A Few Choice Words

     I can’t begin to count the number of times I have said to others, “It is not so much what you say, but how you say it!”  We know this to be true.  From personal experience and research we know our nonverbals and voice tone play the largest part in how others “hear” us. Despite this, word choice is critical.  Recently, I was reading a blog post from one of my favorite Twitter influencers @mssackstein.  Starr has great insight on shifting the focus from grades to learning.  I couldn’t agree more with the quote to the right.  From the questions that we ask, to the statements that we make, we often predispose others in ways that are unintended or even negative.  Let’s look at a few examples and see if we can shift our word choice to set others up for success.

From “wait time” to “think time” – Too often our classroom questioning seems to be more reflective of a game show that values quick response rather than a learning environment that celebrates depth of thinking.  In an effort to address this at my campus, we have been working purposefully to allow students time to process.  Research tends to support a range from 3 to 15 seconds depending on a variety of factors including question complexity and other learner-centered variables.  By discussing this period of processing as “think time” we are giving it a true descriptor.  We want our students to contribute thoughtful answers rather than quick answers that may be accurate but have no depth. 

From “respond in complete sentences” to “respond in complete thoughts” – How do we move others to understand that writing IS A SKILL and NOT a class?  One powerful way to support this critical life skill is to expect our students to respond in complete sentences.  What better way to develop language and writing skills than practice?  When all content areas demand and support students in this, true progress can be made.  When sharing this expectation with students, I prefer the expectation stated as, “Respond in a complete thought.” This captures the essence of what we want our students to be doing… thinking!  Often students view the expectation of responding in “complete sentences” as a waste of time and little more than a handwriting exercise.   

From “use these vocabulary words in your answer” to “speak like a biologist” – One of our great challenges in education is to support the development of academic vocabulary in our students.  My favorite analogy is the description of building a strong foundation of academic language with the use of brick and mortar words.  Brick words are those that are specific to a discipline. Examples of this jargon for biology would be mitochondria, carnivore, or ecosystem.  The mortar words are those that link these words.  Our classrooms are filled with Word Walls that have the potential to support academic language. All too often these Word Walls are little more than decoration.  Master teachers set the expectation that students respond using the words that are posted.  By stating the expectation to include a profession or career choice we help our kids see the value of this type of language.  Who do you ask your students to speak like… an engineer, a writer, a musician or a historian? 

From “let’s get started so we can get through this” to “I promise to value your time” – For most of us, time is one of our most precious resources.  Despite this, we do need people’s time to hear their voice and involve them in problem solving processes.  By focusing the value you put on their time, you will bring the group into focus without demeaning or undermining the work that you need to accomplish.

From “Wow, you made a 100, you must be so smart!” to “Wow, you learned this completely, you must have worked so hard!” – The first statement communicates to the child, the GRADE is the most important thing. You achieved it because you have a natural intelligence for the topic.  This is a classic mistake that we make when trying to positively reinforce kids.  This type of praise reinforces the fixed mindset and celebrates the wrong thing.  The second statement communicates that the LEARNING is the most important thing and hard work is more important than IQ.  This reinforces a growth mindset.  A critical take away here is that we acknowledge achievement but celebrate work ethic.

From “I love the way you extended your questioning” to “The extensions to questions that you used provided an opportunity for students to think at high levels” – Growth happens best when we receive feedback.  The word choice in the feedback that we give our colleagues needs to be specific and focused on the goal… student learning.  When we give feedback that starts with “I love” or “I like it when” it puts the focus on pleasing us.  While most of our staff enjoys pleasing us with their work, the celebration should lie elsewhere.  Let’s focus on what we saw that was best practice or effective.   

From “I have to” to “I get to” – This shift is not only important in how we communicate to others, it impacts our own thinking about our work.  So often we can get swept up in what could be described as the culture of complaint.  Our interactions with others can start with a litany of frustrating things we are encountering and HAVE to deal with.  How do we shift this to a culture of opportunity?  If we can shift our lens to see challenges as opportunities to sharpen our skills or form a new relationship, our attitude improves.  Next time you have a meeting with a challenging parent, can you shift your self-talk to see it as an opportunity to make a connection and strengthen your partnership for the student’s benefit?

      Some might think that attention to these seemingly slight shifts in word choice are not worth the effort.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  As leaders in the classroom and out, communication is central to our work.  Let’s become masters at the craft of wordsmithing.  What are some of your most impactful shifts in word choice?