Correct quietly, praise publicly

Every correction has two audiences: the student, and everyone watching how it goes. Public correction raises the stakes for both; a student corrected in front of peers is defending status, not just choosing behaviour. Lemov (2021) frames the principle as using the least invasive intervention that works: the look, the proximity, the whispered word, before anything the room can hear. Praise runs the other way: specific and public, it teaches the whole class what good looks like.

In practice

• Escalate invisibly first: position yourself nearby, catch the eye, use the student's name mid-sentence while teaching. Most corrections can end there.
• When words are needed, deliver them at the desk, quietly, while the class works: what to do, then walk away. Staying to watch compliance turns it into a standoff.
• Make public praise about the work and the strategy, not the person: "listen to how this answer uses the evidence" travels further than "good girl."