Praising Students
Sebah Al-AliWe all had that one student (at least) in class who is bright and can easily do all the work, but they’re just too lazy or too careless to do a thing. As a teacher, it could be frustrating to see a good student waste their talent and underestimate how far they can go with what they already have. One way to push these students back to hard work is to give them meaningful positive reinforcement when they, unexpectedly, perform well.
A variety?
To sound more honest and sincere about our praise, it could be helpful to use a variety of specific and meaningful expressions to show a student that you appreciate their efforts, rather than using the same phrase or sentence over and over again.
This webpage shares a variety of alternatives that can be used to highlight a student’s talents and strengths: (click on the image to visit the webpage)
Effective?
It is important, also, as try our best to motivate our students and compliment their hard work that we keep in mind a few tips suggested by research about offering praise. For example, this short video highlights a study that compares different kinds of praise and their effect on student performance. Results showed that praising students for their intelligence had a negative impact on their progress as compared to praising them for their efforts and hard work.
Also, to ensure praise effectiveness, Lamke and Hartman suggest a four-step process that can be used in class. The steps are: showing approval, describing what was done right, explaining how important it is, and showing them how this is going to help them improve. And, they offer a few realistic examples in their book about managing classrooms that make their process easier to apply/consider.
More?
For more information about praise in classrooms, you might find these resources helpful:
- Helping students ‘bounce back’ in the face of difficulties
- Specific Praise: How it Improves Learning
- How Praise Can Motivate—or Stifle
- Specific and Contingent Teacher Praise (PDF)
