Students using negative statements Pro Preview

Students copy what others do and usually say “I don’t know … ”, “I can’t … ” and “I don’t have … ”.
Make sure that you and your students change these statements to “How can I …”, “What do I need to … ” and similar questions over time.

Why?

Any statement like “I can’t build it” or “I don’t have money for cinema” for example, is a finished statement, it allows no further development of the thought, no possible solution for the situation.
On the other side, when students get used to asking questions about the problem they are facing, they will develop a problem-solving attitude for life. Questions like “How can I build that step”, “Where can I find that part”, “How can I make more money” makes you and the people around you think about it and eventually you will find some solution.
    Of course, questioning of the “status quo” is something to be trained and you as a teacher must react to all of the student’s negative statements with “OK, that is fine. But if you ask me a question about it I may answer it eventually.”