One teacher writes that instead of drowning students' compositions in critical red ink,
有一位教师写道,如果教师不用挑剔的红墨水把学生们的作文改得一塌糊涂,
the teacher will get far more constructive results by finding one or two things which have been done better than last time, and commenting favorably on them.
而是找出一两处比上一次做得好的地方并给予好评,他就会得到更富有建设性的结果。
"I believe that a student knows when he has handed in something above his usual standard," writes the teacher,
“我相信,当学生交上一篇超过他平时水平的作文时,他自己心中是有数的,”这位教师写道,
"and that he waits hungrily for a brief comment in the margin to show him that the teacher is aware of it, too."
“因此,他如饥似渴地等待着老师在页边空白处写上一段简短的评语从而向他表明老师也意识到了他的进步。”
Behavioral scientists have done countless experiments to prove that any human being tends to repeat an act which has been immediately followed by a pleasant result.
行为科学家已经做过无数试验,证明任何人都往往会重复一个立即产生出愉快结果的动作。
In one such experiment, a number of schoolchildren were divided into three groups and given arithmetic tests daily for five days.
在一次这样的试验中,若干学生被分成三个组,连续五天每天都对他们进行算术测验。
One group was consistently praised for its previous performance; another group was criticized; the third was ignored.
第一组自始至终都因上次测验的成绩而受到表扬;另一组却受到批评,而第三组则无人理睬。
Not surprisingly, those who were praised improved dramatically.
毫不令人感到意外的是,那些受到表扬的学生进步显著。
Those who were criticized improved also, but not so much.
那些受到批评的学生也有进步,但并不那么显著。
And the scores of the children who were ignored hardly improved at all.
而那些无人理睬的学生,他们的分数却几乎没有什么提高。
Interestingly the brightest children were helped just as much by criticism as by praise, but the less able children reacted badly to criticism, needed praise the most.
有趣的是,最聪明的孩子从批评中得到的帮助跟从表扬中得到的帮助一样多,但能力较低的孩子却对批评反应很差,他们最需要表扬。
Yet the latter are the very youngsters who, in most schools, fail to get the pat on the back.
然而后者恰恰是在大多数学校中得不到赞许鼓励的孩子。
To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort — perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter.
给予赞扬只需要给予者付出片刻的思索和片刻的努力——或者是很快地打个电话传递一句赞美的话,或者是花五分钟的时间写一封感谢信。
It is such a small investment —and yet consider the results it may produce.
投入的时间和精力可谓少矣——然而考虑一下它可能产生的效果吧。
"I can live for two months on a good compliment," said Mark Twain.
马克·吐温曾说过:“只凭一句赞美的话我就可以活上两个月。”
So, let's be alert to the small excellences around us — and comment on them.
所以,让我们随时注意周围各种小小的优点并加以评论吧。
We will not only bring joy into other people's lives, but also, very often, added happiness into our own.
我们将不仅给别人的生活带来欢乐,而且还常常会给我们自己的生活带来更多的乐趣。