Steven Singer read a recent study about how and when to praise students. He compared it to earlier studies. Too much is bad. Too little is bad.
He writes:
So what are teachers to do?
Frankly, researchers don’t know.
They look at discrete data sets and try to make broad conclusions.
However, when you’re dealing with something as complex as the minds of children, this approach is destined for failure.
There are simply too many variables at play.
When it comes to praise, teachers are put in a very difficult position.
We want to help encourage our students but we don’t want that encouragement to ring false.
If all I ever did was tell students what a good job they were doing, they would soon catch on that it was meaningless. Every child can’t win a self esteem prize every day for whatever they do.
However, an amazing piece of work from a student who always does amazing work isn’t as impressive as moderately improved work from a student who has struggled constantly up to this point.
Time to consult teachers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Teachers work at the intersection between (a) general theory and general directions that can flow from it, and (b) the specifics of the time-space continuum where all those “variables” come together and where teachers have to make conscious effort to apply their wisdom and timing to feed into that continuum–every minute of the day in the classroom–usually for too many children who are, themselves, “walking variables.”
Living in that intersection is not a choice we have, but a reality of living that we need to understand. Instead of understanding that reality, however, those who “administer,” or just think they know better, often think, if they are not writing the playbook and issuing new directions, they don’t exist; and so the teacher’s autonomy of thought, decision-making, and arena of specifics application (the classroom) get encroached on by those who have no idea of the harm they are doing.
A good analogy is a football coach who knows the game, and does a great playbook (general directions); but then the players have to go out onto the field with their on consciousness, and use their wisdom and timing, taking stock, so to speak, of all of the variables that occur in a football game and that the coach didn’t know about.
In teaching, however, it seems that the coaches all runs out onto the field, getting the way of the play, and trying to keep their hands in the back of the quarterback–who of course can never do it right because the coaches’ version of “right” has nothing to do with what actually is supposed to occur in the classroom. <–a problem I have witnessed on many, many, occasions and heard about from teachers I have taught. CBK
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Teachers KNOW and don’t need someone whispering in their ears about what to say to students.
I find all this “scripting by consultants” to be INSULTING and plain WRONG.
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“Insulting and plan wrong” is a very good description of everything deformers have done to date.
Wake me up when they stop letting the stupid hacks determine what goes on in our schools.
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I expect to be asleep for a very long time.
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Children, in a heartbeat, know when your being fake with praise. Do this too often and you lose credibility with them. On the other hand, giving authentic praise (earned) is a very powerful motivator. The key is to be specific with your praise. Tell them what is is they did well and why it is good work. General statements are BS and the kids know it. The statement above gives two contrasting opportunities for teachers. The first child consistently produces quality work and deserves praise for that consistency along with being challenged to continue to get better (set goals so they can see their growth). The second child seems to have “suddenly” improved. Point out the specific improvements as well as the results relation to continued effort. It’s not a science, it just requires focused effort on the teachers part.
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This is a which came first, the chicken or the egg, for teachers question. I can recall having the same discussion more than twenty-five years ago. I don’t know about the ratio of praise to reprimand, but I know that teachers are wise to create a positive, non-judgmental vibe in the classroom. This does not mean that rules should be abandoned. Rules should be enforced, and students should be engaged and encouraged.
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I use a value added algorithm to determine what kind of praise to deliver and when to deliver it. The formula was developed by an expert on cattle breeding. My classroom is filled with cameras and microphones, and every student has a galvanic skin response bracelet. If the skin monitor picks up any feelings of calm self-assurance in a student, the data are entered into the VAM computer, a technician thousands of miles away watching and listening to my classroom feeds is notified of the VAM output, and I receive a threatening insult in the earbud surgically attached to my skull letting me know I have to deliver a grit praise, an immediate praise of grit and achievement qualities.
There really is no formula. There is no right way to teach. People aren’t widgets and schools aren’t assembly lines. No idea or product will ever be “scaled up”. Teachers have to be creative and adaptive from one moment to the next, and given the autonomy to do so. Our communities benefit from our diversity and our humanity.
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Where do you think this apparent lack of trust in the teacher originates from? Anyone? CBK
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In mansions.
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I actually think the public loves teachers. We hear most often from cranks. The public response to the teachers’ strikes was positive.
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I guess Gates and the rest have bought their own propaganda–teachers aren’t doing their jobs and need to be replaced. CBK
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I’d argue we need to re-frame the whole discussion. Praise inherently says, “you’re doing well by my standards”. Why not try to figure out how the students think they’re doing by their own standards? I know it’s difficult in a class of 30+ kids, but in raising my own kids I’ve always tried to be careful about evaluative feedback and instead talk to them about what they’re doing, why and how they think it’s going.
That said, you also need to be human and when you are really impressed with something then genuinely showing it can be a good thing. I admit, as a parent, I tend to be in awe of my kids a lot. Not bragging because I certainly can’t take credit. But they’re just amazing people and much of what they do is amazing, especially when I let them go in their own direction rather than imposing my expectations. In fact, they invariably exceed my expectations. For the record, yes, my kids are certainly human, and some of what they do isn’t so amazing and I think it’s important for them to hear that too. But kids need to have a general sense that, as unique human beings, their contributions are uniquely worthy regardless of anyone else’s evaluation, and sometimes we need to find that awe in something that may not seem so awe-worthy on the surface. Teacher Tom thinks all pre-schoolers are geniuses – it’s only as we age that we lose it by conforming to drudgery and “common sense”. I think I agree, but I don’t think it entirely has to be that way if we can allow kids to express their unique selves and appreciate that without judgment.
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A lot of the communication between teachers and students is nonverbal: gesticulations, the look in my eye, the position of my jaw. My students are trying to communicate ideas to me, and I often simply need to convey that I either understand them or need more clarification. The smaller the class size, the more I am able to communicate with each student. Three seconds of eye contact after I’ve read something a student wrote or listened to something said can be extraordinarily powerful. It’s not: “good job”, “I’m proud of you” or “I know you can do this better”. It’s simply, “I see you”.
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So true. Students wants to be seen, heard and valued, just like all of us.
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Left Coast and retired teacher This is the child-development aspect of education that (it seems to me) Gates egregiously overlooks. CBK
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What is more catalytic to thinking than knowing someone understands your thoughts? “I understand you” is powerful. “I understand what you painted, sculpted, wrote, explained, devised, reasoned, hypothesized, cared about, dreamed possible…” Good stuff, but it just doesn’t fit into the simplistically binary universe of behaviorist rewards and punishments inhabited by Disrupters like Gates.
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and with endless reform chaos they are every day losing al little more of this
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Teachers know their students and the best ones can ascertain when and where compliments are in order, encouragement is required, or a strong “nudge” is necessary to get a child back on track.
But don’t be fooled – teaching is a high wire act which currently must be done without a net.
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Bah. Who comes up with these studies, lab techs measuring rat responses to kibble vs electric shocks?
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Tell us what you really think.
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😀
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“In Praise of Bots”
When teachers are all gone
The bots will teach the children
Shock them when they’re wrong
Like Dr. Stanley Milgram
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It also depends on age, grade level and the individual child. Kindergarten and first grade students need cheerleaders for sure.
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Ditto for preschoolers. The only rule I stick by is “catch them doing something right” [thanks Dr Phil]. Always works well for general behavior. More nuanced is what’s “right” re: content being taught. I do Spanish enrichment, & in PreK kids are usually not even aware whether they’re responding in Eng or Sp. I can help show them their progress by pointing out, wow, you understood that question in Spanish ! Or, hey, you’re all doing the hand-motions perfectly – and a couple people are beginning to learn the Spanish words to the song! [all of a sudden more try that]
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Also missing in this discussion is praise from peers, or curiosity, or ridicule.
Researchers in art education have examined young children learning some conventions of drawing…conventions that other children admire and try to emulate. Peer to peer influence is no less significant than the actions of teachers, parents, other adults in the lives of children and teens.
Also, there seems to be a mental scheme for thinking about class assignments and the number of students that teachers must guide in a single class and throughout the school day. Wrong. And wrong especially for teachers in the arts who are often certified K-12 and often teach multiple grades in non-consecutive days for a total of less thatn 36 hours of instruction each year.
An art teacher I know meets with almost 800 fourth graders for less that an hour each week, not counting days lost for testing. She has an elaborate system of engaging students in minds-on studio work, way beyond drawing, managing meltdowns of special needs students, teaching English learners, and now–how to deal witth school lockdowns not just firedrills.
It is easy to conjure generalizations about “best practices” and turn that into a dog and pony show about “what works.” At best, there are rules of thumb for teaching and yes, crowd control. Like many loving parents teachers need to know how to be kind and firm at the same time, breaking the stereotype of “teacher always knows best” or “sage on the stage” is always wonderful. Wise teachers take lessons from their students, and sometimes the students who are inclined to be the most “trouble” become leaders when given responsibility.
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The thing that gets me about ideas about the profession of “teaching” , is that when it comes to FACTS… what is actually valid 8 RESEARCH-BASED* information, there is always some ‘new’ “opinion”
You see, in the nineties, Harvard (with Pew’s backing and money) researched the PRINCIPLES OF LEARNING. — looking at 20 thousand classrooms across many states and districts, in order to PROVE what THINGS ARE ALWAYS THERE– when kids learn.
There were 4, principles for the teacher. The first was Clear Expectations… all successful teachers were crystal clear to kids AND PARENTS — as to what were the objectives. (My weekly letters with the kids, caught their eye, as a unique way to inform and model process…which is why I was the nYC cohort for the research… and on eof 6 teachers nationwide (inthe research) who met all principles in a unique manner.
The SECOND Principle of Learning was (R U ready?)
Rewards for Achievement
Come on folks… who has ever convinced a child to do something difficult with out a reward?
Of course intrinsic rewards are the best… and in my classes, (which were filmed,) achievement was celebrated in many ways… and not one of them was a score on a test or a letter grade!!
They told me that my system of rewards… my praise in my letters to them, and the celebration of great writing — posted in the class looseleaf and on the bulletin boards –were unique, too… as were the coupons for lunch with me, in my wonderful classroom. Cooperative, hard-working kids won them for performance… for following the writing process in ways that showed great progress and for being great kids!.
So please… don’t interpret ‘rewards’ in ways that have no meaning in the most successful practices… yes,professional practices— where educated practitioners of pedagogy, do what is required– for learning to occur
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I recently rewarded all my students who improved their grade between marking periods – even if their grade went from the lowest UNSATISFACTORY to the next highest NEEDS IMPROVEMENT-the look on some of their faces was incredulous – some students never get praised so they figure why even try to improve which in turn leads to less praise and fosters more apathy.
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