Praise as much as possible. Praise must be genuine, and given for the behavior you wish to encourage. When giving the praise, be sure to focus on the student. For example, do not look around at the class and say “That was a good question,” with the aim of telling the rest of the students that the question was good. Tell the student directly, saying “You asked a good question.”

 

A type of useful praise is “Your handwriting is very neat.” See Neatness.

 

Attention. Some students need more attention than others do. They tend to interrupt the class with irrelevant comments. Give her the attention she wants. Say her name, look at her, and pause. Find something to praise her. Be sure she goes to the board. The important thing is while doing this to make sure the others are also getting the attention, praise and appreciation they need.