I’ve been writing about praise since 2009, but there is still a lot of confusion over its use.
Typically, praise is given far too frequently.
Most classrooms are a constant stream of way-to-gos and good-jobs, regardless of accomplishment—or lack thereof.
Also known as false praise, lumping praise for expected behavior together with legitimate accomplishment is confusing to students.
It lowers the bar on what is considered excellence and strips praise of any real and lasting meaning.
It’s also often used dishonestly as a tool to manipulate students into desired behavior.
“I like how Clara is sitting and paying attention.”
Being aware of the perils of false praise and how it can damage intrinsic motivation and leave students directionless is good practice and something every teacher should know.
But there is also a danger in moving too far in the other direction and rarely giving praise at all—which, although a better option, leaves a powerful motivator on the sideline.
So to ensure you’re getting the most out of this critical tool, what follows are six guidelines to giving effective praise.
1. Who
Praise should be directed not at the student(s) themselves—as in, “You’re an amazing writer!”—but at their accomplishment. This way, the feedback is clear and the student isn’t confused into thinking that their hard work is finished.
2. What
Effective praise is praise given by the teacher in response to new learning or effort, behavior, and performance beyond what an individual student or class has done before.
3. Where
Praise can come at close range, with the teacher pointing out, and pointing at, something specific in the student’s work. It can also come in the form of a fist pump or head nod from across the room.
4. When
The teacher should be on the lookout for that which meets the criteria stated in the second guideline. The praise should come after the task, period, day, paragraph, etc. is completed.
5. Why
Praise is one of the clearest ways of communicating to students that they’re on the right track. It defines for them what excellence looks and feels like, which, in turn and thereafter, is highly intrinsically motivating.
6. How
Praise that inspires students to greater levels of achievement is honest, specific, authentic (often subtle), and based not on natural ability, but on the process of learning, growing, and maturing.
Praise That Works
For praise to be effective, you do not have to acknowledge every little improvement. In fact, it’s sometimes best for students to enjoy the feeling of completion and satisfaction all on their own.
It’s perfectly okay to let them wallow in their success without your input.
However, when your teacherly sense tells you that it’s time, when you feel the welling of pride in witnessing a real jump in behavior or performance, or a great struggle through difficulty, you must seize it.
You hear an especially insightful comment. You read a remarkably well-written paragraph. You watch a student succinctly explain to the class four distinct ways they arrived at their answer.
And you tell them the truth. You point out their good work. You allow your words and gestures flow from your heart.
You don’t shower them with manufactured enthusiasms. You never embarrass, condescend, or fail to respect the underlining seriousness of their mission.
You simply and authentically make sure that they know they’ve reached a notch in the journey beyond where they’ve been before.
This way, your praise will hit its mark. It will deepen the rumblings of healthy pride in a job well done they’re already feeling.
Tasting success through determination and hard work, and having it acknowledged and affirmed by a teacher they respect, admire, and know really means it, is a remarkable motivator.
It supports a growth mindset.
It drives students toward mastery and the profound intrinsic rewards of learning and acquiring skill, knowledge, and the confidence to tackle more and greater challenges with gusto.
PS – There is a lot to this topic. If you have questions or would like to dig deeper, please check out the Incentives and Praise category of the archive.
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Michael, just to share this is the second full year I’ve implemented SCM and I will never go back. There’s a learning curve to be sure, but as I became faithful to the principles, it worked. I’ve got students that came with “watch out” warnings, and we are doing great. My classroom is calm, kids are engaged and we have fun. Thank you.
More and more schools expect to hear showers of the “false praise” for which you gave examples. This sort of “false praise” is even required when it comes to cases of student IEPs, for instance.
Any advice when administrators want a ratio of 3:1 for praise: corrections.
I’m in the same boat. A student’s BIP calls for this. It is just so fake and annoying. Not to mention that it’s often impossible to find 3 positives for every negative. I wouldn’t need a BIP for her if she had 3 positives for every negative.
I think this can be the part where he is mentioning it being a “head nod” from across the room or a fist bump. I think we lump “praise” into something that has to be verbal. Even a simple pat on the back or a “you’ve got this” when they are grappling would suffice.
As a society of course we use hyperbole all the time and people have come to expect it. Everyone is awesome or amazing and the word “excellent/excellence” is overused so it is a challenge to try to reduce the use of these terms in the classroom, to turn the classroom into an oasis of calm and neutrality.
I would add that teachers should try to take themselves out of the praise. For example: “You really tried out the lesson in your writing today. Excellent focus.” Vs. “I like how focused you were trying out the lesson in your writing today.” The former is purely about the child’s accomplishment. The latter is about the teacher’s feelings regarding the accomplishment.
What a great point! This truly never occured to me. I am sure I have used both your examples as praise, but now will be more conscious of removing myself moving forward.
Do you have a list of correct praise statements? I too have a school who expects 4:1 positive false statements because of a program called PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports).
I really love all these topics¡¡¡ I have seen that I am in the right track and many
things I have learned reading them and applied in my job. Thanks .
I would appreciate a list of correct praise statements as well. We do PBIS at my school as well.
PBIS – my school requires a 6:1 ratio of positives to corrections. Give that a try sometime.
A good resource is “Choice Words” where the author, Peter H. Johnson has done extensive research on the topic.
Michael, I love your web-site, books, program…what a difference it has made in my classroom, and with my teaching. I would love to hear your thoughts/read a blog post about PBIS, and why we are having to teach so much SEL.
Hi Michael,
I know this is an unrelated topic, but I’d like to hear what your opinion is on seating plans. Do you think they have any merit in the classroom?
Going off your previous works and your books, I’d conclude that they should have little to do with how you manage your classroom and little to do with classroom misbehaviour.
Hi Bruce,
You’re correct, in relation to classroom management, where students sit shouldn’t matter. More on this in a future article. Stay tuned.
Michael
Thanks Michael.
Thank you for your tips on giving meaningful praise. I have just completed a book study on the Fundamental 5 and one of the components is “Recognize and Reinforce”. I’ve used praise inappropriately far too often and these suggestions will help me so much. Thank you!