The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negativ

Hi there,

My test date is less than 3 weeks from now, I need some help with the AWA part. Please if someone could review my issue essay below. Thanks so much!

The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.


We often hear a lot of sayings such as a simple praise goes a long way, or the positive way is most effective way. While it is nice to receive praises from people, endless praises can result in a negative outcome. In a world of teaching, of course teachers would rather give positive than negative feedbacks to their students. It is always better to praise than to critique. However, to always praise the positive actions and ignore negative ones will be not educational, like the saying we also often hear, people learn best from their mistakes.
While to teach with a positive attitude is good, but to ignore negative actions will cause the students to neglect their mistakes and prevent people to learn from them. I fully agree that it is very effective to learn from our own mistakes and the consequences. Because through this experience we will always remember what we did wrong and how to fix it. In order to do this, it is crucial that we have others that can point out the wrong actions we have done. This applies not just in education but in life. To improve our ability and skills in areas of our life, we have to be aware of what the things we do wrong, and sometimes this is not possible without the help of others. Teaching involves giving insightful critiques that can be used to improve oneself. Thus, in teaching we cannot ignore the mistakes people make and just give them praises. Besides, teaching and learning themselves are a process, without realizing the negatives, one will not improve, and it is the teacher responsibility to guide them in improving their skills.
Furthermore, when praises are given endlessly in the process of teaching, it is possible that the student will develop a false confidence that will have a negative effect on the students. When someone is praised all the time even for their wrongdoing, that individual can build up a sense of pride of their achievement. This can result in refusing to be taught further, over confidence that can lead them to failure or embarrassment and so on. A student can continue doing the wrong things without realizing them because the teacher ignores all the mistakes. This alone works against the very definition of teaching. Teaching involves guiding someone to get back up when they are down, to develop a humble heart from experiencing failure but not to give up from it, rather raise up and become a stronger person from failure and mistakes.
However, it is also wrong to always pay attention to the negatives and only pay a small attention at the positive. There has to be a balance between both for an effective teaching method. Positive praises do go a long way and can encourage someone more than we would have imagined. As a good teacher, we must know when to give praise and when to be serious and discuss about the negatives. This applies not just between teachers and students, but also to parents and children, boss and employers etc,.
In conclusion, I do not fully agree that the best way to teach is to prasie positive actions and ignore the negative ones. This can result in negligent of one's mistakes and a sense of false confidence. A good balance between praise and critiques will result in an effective teaching process.