg
RED pen is bad for children's development. Or so say US researchers from University of Colorado who claim the pen colour can have a negative impact on how students feel about themselves and their teachers.
The Colorado study, published in the Social Science Journal, by sociology professor Richard Dukes and associate professor Heather Albanesi, claimed that red was an emotive colour that caused students to feel "shouted at".
Dukes and Albanesi said this "emotional loading" could alter the student's perception of criticism and place unnecessary blame on the teacher for bad marks or feedback. They went on to suggest that teachers use blue pens if they wanted their comments to be taken in a constructive manner.
But can the colour of a teacher's pen really have such a negative impact on learning? The NSW Teachers Federation were contacted in regard to this story but refused to comment.
Amy Kirkham, director of training for the Montessori School Foundation of Australia, saw no problem with the use of red pen (or any other colour for that matter) so long as the teacher responds to the mistake in the right way.
"Mistakes, the idea of ‘friendliness with error' and ‘controls of error' are incorporated into Montessori classrooms," she said. "The Three-year-old child coming into their first ‘formal' learning environment of the Montessori Children's House (which caters for children aged three to six years) is introduced to the idea that they can self correct. By working with materials with a built in control of error the child is able to identify the mistake and resolve it independently.
"For example when using the cylinder blocks (a set of 10 cylinders which fit into individual sockets in a gradation), if one is misplaced the full set cannot be put back so the child is encouraged to take these out, to work out the problem and fix it himself."
Clinical psychologist and former primary school teacher Sally-Anne McCormack said it was wrong to put so much focus on the colour of a pen.
"It's a ridiculous suggestion and a massive waste of time for everyone involved," she said.
"Criticism is a normal part of everyday life and its how you deal with that criticism is very important, not how you criticise."
Similarly, psychologist William Campos said the value of the comments and the relationship between student and teacher was far more meaningful than the colour of a pen.
"The colour red is associated with stop signs and anger, so in that regard it can elicit a particular or fearful response," Dr Campos said.
"It is also true that most people make a decision about how they will react within 30 second of seeing something or someone, and that means colour would have an impact. But by and large the way a teacher expresses themselves in the comment is far more important."
Ms McCormack said that her teaching experience taught her the value of being selective about criticising a student's work. She recommends teachers keep their criticism within 15 per cent of the total work they are marking.
"It's no good just handing back something that you've circled throughout in bright pen. But your job as a teacher is to be constructive and teach – a big part of that is pointing out where a student needs to improve and the colour red stands out," she said.
Do you "buy" the research? How would you improve the school correction system?
http://i.imgur.com/NNtAodT.jpg
RED pen is bad for children's development. Or so say US researchers from University of Colorado who claim the pen colour can have a negative impact on how students feel about themselves and their teachers.
The Colorado study, published in the Social Science Journal, by sociology professor Richard Dukes and associate professor Heather Albanesi, claimed that red was an emotive colour that caused students to feel "shouted at".
Dukes and Albanesi said this "emotional loading" could alter the student's perception of criticism and place unnecessary blame on the teacher for bad marks or feedback. They went on to suggest that teachers use blue pens if they wanted their comments to be taken in a constructive manner.
But can the colour of a teacher's pen really have such a negative impact on learning? The NSW Teachers Federation were contacted in regard to this story but refused to comment.
Amy Kirkham, director of training for the Montessori School Foundation of Australia, saw no problem with the use of red pen (or any other colour for that matter) so long as the teacher responds to the mistake in the right way.
"Mistakes, the idea of ‘friendliness with error' and ‘controls of error' are incorporated into Montessori classrooms," she said. "The Three-year-old child coming into their first ‘formal' learning environment of the Montessori Children's House (which caters for children aged three to six years) is introduced to the idea that they can self correct. By working with materials with a built in control of error the child is able to identify the mistake and resolve it independently.
"For example when using the cylinder blocks (a set of 10 cylinders which fit into individual sockets in a gradation), if one is misplaced the full set cannot be put back so the child is encouraged to take these out, to work out the problem and fix it himself."
Clinical psychologist and former primary school teacher Sally-Anne McCormack said it was wrong to put so much focus on the colour of a pen.
"It's a ridiculous suggestion and a massive waste of time for everyone involved," she said.
"Criticism is a normal part of everyday life and its how you deal with that criticism is very important, not how you criticise."
Similarly, psychologist William Campos said the value of the comments and the relationship between student and teacher was far more meaningful than the colour of a pen.
"The colour red is associated with stop signs and anger, so in that regard it can elicit a particular or fearful response," Dr Campos said.
"It is also true that most people make a decision about how they will react within 30 second of seeing something or someone, and that means colour would have an impact. But by and large the way a teacher expresses themselves in the comment is far more important."
Ms McCormack said that her teaching experience taught her the value of being selective about criticising a student's work. She recommends teachers keep their criticism within 15 per cent of the total work they are marking.
"It's no good just handing back something that you've circled throughout in bright pen. But your job as a teacher is to be constructive and teach – a big part of that is pointing out where a student needs to improve and the colour red stands out," she said.
Do you "buy" the research? How would you improve the school correction system?