Praise is one of the most basic and effective strategies for engaging and motivating the pupils. Praise, when used correctly, will help students overcome behavioral issues and develop their attitudes toward learning. As a result of their difficulties, students who study and think differently often elicit negative reviews. This emphasizes the importance of genuine and sufficient praise. It can sound self-evident, but praise can have a significant impact on the pupils. However, evidence reveals that it isn’t necessarily the go-to option. in fact, it’s mostly undervalued.
The positive thing is that when praise works, it works very well. Teachers who consistently compliment their students have stronger relationships with them. They waste less classroom time and are less likely to have behavioral problems.
The Institute of Education Sciences listed teacher praise as one of the top five most successful practices in a report looking at practices that alleviate behavior issues in elementary schools. Educational institutes play a big role in it. Most of them only focus on the study and do not appreciate the child. Parents should consider a school such as Invictus International School in which praising ceremonies take place along with studies because such activities boost up the confidence of the student to do better and better.
Types of praise
Teachers most often use three forms of praise:
- Personal praise.
- Effort-based praise.
- Behavior-specific praise.
Personal Praise
This form of appreciation focuses on students’ innate abilities or capabilities, rather than the work they put forward or the tactics they employ. It is similar to giving a compliment but it can also leave a negative effect as it can risk student’s will to explore new things and improve themselves.
Effort based praise
This kind of praise highlights the things that students have power over. Consider the student with the lovely singing voice. The student most likely put in a lot of effort to understand a song’s difficult key changes or memorize the words. The student has complete discretion over the amount of time spent and the tactics employed.
Behavior specific praise
This sort of praise informs students about their accomplishments. It’s a research-backed classroom management technique that relies on giving detailed reviews to explain the acceptance of student action. To offer behavior-specific praise, inform students exactly what they’ve done well.
Effort-based and behavior-specific reinforcement also show that you value your students’ contributions and accomplishments. When the students believe you are very pleased with their performance and tell them what they did well, they are more motivated to keep working hard to find effective ways to overcome hurdles.
Importance of praising students
Praise in the classroom is a powerful motivator for students to improve their grades. Acknowledging a pupil for a job well done at school is a step toward their educational success.
Many teachers are perplexed as to how to motivate their students to bring forth effort in learning or to overcome their apprehensions about a subject or topic.
It has been found that a learner’s attitude toward their intellect has an effect on their academic experience.
A student who believes he or she is not wise enough sometimes does not understand as well as a student who believes they are smart. As a result, praising becomes an essential part of the learning process.
Praise will increase morale and boost positive emotions. It has the potential to motivate kids to be more helpful, persistent, and hardworking. However, some children are irritated by attention, and even those who enjoy it will suffer negative consequences.
In short, positive praise is important for a child but if given more than necessary, it can affect negatively so parents and teachers should be careful while praising the students at school.