QR for 'Fires in the Bathroom' -Chapter 4

Chapter four in 'Fires in the Bathroom' was more about the overall 'feel' of the classroom, and how to create a comfortable, fun learning environment for all students, and not just the A-level students. I found it incredibly interesting that a couple of the underlying themes, namely recognition, expectations, and praise, sometimes contradict each other without necessarily meaning to.

The area regarding recognition discussed the pros and cons, given by the students, of recognizing and calling on students. In some cases, it is helpful because all students at some point or another would like or would benefit from being called on, but in other cases, it dissuades them from taking an initiative in their education if they have the wrong answer or get it right too many times. The section praise had pretty much the same criteria; it's not 'cool' if a student receives a lot of praise for their studies, but on the other hand some students would benefit from positive feedback. I personally think that positive feedback, as long as it is personal and not in front of an audience if it is in regards to a specific person, is crucial for encouragement. The same goes for praise for the class as a whole.