"Colour me stupid": Pen colour makes students anxious.
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[TD][h2]Pen colour makes students anxious.[/h2][B]RED pen is bad for children's development. Or so say US researchers from University of Colorado who claim the pen colour can have a negative impact on how students feel about themselves and their teachers.[/B][/TD]
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[TD="align: center"][quote][IMG]http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2013/01/22/1226558/907860-redpen.jpg[/IMG][/quote][/TD]
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[TD]The Colorado study, published in the Social Science Journal, by sociology professor Richard Dukes and associate professor Heather Albanesi, claimed that red was an emotive colour that caused students to feel "shouted at".
Dukes and Albanesi said this "emotional loading" could alter the student's perception of criticism and place unnecessary blame on the teacher for bad marks or feedback. They went on to suggest that teachers use blue pens if they wanted their comments to be taken in a constructive manner.
But can the colour of a teacher's pen really have such a negative impact on learning? The NSW Teachers Federation were contacted in regard to this story but refused to comment.
Amy Kirkham, director of training for the Montessori School Foundation of Australia, saw no problem with the use of red pen (or any other colour for that matter) so long as the teacher responds to the mistake in the right way.
"Mistakes, the idea of ‘friendliness with error' and ‘controls of error' are incorporated into Montessori classrooms," she said. "The Three-year-old child coming into their first ‘formal' learning environment of the Montessori Children's House (which caters for children aged three to six years) is introduced to the idea that they can self correct. By working with materials with a built in control of error the child is able to identify the mistake and resolve it independently.
"For example when using the cylinder blocks (a set of 10 cylinders which fit into individual sockets in a gradation), if one is misplaced the full set cannot be put back so the child is encouraged to take these out, to work out the problem and fix it himself."
Clinical psychologist and former primary school teacher Sally-Anne McCormack said it was wrong to put so much focus on the colour of a pen.
"It's a ridiculous suggestion and a massive waste of time for everyone involved," she said.
"Criticism is a normal part of everyday life and its how you deal with that criticism is very important, not how you criticise."
Similarly, psychologist William Campos said the value of the comments and the relationship between student and teacher was far more meaningful than the colour of a pen.
"The colour red is associated with stop signs and anger, so in that regard it can elicit a particular or fearful response," Dr Campos said.
"It is also true that most people make a decision about how they will react within 30 second of seeing something or someone, and that means colour would have an impact. But by and large the way a teacher expresses themselves in the comment is far more important."
Ms McCormack said that her teaching experience taught her the value of being selective about criticising a student's work. She recommends teachers keep their criticism within 15 per cent of the total work they are marking.
"It's no good just handing back something that you've circled throughout in bright pen. But your job as a teacher is to be constructive and teach – a big part of that is pointing out where a student needs to improve and the colour red stands out," she said.[/TD]
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[TD][B]SOURCE: [/B] [URL]http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/pen-colour-makes-students-anxious/story-fnet08ui-1226558944880[/URL][/TD]
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It's a color of pen...
Red pen always had the same impact for me as people who type with Capslock on - It's like they are yelling, but are unaware of the fact.
If they changed the color from red to something like green then that color would have the same effect.
The red pen has never bothered me in college seeing as I keep marks high enough to remain on the honor roll.
I find green and other colors just stand out more than red. Red is the universal color for "not good".
Maybe I'm heartless, I don't know, but maybe [I]it's just a color?[/I]
[QUOTE=KnightVista;39310880]If they changed the color from red to something like green then that color would have the same effect.[/QUOTE]
This, unless you told the teachers to use a different color every time she grades a paper this won't change
If my teachers and parents had pushed me to do the very best I could have done at all times who knows how successful I would be. How driven I would be to achieve victory.
[quote]"It's no good just handing back something that you've circled throughout in bright pen. But your job as a teacher is to be constructive and teach – a big part of that is pointing out where a student needs to improve and the colour red stands out," she said.[/quote]
This.
Also in the future, children will be graded electronically.
In red.
[QUOTE=KnightVista;39310880]If they changed the color from red to something like green then that color would have the same effect.[/QUOTE]
I don't think so - Red is associated with more than just tests being graded. It means Bad, stop, infection, pain, et cetera. It's the most negatively associated color, aside from possibly black.
I think Purple would have a hard time being taken offensively.
[highlight]ARE YOU FEELING ANXIOUS YET?![/HIGHLIGHT]
[QUOTE=AssTastic;39310863]It's a color of pen...[/QUOTE]
Red is generally associated with negativity, it's a subconscious thing
[QUOTE=T.F.W.O.;39310903][highlight]ARE YOU FEELING ANXIOUS YET?![/HIGHLIGHT][/QUOTE]
And what's interesting is when I read that the voice communicated much more anxiety (Akin to a maniacal shriek) than either red text or text in all capitals.
It's probably because red's one of those pen colors that jump out at you.
Facepunch certainly isn't a good place to be if you have red text anxiety.
They use red because normally assignments are written in black or blue ink or pencil. The red contrasts well with those colors, making it easier for the student to see the teacher's corrections and notes.
To get upset by red colored ink is absurd.
This article defines 'bleeding heart liberal'
I dont lajk my shol.
Gives a whole new meaning to "The Red Scare"
One my teachers always used purple pens, presumably for this reason.
[QUOTE=T.F.W.O.;39310903][highlight]ARE YOU FEELING ANXIOUS YET?![/HIGHLIGHT][/QUOTE]
Every time I see red text I think of bans.
I don't know, seeing red text always made me excited to see what someone got banned for thanks to years of Facepunch.
[editline]22nd January 2013[/editline]
Hmm, I just noticed my title is in bright red.
This thread just got universally more anxious.
I'd think it has more do with the fact that the red pens are typically used to correct, so when people see it they naturally get anxious. The same thing could happen with any other color if it was used all the way through grade school to tell you that you fucked up somewhere. But other colors typically aren't used because they don't stand out as well as red.
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;39311017]This article defines 'bleeding heart liberal'[/QUOTE]
Seeing the positive response to this sort of things in the comment section pretty much confirms Facepunch for the same sort of liberal. The parents who worry about this sort of things are the same kinds that cause dodgeball to be banned or not allow any sort of religion to be taught about in schools.
Even if it had a connotation of negativity, isn't it supposed to be negative? They got an answer wrong! This should trigger a [I]minor[/I] emotional response to make sure they would correct the mistake in the future.
The actual color of ink doesn't make me anxious or anything like that. Literally just the very fact that there's someone else writing on my paper makes me anxious regardless of color.
Funny, my teacher this quarter says she grades things in purple pen for this very reason.
The sound of an alarm clock makes me really anxious.
[QUOTE=KnightVista;39310880]If they changed the color from red to something like green then that color would have the same effect.[/QUOTE]
not necessarily. red is a naturally intense color.
[editline]22nd January 2013[/editline]
also that problem can easily be eliminated by using a random color every time you grade.
[QUOTE=gamefreek76;39310983]They use red because normally assignments are written in black or blue ink or pencil. The red contrasts well with those colors, making it easier for the student to see the teacher's corrections and notes.
To get upset by red colored ink is absurd.[/QUOTE]
To dismiss the effects of the subconscious because you personally don't experience them is even more absurd.
What does it mean that I get disappointed when my marks don't come back red?
On a more serious note, what actually proves this concept? I'd happily suppose we may have some subconcious fear of red ink or perhaps even a natural disposition to feel that red is a "loud" color. However what stops that conception from shifting if we make Green or Violet or Turquoise ink the standard for "you dumbass, look at this error!"?
It's the age old stoner question of "Dude... what if stop signs like... weren't red? Would they still be stop signs?"
[QUOTE=ATribeCalledQ;39311017]This article defines 'bleeding heart liberal'[/QUOTE]
Yeah, learning interesting things about psychology, stupid liberals
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