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

On 3rd September 2026, teachers from Senegal, Nigeria, South Sudan, Uganda, Zimbabwe and beyond gathered for The Power of Our Words, the fourth workshop of the TLI Learning Community and the largest so far. Many joined for the first time. Ric Campbell led the session, drawing on Peter Johnston’s Choice Words.

What we explored

The workshop was about teacher language: the words we use with students, and how what we say shapes what a child comes to believe they can do.

We looked at the difference between praise and description. “Great job” tells a child little; noticing what they actually did (“you worked steadily at that problem for five minutes”) helps them see themselves as a learner. We explored how the questions we ask position students as thinkers in charge of their own learning, and how the language of identity and agency (“what are you doing as a writer today?”) builds a young person’s sense of who they can become.

The heart of the session was a story a teacher shared: a shy girl who began an answer with “I think”, whose teacher first stopped her, then caught herself, recognised the child was reasoning exactly as she had hoped, and led the class in applause. As Ric noted, the most powerful part was that the teacher reflected and changed what she said, in front of her class. That teaches students something too.

Watch the full session

What we read

• Johnston, P. (2024). Choice Words: How Our Language Affects Children’s Learning. Taylor & Francis.
• Anderson, M. (2019). What We Say and How We Say It Matter. ASCD.
• Denton, P. (2013). The Power of Our Words.