It is true that many students often do things when teachers are not around.

These things they do can be good ones but they can also be bad ones.

As a classroom teacher, many of us will praise readily when students answer correctly or do the right things when we are there or looking.

We may not get to know or see the things that they may do when we are not around.

Teachers complain that their students only behave well whenever they are around.

Their good behaviours are only part of their act.

Both of the observation and perception by the teachers are quite true.

It is impossible to be around our students 24 hours to ensure constant good behaviours.

Praise Appreciation Time (PAT) is a platform created by classroom teacher to encourage good behaviour even when they are not looking or around.

What is Praise Appreciation Time (PAT)?

This is really something very simple.

This is an opportunity for students to acknowledge the goodness that they see in their classmates and raise their awareness of these good deeds.

By implementing PAT in your class, every child will naturally want to do good as their friends appreciate their good behaviours and helpfulness.

How do I implement this PAT?

This is going to be a weekly affair if you really serious about improving your classroom culture where students want to do the right things even when teachers are not around.

PAT Noticeboard

1. Choose a good location to have a PAT Noticeboard.

2. Set ground rules like PAT Noticeboard is not for writing bad things or making fun of their friends. Warn them what are the things allowed as well as what they should not do. As teachers, we know that students can misuse it if we don’t state things clearly from the start.

3. Encourage students to write down the good things that they see or their classmate has done for them during the week on a small piece of paper. Put it up on the PAT Noticeboard whenever they can within the week on their own.

4. Teacher should role model by writing things that he/she sees and pin it up on PAT Noticeboard.

The PAT Noticeboard is like a public announcement board of good things that have happened in the classroom even when teachers are not around.

It raises the awareness and desire of positive behaviours rather than the negative ones.

This makes good behaviours a naturally course without the need for discipline or scolding from teachers.

The number of misbehaviours will drop greatly most of the time if it is implemented effectively.

Modification may be necessary according to your class characteristics.

There can also be extreme cases where you want the parents to be aware of the little good things that their children are doing in school with the acknowledgement from their classroom. This can easily be done by taking a photograph of the comment to whatsapp it to their parents. These extreme cases are often the ones that may be harder to change but there are good things that are noted by their classmates. Getting parents involved will make these children feel that they want to continue these good behaviours.

Time for PAT

PAT stands for Praise Appreciation Time.

Set a day within the week where everyone will gather to listen to the good things that the students have done.

Let the acknowledgement comes from the mouths of students rather than the teacher.

Allow students to take turns to praise their classmates for the good things that they see or experience.

By doing so, it is also a great way to let all students to know what are the good behaviours that their classmates appreciate. The rest will want to do so too.

This really creates a culture where students want to do good rather than bad without the need for scolding or nagging from teachers or parents.

Teachers and parents will start to see changes in their students after implementing PAT.

It is not an instant change as it really takes time for change to come.

This is the end of my educational article.

Remember to give a PAT to your own child too!

Disclaimer: This is my personal reflection and I am not in any position to instruct anyone what they should do. I am not responsible for any action taken as a result of this post. My post can only be a reference for your further research and growth. By reading this post, you acknowledge and accept that. All images and pictures were taken from google images that are free from copyright under labelled for reuse.