Ensuring Success: Praise: Power and Problem

Praise: Power and Problem

Effort ≠ Success

Picture of a small child trying to pick up a large pumpkin

Gifted and twice-exceptional students have difficulties connecting success with effort. Gifted students often succeed without much effort, and twice-exceptional students can continually put a lot of effort into learning yet still not succeed. This is where praise comes in--it is important that students efforts are recognized in a way that will encourage them to have a positive mindset.

While assessment gets all the press, it is truly feedback for learning that can transform a student's learning. When feedback is predominantly negative, studies show that it can discourage student effort and achievement. As a teacher, most of the time it is easy to give encouraging, positive feedback. BUT this feedback should go beyond the simple "good job" or "nice work." You must dig deep to find an appropriate feedback response - one that will nurture a student's learning and provide feedback in a manner that the student does not have to leave the classroom feeling defeated or confused. Targeting the feedback to help students achieve the learning objective of the day is a good place to start. (Objective must be shared with students, of course, and preferably have it visible during the day, for example, written on the board).

Here are some thoughts about how to build an effective and emotionally safe feedback structure that guarantees better co-operation and thus deeper learning:

Choose neutral words that are not loaded with value or judgment
Only focus on the product!
Use the objective as a framework in targeting the feedback.
Focus first on something positive within the framework.
Never criticize personal shortcomings that cannot be controlled.
Give a suggestion for improvement and ask if the student agrees with you.
Check understanding by asking your student to explain his/her plan for improvement.

The last point is very important because it clearly places the responsibility for improvement to students. Unfortunately, our student assessment systems too often focus on skills instead of the process of learning. That is why it is so essential to have a strong informal feedback system in the classroom to support the meaningfulness of learning and teaching.

It is the belief of Dweck and Bronson, authors of the last two articles above, that when you praise children's intelligence, far from boosting their self-esteem, it encourages them to embrace self-defeating behaviors such as worrying about failure and avoiding risks. When children are taught the value of concentrating, strategizing, and working hard when dealing with academic challenges, this encourages them to sustain their motivation, performance, and self-esteem.