High expectations is a common phrase used in the education world, but what are the simple ways to set high expectations in the classroom?
According to the definition by the Cambridge Distortionary, ‘expectation’ is “the feeling or belief that something will or should happen”.
An educator with high expectations believes that every student has the potential and can get to the next stage of their learning. Every student learning in a classroom has the ability to advance in their learning, provided they get the support they need from the teachers.
We will be looking at ways for teachers to set high expectations in their classroom and why it’s important to reward efforts even if they are not what you expected.
Definition of High Expectation
The definition of expectation according to Cambridge Distortionary, “is the feeling or belief that something will or should happen”.
A teacher having high expectations simply means he/she believes that the students should always make the best effort to achieve good results.
Raising expectations is an effort to motivate students to strive for the best. It motivates students to work harder regardless if they are monitored by the teacher or not.
Also Read: What Are the Sociological Concepts? (Tips for Students)
Ways to Set High Expectations in the Classroom
Here are ways to set high expectations in the classroom.
Focus on the Effort Rather than Excellence
Parents sometimes expect so much from their child and will several efforts to ensure the child live up to expectations. Average performance is not accepted, especially for a very serious father who wants his son to win the state’s championship wrestling.
High expectations are not just about pushing someone to become the best at whatever they do. It’s more about insisting someone gives their best effort in whatever they do.
It’s important efforts we reward effort even if the performance is not what we expected. A child has done his best trying to get the best results but instead, the outcome is average, not up to the standard expected.
You owe it to that child to say “am proud of you for this performance”, it will be an encouragement to be better next time.
Ask Students to Try Again
We all learn how to do several things at some point in time and we were not perfect at first time we tried.
As a teacher, if a student brings his/her completed work to you and it’s not what you expected, ask them to try again.
They are students and they are still learning and will often make mistakes in their work. You may expect that every student presents neat school work completed on time.
But, that may not work for every student in the class.
However, when a student makes little effort than what you would expect as a teacher, insist that they only present their best-performed work on your desk.
Doing this will make the students only present school work that meets the required standard set by you.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
We’ve discussed more open-ended questions examples and how they can create a stronger bond between parents and their children in another article.
Open-ended questions get responses that are more elaborate than just a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. The ‘Yes’ or ‘NO’ responses are for close-ended questions, which is more direct.
Ask students questions that will get more details from them as they are answering you. Open-ended questions will make students construct full sentences.
Engage the students in a conversation to get more responses from them. What they think about a particular situation and how they would handle it if they are allowed to.
Knowing you will ask prompting questions in class, students will pay close attention to you when you are teaching. Asking open-ended questions gives students the opportunity to express their answers in an elaborative manner.
Also Read: 12 Student-Centered Learning Examples
Teach About Growth Mindset
It’s important for students to understand that without making an effort, there will be no reward.
When students are caught in a bad situation, they sometimes blame the teacher for not liking them or their tools being broken.
The concept of ‘growth mindset’ was developed by American psychologist Carol Dweck.
Also, it’s important teachers direct and show students the path to success to ensure the students are familiar with the next steps in the process.
Provide Difficult but Achievable Tasks
Giving your students easy tasks more often will make them think putting in little effort is normal and required.
What you should do is present tasks that require critical thinking, so the students will be coming to class every day expecting complex tasks.
Doing this more often will make the students learn and understand the importance of hard work.
Be a Role Model
Another way to set high expectations in the classroom is to be a role model.
Students will look up for motivation to do more in the classroom. Being a role model may include any of the following.
- Doing and completing tasks alongside the students to show them the level of effort you are putting into it. Letting the students know that is common to make mistakes and it should not be a reason to give up.
- Show the students pictures of yourself working towards your goal.
Also Read: 15 Classroom Teaching Strategies and Examples
Only Praise Behaviours that are Praise Worthy
Most times we praise any behaviour because we want our students to feel better.
Unfortunately, that is never a good teaching strategy. If you want to get the very best out of your students, here are a few possibilities to consider.
Some students can easily sense when praise is fake
They spend hours learning in a class where you are the teacher. They have spent enough time with you to sense when you are giving them fake praise.
Praise becomes irrelevant over time
Praising a student more often leads to the student taking it as a joke. The student will become less motivated to put more effort to meet your high expectation.
Show Your Expectations with Examples
It can be a bit confusing for students to understand what you expect from them. They will understand it clearly when you model the expectations while setting the task.
Show your student what the result should look like. Try showing your students an exemplary piece of work from years back.
Acknowledge the Growth Process
As a teacher, the primary focus of your classroom should be to improve student growth. Showing students their work from an earlier unit or earlier in the school year will help them visually acknowledge the difference over time.
Let the students explain how they made improvements. For example, show them their work in a “Look Where I Started” and “Where I am Now” bulletin board.
Also Read: 15 Teaching Styles Examples
Express Unconditional Positive Regard
The term ‘Unconditional Positive Regard’ was developed by American psychologist Carl Rogers and it means that teachers should show their students that they are perceived as capable and valuable.
Here are a few things you can say to a student who is the breaking rules.
- “I expected you to be more than, you can and try doing better tomorrow”.
- “We need you to be active and part of the class because we believe you can make positive contributions with your presence. When you agree to respect the rules, you are welcome to join the class”.
Conclusion
An educator with high expectations believes that every student has the potential and can get to the next stage of their learning. Every student learning in a classroom has the ability to advance in their learning, provided they get the support they need from the teachers.
In our pursuit to set high expectations in the classroom, it’s important to avoid doing the opposite.
We hope this article on ways to set high expectations in the classroom.
Recommendations
- 12 Experimental Design Examples (Tips for Students)
- 12 Fluid Intelligence Examples (Tips for Students)
- 15 Analytical Thinking Examples (Tips for Students)
- 10 Crystallized Intelligence Examples (Tips for Students)
- 10 Inter-Rater Reliability Examples (Tips for Students)
References
- WeAreTeachers.com: Raising Expectations: 10 Ways To Hold All Learners To Ambitious Goals
- HelpfulProfessor: 13 Ways To Set High Expectations In The Classroom
- Medium.com: High Expectations in the Classroom: What Are They and Why They Matter
- LS Lumsden – 1997: Expectations for students
- DMH Carpenter et al Middle School …, 2004: High expectations for every student
- TM Tomlinson – 1992: Hard work and high expectations: Motivating students to learn
