In The Inverse Power of Praise, Po Bronson offers an exploration of how what we say to our students and to our children shapes the way they understand their own efforts toward learning. I found this article well worth reading.
Many of us who are teaching today grew up in a time where praise was considered essential to learning, but rarely were we given clear guidelines to what that praise might look like or be intended to accomplish. This article serves nicely as an overview of this subject.
Thank you for inspiring great conversations, with my son and with a whole group of women/mothers. We looked at how the way we were praised influenced how we in turn passed it along to our children, and where we still felt like children in terms of how we were “praise dependent”. A great article.
Thank you. Praise is a powerful force in teaching, whether offered or denied. The teacher who studies reactions to praise will have much more control in applying this potent tool. Yet another good topic for further discussion.