Low Expectations
When interacting in class, teachers with low expectations tend to:
Wait less time for the student to answer a question.
Call on the student less frequently to answer a question.
Inappropriately reinforce an incorrect answer of the student.
Prematurely give the student the answer or call on somebody else.
Withhold helpful clues and fail to repeat or rephrase the question.
Give briefer and less informative feedback to the student’s questions.
Interrupt more quickly when the student makes mistakes.
When setting the level of achievement, teachers with low expectations tend to:
Criticize the student more often for failure.
Praise the student less often for success.
Write fewer explanatory notes on graded papers.
Teach at a significantly slower and less intense pace.
Fail to give the benefit of the doubt in borderline cases.
Use fewer of the most effective but time-consuming instructional methods.
Assign more busy work than meaningful projects.
When relating personally to the student, teachers with low expectations tend to:
Fail to give specific or positive feedback concerning the student’s public response.
Pay less attention to and interact less frequently with the student.
Interact with the student more privately than publicly.
Engage in friendly interaction less often.
Smile less and limit encouraging physical touch.
Maintain eye contact less often.
Limit positive nonverbal communication reflecting attentiveness and responsiveness, including leaning forward, positive head nodding, and general supportive body language.
Wilkinson, Bruce. The Seven Laws of the Learner: How to Teach Almost Anything to Practically Anyone (pp. 98-99).
