PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!
Effective teachers treat all of their students with dignity and respect and focus on the positive.
It’s only human nature to zero in on what’s wrong and to correct our students. We must remember, however, whether through negative behavior or positive behavior, students want your (the teacher’s) attention. Students will do whatever it takes to get that attention. So why not take advantage of this knowledge and give your students attention for the behavior you want to see?
Todd Whitaker, in his book What Great Teachers Do Differently, lists 5 elements of praise that have the greatest impact.
1. Authentic: Praise must be sincere and genuine. Students must be recognized for something that is truly deserved.
2. Specific: Be specific when giving praise. State the specific behavior that you value and would like to see replicated.
3. Immediate: Give authentic and specific praise immediately following the desired behavior.
4. Clean: The praise must be genuine and for something that has actually occurred; not for something you hope will occur in the future. In order for the praise to be clean, it cannot have any qualifiers such as the word “but”. The word “but” negates whatever precedes it.
5. Private: Effective praise is private. According to Whitaker, praising publicly does not encourage others to follow suit. Praising publicly can have the opposite effect and can build resentment from other students and possibly encourage bullying.
We have countless opportunities to praise our students throughout the day. Focus on the positive and praise your students. At the end of the day you’ll feel more energized and effective.
