No, ESP does not stand for "extra sensory perception" but rather, it is the acronym for a very effective classroom strategy in managing and teaching students. The acronym stands for engage, scan and praise. These might look like common and insignificant words but you'll be surprise at the rewards when you begin using them in dealing with kids, even when outside the classroom.
Engage
An engaged child is an interested child and research backs that up. Moreover, researchers have found out that if a child is constantly engaged, it will be easier to manage them in the class. There are many ways how to engage students in the classroom but the best indicator is by observing how a child responds and find ways how to make him respond.
Engaging the student does not put him in a spot where he doesn't knpw the answer. Rather, you p ut him on a spot where he can show what he knows. Engagement can also mean a simple touch to the student so he or she will know that you are there for them.
Scan
According to a research by Depry and Sugai, classroom scanning decreases disruptive behavior because it conveys a message to the students that the teacher is aware. Aside from that, it also allows the teacher to intervene immediately when a problem happens before it even get worse.
The teacher should always put themselves in a position where they have a good view of what's happening in the classroom.
Praise
This refers to behavior-specific praise which is based on positive reinforcement. It has been proven by numerous research that behavior-specific praise reinforces appropriate behavior in students. This means that teachers should veer away from general praise, such as good job or great, does not really tell the student which specific behavior the teacher was praising; thus, it lacks power to influence the student.
For example, instead of saying "That's great," you say, "Thank you Ellie for waiting patiently for my directions." Then, the student know exactly what he did right and strives to do that again in order to get the praise. Moreover, behavior-specific praise becomes more powerful when it is sincere and immediately given.
