Narration is a very common strategy, and has been for decades.
The way it works is simple.
After giving a direction, or signal to begin a routine, the teacher describes aloud the positive behaviors they see.
“Jonathan is walking with his hands to himself.”
“Kiera is listening and ready for learning.”
“Table four is sitting quietly.”
The purpose of narration is threefold. First, it acts as a reminder for students. They hear what they should be doing while in the act of doing it.
Next, they’re given a model to follow in the student or group recognized by the teacher.
Finally, by pointing out by name individuals and groups doing what is asked, it encourages others to do the same.
It’s an easy strategy to use that can indeed improve behavior in the moment. So what’s not to like?
Let me count the ways.
1. It’s false praise.
Even though you’re merely expressing what you see, without judgement, make no mistake: Narration is a form of false praise. It compliments students for expected behavior and lowers the bar on that which is worthy of genuine praise.
2. It ignores misbehavior.
Instead of holding students accountable who stray from expectations, the idea is to entice them to behave through the promise of recognition (false praise), which is dishonest and manipulative.
3. It weakens listening skills.
If your students know you’re going to remind them of what they need to do through narration, then there is no reason to listen closely to your initial directions.
4. It diminishes over time.
At first, it may feel good for students to be recognized in front of the class. But because it isn’t based on true accomplishment, it quickly loses its appeal. Before long, your narration will be ignored as well.
5. It makes students dependent on you.
Narration effectively teaches students that they need you to talk them through even the simplest tasks. Thus, they struggle when asked to do anything on their own, especially more complex academic work.
6. It tells them they can’t do it.
Viewed from a student’s perspective, the only reason their teacher would narrate them through a simple direction is if the teacher believes they can’t do it on their own—which is the main message they receive.
Ask More, Not Less
No matter your school or grade level, as long as you provide the kind of good, detailed instruction we recommend here at SCM, your students can carry out your expectations to the tee without any additional help from you.
And it’s critical that you allow them to. It’s critical that your praise—as long as it’s for new learning or effort or accomplishment that goes beyond what they’ve done before—comes after the task is completed, not before or during.
Because narration inhibits the development of maturity and independence and creates a weak-minded, needy class. It creates learned helplessness and a fear of failure.
To create capable, tough-minded students, on the other hand, you must increase the amount of weight on their shoulders, not lessen it. You must ask more of your students, not less.
You must set them up for success and then step aside, bite your tongue, and allow the healthy burden of responsibility do its good work.
PS – If you have questions or want to dive deeper into the SCM philosophy of putting what is best for students and their long term social and academic development over common, temporarily effective strategies used at the expense of students, please spend time in our archive, where you’ll find over 500 articles covering every classroom management topic imaginable.
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Once again, you’ve hit the nail on the head. In my 7th and 8th grade classes I’ve always felt a little inauthentic doing this.
Indeed, Hedy. Another reason to throw it out. Any strategy used to entice (manipulate) other students is by nature manipulative and dishonest.
Oh man. I’ve messed up again. I am TRYING but I have caved to narration. AND our school culture is the Clip up/Clip down method of tracking behavior choices… resulting in a “treat” at the end of the school day if the student ends in a certain color. I think I know what you’re going to say but will you please weigh in on this?
Hi Michelle,
At SCM we don’t believe in rewarding students in exchange for good behavior.
I have used this from time to time. I can see the point of making them dependent on you but what do you think about at the beginning of the year? We’re practicing procedures and so this seems like it is useful as they are getting to know what is expected.
Hi Giulietta,
Praise for new learning—i.e. routines taught in the beginning of the year—is worthy and provides the critical feedback students need. But it’s given after a routine is preformed as taught. The key is the detailed teaching, modeling, and practice that comes beforehand and which makes narration, and its temporary (and ultimately undermining) effectiveness unneeded.
What is the alternative suggestion?
2. It ignores misbehavior.
Misbehavior SHOULD be ignored.
Good behavior SHOULD be praised.
This is done by praising the entire class and NOT each student individually.
This method actually seemed to greatly improve my daughters experience at school last year. And far better than earning colorful fuzz balls, or having them taken away and when in deficit gaining black fuzzballs.
My daughter struggles with multiple step directions, even needs to be reminded on written assignment questions asking multiple questions. The same is true at home. I test it regularly and give her tasks with multiple steps and then fall back in step by step directions once she hasn’t be able to accomplish this. For a class fluid easily distracted students that struggle to stay on task (not ignore direction) this method, from our experience is extremely helpful. And I’m slightly amused you consider it false praise. The teacher isn’t praising anyone, simply reiterating directions for students that clearly didn’t pick up the first time. I think it would be wise to keep this method in mind as an option depending on the dynamic of the classroom even if it isn’t your favorite go to.
Anything can be over used. But I have found this is a pretty effective and pleasant way of getting kids to comply. Considerably better that yelling at the misbehavior, better than stopping the whole class, to get compliance, making the ones who are doing it your way mad. It is quick, and middle school kids just need a nudge and cheerfully we are doing what I want.
I agree with you on the limitations of narration as a long-term strategy. However, the same should apply to consequences for students who are off-task. Both are forms of behavior modification – extrinsic motivators that fade over time and can reduce intrinsic motivation.
With either form of behavior mod, the goal is to use them in situations where you have not yet established relationships with students to the point where you can develop intrinsic motivation.
Damn. Guess I will have to throw that technique away. The argument makes sense. Thanks for the info.
You’re welcome, Christine.
The method is very effective especially with elementary age students, as long as it is not overused. One opinion should not change your method if it is effective.
Hi Michael,
I really appreciate this information, especially now at the beginning of the school year, it has been extremely useful.
Thanks,
Jenny
You’re welcome, Jenny.
Agree to disagree. If the behavior decreases over time, is that not effective?
Additionally, this strategy allows the students who sometimes get overlooked because they’re “the good kids” and don’t need constant re-direction.
My own daughter was in my classroom last year and she said to me, “This is the first year I have felt recognized by my teacher.” I absolutely did NOT do anything that I haven’t always done because she was my daughter. It was strictly narration that made her feel this way. And all I said was, “Maddie, Suzy, Scottie, thank you for being ready to learn.”
And what is PBIS if not acknowledging positive behaviors?
Thank you, Jeffery L., for mentioning the same could be said for negative disciplinary consequences. Different students respond to different strategies. I think it’s important to use a variety of methods, keep your students in mind, and be try to yourself as an educator. Students will know if you’re not sincere in any strategy.
As my mammaw always said: “Everything in moderation.”
Hi Jenna,
We are not PBIS. SCM is very different. Having said that, the article acknowledges that narration does work in the moment, but the cost in student confidence, independence, and overall behavior is exorbitantly high. Also, thanking students isn’t praise but is something we do recommend and have written about in previous articles.
I agree that it is extremely helpful at the beginning of the year. It always trumps nagging students who can often be redirected through this much more positive way of communicating. Don’t throw it out totally….especially with younger students.
As a kindergarten teacher who has (and loves) two of your books, I am going to disagree on this as it relates to the age of students that I teach. From my perspective, it is important to give younger students more praise than criticism. For one thing, withholding praise sends the message that their negative behaviors are more worthy of notice than their positive behaviors. Especially in the beginning of the school year, when students are learning to increase their attention spans, giving positive attention to students who are demonstrating expected behaviors-instead of only noticing those who are demonstrating wrong behaviors-is great for classroom management.
Furthermore, the motivation behind many misbehaviors (at that age, at least) is to get attention. That is why attention is like currency in a kindergarten classroom. I’m not going to “pay” only students who misbehave. If I do, I actually see an increase in misbehavior. Another reason not to be sparing when it comes to praise is that, the more opportunities children have to get praise, the more positive and safe the classroom climate becomes. Students like coming to school and cry less. I definitely would not use the same class management style with 5th graders, but it is very effective with 5 year-olds who are just learning to sit still.
Hi Carolyn,
The article isn’t about withholding praise. You’re right, praise is absolutely critical. When you get an opportunity, please reread the article.
It always felt soooo fake. Never did this to my students.
I think that there should be more context to this post. Narration finds much more use in elementary classrooms, especially K-1. Students need an example to learn from.
Your point of ignoring bad behavior makes absolutely no sense to me. You DON”T want to point out your students bad behaviors. You want to point out their good ones so that they are more inclined to follow those good behaviors.
Students in kinder, and some even in first grade, will be dependent on the teacher no matter what. It is crucial to set up good expectations and routines through narration.
I can see your point for upper elementary grades and secondary education, but please do not try to persuade lower elementary teachers that this is a bad strategy to use in their classroom, because it really is a good one.
-lower elementary teacher
Hi Terrence,
The example comes beforehand and the praise, for new learning, comes after the routine or direction is completed as taught—which k-1 students are fully capable of.
The problem I have is when I call misbehaving students out for misbehavior I get complaints from parents that I am being mean or singling out their child.
This entire argument against providing positive praise for students who are doing the right thing is absolutely false. What ever you want to increaese is what you want to reinforce. The type and amount of reinforcement may need to be altered to maintain its efdectiveness. If this is working in your classroom absolutely do not stop. Its working because you are rewarding positive behavior and not taking it for granted.
Hi Alicemarie,
When you get a chance, please check out the Incentives & Praise category of the archive. No one is advocating against praise—only false praise.
As part of interactive modeling. I have one group at a time come to line. Then I ask class what they noticed that was done well. Then if there were any areas that could be improved, like pushing in a chair. Then we all try to get in line the best we can with those pointers in mind. I do this until I am happy with the speed and safety.of procedure. I practice this way for all my procedures and transition. Sometimes a class will be great. Other times I continue throughout the school year with my grade kindergarten and first.
It doesn’t ignores misbehavior at all, if implemented purposefully. Narrate around a scholar (by noticing the positive exemplar moves by kiddos to left and right of the outlier, for example) who is not meeting behavioral or work expectations, and you are addressing the issue and pressing for accountability (as you consequence the student if (s)he doesn’t adjust accordingly). It’s not false praise (it isn’t praise at all); it’s simply candid observation. You can pull back on this scaffolded management system once early school year routines and expectations have been set, but I find it incredibly effective.
Instead of holding students accountable who stray from expectations, the idea is to entice them to behave through the promise of recognition (false praise), which is dishonest and manipulative.
Narration worked for me like a charm. Sorry to burst the bubble. I spoke, taught, modeled, and had the students model. Narration was used to point out students doing the procedure a minimum of 3 times before anyone was asked to repeat and model. But, not everything works for everyone.
Second paragraph of my comment was copied from the article and should be deleted. My mistake!
What funny timing. I caught myself narrating this past week and instantly regretted it thinking to myself that SCM would not approve! Thank you for the reminder. I will keep working on eliminating this bad habit entirely.
For those who are critical of this article, I recommend you take the time to read through the blog more thoroughly. It is easy to criticize out of context and make justifications for narrating, but if you follow SCM’s advice on establishing routines, setting high expectations, building rapport with students, etc. then the advice in this article makes complete sense. This article fits perfectly within SCM’s overall philosophy.
We have a PBIS school… I have turned the whole thing around giving tickets when we feel joyful… my students have giggled and laughed when I leave tickets on their desks and tell them I’m so happy they came to school and that they are in my class…or give them away during a silent dance party after a rigorous learning/ working period. I love your program and agree narration is not praise… it is demeaning and condescending. I love writing notes complimenting real accomplishments or out of the way kindnesses. Thank you for naming what makes my teaching the reason I love my job.
Awesome, Deb! That’s how you do it.
I agree with a previous comment that narrating really helps those students like my son who has ADHD and can only handle 2 directions at a time. I started narrating this year and I have noticed with my lower elementary kids that those that struggle with multiple step directions are getting that additional information they need to complete the task. Yes, they need to learn how to listen and respond to multiple directions but this take a long time to learn for some. I feel it helps them save face, makes their work more efficient and for a Specials teacher like myself, gets them all working in the very little time we have.
I think you make some great points. Narration isn’t for all kids. It’s certainly not for late middle or high school kids. Many kids simply have difficulty remaining focused. Narration draws kids with attention issues back into the group without drawing attention to them in an embarrassing way. Once kids learn routines, you should see a reduction in the need to narrate.
I’m a huge fan of Mr. Linsin’s behavior management philosophy in general, but strongly disagree that narration is a poor idea. I’ve seen no detrimental effects on students.
I am a substitute teacher. I don’ t entirely agree with your views. I think narration is somewhat important in classroom management. Also, what do you mean by false praise? I am not clear what that term means.
I wanted to thank all of you for doing your part to impact so many lives. The article is very insightful and challenges strategies I developed before reading about any of Michael’s work.
I have changed.
I now seriously consider other strategies/perspectives that go against how I was trained in my formative education years. Not just narration. I learn from all of you as you share your comments too. Make this year your BEST year!
Thanks for keeping the different perspectives civil. 🙂
I absolutely hate narration. For me, the constant noise of the teacher repeating instructions or expectations just interrupts the students learning. if I tell you you should do this silently so you can concentrate, then I shouldn’t ruin that silence either. My school mandates positive narration, and it makes me very frustrated as a teacher.
I think it works great. Over time, as kids become used to routines, you use it less and less. I can’t speak for others, but I don’t use it as a method of praise in any way whatsoever. There’s no, “Great Job! You’re sitting up straight!” If done well, it’s matter-of-fact, unemotional. If you also ensure behavioral consequences are enforced, i.e., stick to your behavioral plan, you’ll have a very solid and well-behaved classroom. There are plenty of ways to genuinely reward intrinsic learning and behavior. Narration is not one of them.
Thanks for another great article! The majority of the time when teachers use narration, it’s because they do not have the confidence that their students are going to perform routines or work correctly. These same teachers rush through and do not take time to explicitly teach routines/procedures or do not have them at all, rules, and lessons and use narration fill in the gaps. The same teachers become frustrated and stressed after a while from constantly reminding students of expectations and wonder why they end up sounding like a broken record overtime. When routines/procedures are taught explicitly with models and examples and time is given for students to do exactly as expected, narration is unnecessary. Honestly, anytime I have found myself narrating during, it’s been during a time when I rushed through a lesson or direction and I felt that my students would mess up, and I did not want them to, due to a lack of preparation/skills. Also, I have worked with students from horrible backgrounds, students with autism and ADHD, and their issues and my class has always been one of the best ran classrooms in the school. I do not narrate or remind my students during any process. In return, this has always made them great listeners, well-behaved, and great achievers. And I always show appreciation for my students doing what I know they can😊!
So if students quickly do what is asked, is it all right to thank those who do? Is this the same as narration? I don’t want to manipulate, but I think it builds good rapport to thank them.
Thank you
Hi Kate,
Yes, when they finish it’s honest and appropriate to thank them.
I wondered if I thanked them publicly after doing something if that was the same as narration. This has me worried. Thanks.
Reading articles like this inspires me to be the best,am not going to use this method again!Thanks this is quite an eye opener 🙏
You’re welcome!
Behavioral Narration works great because it’s not “false praise.” In fact, if done correctly, it’s not praise at all. I facilitate workshops on this and have used it for 30 years in my classroom. The teacher is simply restating his/her behavioral directions using students’ names. It is not to be used as “Great job Tommy, you went directly to your seat!” Instead, the teacher is only restating expectations. “Tommy is going directly to his seat.” “Shanna, has her eyes on me….etc.” I call this “drive-by” reinforcement. After the first few weeks of school, it’s used less frequently because routines are established. It lets off-task students know that you are on top of their behavior. It is also a positive for teachers. Instead of focusing on problems first you recognize, in a non-judgmental way, students who are on task. I feel more effective, confident and positive which ultimately flows into the classroom!
Especially if you teach 5th grade and above, I recommend applying what I call the “Faculty Meeting Test” to your procedures, routines, and teacher-talk. For example, if your principal applied narration to your faculty during the meeting, would your experience be positive? “Mrs. Smith is putting away her laptop . . . Mr. Sanchez is looking at me without talking to his neighbor . . . And the entire table to my right is quietly looking at me with their hands folded, ready for a great meeting!” If you bristle at the thought of being treated this way, I propose your students will feel exactly the same way. Treat kids like fully capable humans, and you will help them become fully capable humans. Raising expectations of their capabilities will help both you and them to create a safe and effective learning environment.
I was told to praise more in my last job. Whilst I completely agree this was good feedback I was encouraged to praise them for things like remembering to bring a pen – it was patronising and did not gain the students respect… in fact it had the opposite effect.
That said – I’m certainly good at holding students accountable and correcting misdemeanours – giving consequences and resolving issues where they arrise…
but I do need to balance it with more praise as I think I can get overbearing and negative at times… can you suggest some things to look out for that I can and should be praising more.
I have 2 4th grade classes and I’ve never seen so many unruly, disrespectful, out of control, students in my 10 years of teaching. There are no consequences for their behavior. My administrators bend over backwards giving rewards, allowing them to do whatever they want. 90 % or more of the students definitely live in poverty or are homeless such as shelters, motels, etc. while I understand and can (not proudly) admit I have reacted in ways I shouldn’t by showing frustration. When students threaten teachers for example threatening to slit my throat, bully other kids, yet I’m told by admins oh “ the student has come so far since Kindergarten, my hands are tied as far as any consequence” literally, not to mention I’ve been told to allow about 25 % of students to play on the computer as they choose, ( during my lesson) and I’ve called parents who don’t care or have any concern, I’m at loss for what I can do..all students are not on grade level and most average 2 grade levels behind. Classroom management has always been a very strong area for me however when kids don’t care, parents don’t care, and every excuse is made for them… then what? It’s exhausting and frustrating. My partner teacher feels the same way, we are both at a loss with our classes, so while your your articles are great when you have so many students that literally do as they please, I don’t know how to control them when I’m also told I need to take them in the hall to correct them for the simplest thing example student refuses to stop banging on desk, not allowed to politely, quietly ask him/her to stop in front of others. So any suggestions in this situation? This is a public K-5 school, I’m a general Ed teacher.
That is a hazardous work environment when you are threatened with bodily harm. Can you call your union rep?
I agree with this article. Number 4, especially. I hadn’t heard of this “narration” concept before, but it strikes me as rather weird.
“What’s the teacher doing, standing there, talking about what we’re doing? Can’t we see for ourselves?” the children must be thinking.
I can quite imagine them at first being a little nervous that the teacher is watching them so closely and then, after a while, just learning to ignore the teacher’s slightly creepy habit.
/well, I have seen narration being used and have used it myself. It rewarded correct behavior and encouraged misbehaving students to behave correctly to hear “Class just look at how strait forward and quietly Jim is leading the line today. Sometimes tangible rewards were given. I feel it is an ok method to be used.