Do not forbid, tell desired outcomes Pro Preview

Negative statements

This section should make a teacher monitor his own speech and then the speech of students.
We have all heard about positive thinking and now we will put it into practice.
People should use statements without the “not” particle.
Try saying “Keep the field clean and go around it” instead of “Don’t step on the field”.
Try saying “Run your robot on the floor” instead of “Don’t run your robot on the table”.

The difference between the two is the direction that is given. When you forbid, you remove one option of the tools that your interlocutor has. He leaves the conversation with you poorer. When you give directions, you empower the other person with more options that he could not have been aware of. And with young students with less experience that is one very empowering approach.

Rest assured, some of them will still step on that field, but then a teacher should hand the student a towel and tell him “I asked you to go around the field. Now, could you clean it up.” From that moment that student will avoid the field, as well as his peers that saw him cleaning.
And as a matter of teachers authority, not cleaning the field is not an option.