The Power of Our Words: How what we say shapes what students believe they can do

On Wednesday 3 September 2026, the Learning Community meets for its fourth workshop: The Power of Our Words. It is about teacher language and feedback, the words we use with students every day, and what those words quietly tell a child about who they are and what they can do.

When we opened this series back in February, Ric Campbell named Peter Johnston’s Choice Words as one of the ten books that changed how he teaches. Six months on, the community is taking it up properly.

Why it matters

Consider two ways of responding to the same piece of work. “Needs work.” Or: “The last few paragraphs seemed rushed. Try reworking those and adding some more detail.” Same judgement. Entirely different message about who the child is and what they can do about it.

Or the child who gives an answer that sounds wrong. “That’s wrong, anyone else?” moves the lesson along and, without meaning to, teaches the child to stop raising their hand. “Tell me how you got there” does something else entirely.

These are small choices, made dozens of times a day, often without thinking. Over a year, they accumulate into what a child comes to believe about themselves as a learner. This session is about noticing them, and choosing them well.

What to expect

The workshop runs the way the community has come to expect. A facilitator opening the idea, real classroom practice at the centre, and time to think about a lesson you are teaching next week. Ninety minutes, live, and built for teachers by teachers.

We will draw on the work of Peter Johnston, Paula Denton, and Mike Anderson, and on the words of teachers across our own community.

Join us

Wednesday 3 September 2026
Free · Live on Zoom
16:30 WAT · 17:30 CAT · 18:30 EAT · 15:30 GMT · 10:30 EST

Bring a lesson you are teaching in the week after the session. We will work on it directly.

Register for free → Click here