The best way to each is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones

People learn in a variety of ways – some are more hands-on while others are able to absorb information just by listening. Some people learn after the first mistake while other need to make a few blunders before changing their actions. However, despite differences among learning styles, the best way to teach would not be to praise positive actions while ignoring negative ones; a perhaps more effective teaching method would be to acknowledge both the successes and faults of the student.
Rewarding an intended behavior will often cause one to repeat that behavior in hopes of getting a reward – whether it is verbal praise or a tangible item. Ignoring a negative action will not prevent that behavior from happening again.

For example, take the situation of a parent who is trying to teach their child that lying is bad. One day, while playing, the child accidentally knocks down and breaks a vase. In one situation, the child tells the parent the truth and admits to being at fault for the accident. In that case, the child would not get in trouble for breaking the vase but would be thanked for their honesty. In an alternate scenario, the child blames the family dog. Although the parent knows their child is not behind honest, they ignore the lie, or negative action, their child just said. Ignoring the negative action means no punishment is given, making the child think that, although there was no praise, nothing bad happened to the child and is, therefore, able to “get away” with lying without having to pay a price.

Negative actions should be acknowledged just as much as positive ones when teaching. If no attention is given to either type of action, one would be living in a neutral world with little motivation. If there are no rewards of any kind for positive actions, there will be little to no motivation for one to do good, learn, or succeed. If negative actions are not reprimanded and are simply ignored, there would be no reason for one to not break the rules or act however they please. Acting the opposite way which one is instructed to would bear no consequence.

Teaching is a process. Receiving an “A” on an exam is rewarding and often makes the student feel as though their hard work was worth something. It can provide reassurance that whatever path one is pursuing is right. Failing an exam or an assignment is not typically something pleasant; it can provide motivation to do better, cause someone to change their habits, or lead someone to pursue another path in life. Either way, feedback on successes and failures only help guide the student.

In conclusion, for a teacher of any kind to be successful – where it is a parent, teacher, or supervision – feedback on positive and negative actions is important; ignoring one or the other is not conducive to changing one’s behavior or helping one acquire new knowledge.