Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Perils of Praise
For the past ten years, psychologist Carol Dweck and her team of researchers at Columbia university studied the effects of praise on students. Her findings are rather interesting. As you know, I somehow left all the hard copies of this week's reading behind. Anyway, here it is. Read this week's reading and, as always, offer your insights on the implications of this for yourself as a future educator. Feel free, as always, to use a personal anecdote to illustrate/exemplify your argument. We certainly all have experience with praise--or the absence of it...
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When I was talking to my Mom last week I told her that I was making cookies that night to take into my students the next day. She asked why and I explained that they are a Level 5 sophomore math class who worked hard all week and earned all As and Bs on their Pre-Algebra tests. I told her I was inspired by her because it seemed like she was always baking or picking up something to reward her students throughout her thirty years as a teacher. She laughed and said my Mommom would always ask her “WHY she would reward students for doing just exactly what they are SUPPOSED to be doing!”(Mind you this is the woman who ruled her household with an iron fist, quite successfully I may add). I can imagine my Mom replying to her own Mom with some similar reasons the Dweck article illustrates. Perhaps it is in my blood to reward or that I noticed my Mom’s success all those years with her own techniques, but as this article explains, the reward must be for the right reasons. I believe I was successful with the cookie praise because it really related to hard work all week, proper behavior and well-earned achievement. I feel that I praised the students’ desire to learn and the process they so well executed all week. I agree with Dweck when he reflects on the idea of praise by clarifying that it cannot just be for anything and we must be mindful of the idea that “Maybe we have produced a generation who are more dependent, fragile, and entitled than previous generations.” What a dilemma! This is precisely what we do not want to do! For students not to be held accountable for their actions and act like they are deserving of praise when they are not creates a very serious monster. It is surely an inner battle we must fight as educators to walk the fine line of appropriate praise but be sure not to cross over into spoiling territory. Parents themselves seem to be doing a good enough job of that already. If a spoiled student walks into our classrooms, it is imperative that we state our expectations of how one earns praise. The first three-fourths of the article describes the growth mind-set student we all want to teach. The excerpt where Dweck talks about Brainology was especially new for me. Showing students exactly how it feels to be a member of the growth mind-set is really interesting. It is like you can open a door to a world they never realized was there. By including them in the process of achievement and to exhibit how they go about it creates a cooperative and diligent worker; who doesn’t want that? In Dweck’s description of students of the growth mind-set, these students sound like absolute dreams to work with! I am not entirely sure that all students would so easily cross the slippery bridge from fixed mind-set to growth mind-set, but it is our job to figure out how to do it, things have got to change.
ReplyDeleteJess le Grange
I thought Carol Dweck’s “The Perils and Promises of Praise” brought up some very interesting points. I did not realize that by praising your students you could hurt them, although I am not sure if I agree with this completely. As a teacher I plan on praising my students for a job well done, however, I don’t see myself actually praising their actual intelligence. I can see from this article that praising a student’s intelligence can be harmful, but what harm can it do to praise them when they did well and deserve it? I believe praise is a great motivational tool as long as you carry it out appropriately and when it is truly deserved. I don’t think you should praise your students for every little assignment that they do.
ReplyDeleteI can see how by praising their intelligence you can inflate their egos, which in the long run could lead them to shut down at a difficult task. However, I don’t believe in praising a student’s intelligence because ultimately I think it could lead to the other students feeling “dumb” or making them feel inferior in the classroom and that is just plain wrong. But, I don’t understand why praising them for their hard work could be wrong or harmful. If the other students see that a fellow student got a good grade because they worked hard, then they will know that if they just put in the time and effort they can do well also.
I also think that the skills that the intervention students learned should be taught in the classroom by the teacher. As a teacher I plan on going over time management techniques, study skills, and memory strategies sometime in the first few weeks of school. I feel that these skills are important for all students to learn, regardless of their mind set because everyone can benefit from them. Students who are already doing well in school might still need to learn these things because they may be doing well, but they might also be stressing themselves out and spreading themselves to thin. We as teachers need to teach our students this because where else are they going to learn it? Our jobs as teachers is to make sure we do our best and make sure every child has the chance to succeed and I see this as the stepping stone to success in school.
Some students may think that their intellectual ability is a fixed trait and we need to let them know that it’s not. We need to let our students know that they can do anything that they put their mind to as long as they are willing to put the time and effort in. We need to tell them what all of my teachers have told me “there is no such thing as a stupid question.” We should encourage them to raise their hands when they don’t understand something and that we are only there to help. We need to let them know that there are no “dumb” students, only students with the ability to learn things that they haven’t learned yet. I believe that by doing all these things, you can lead to you students to a successful academic filled year.
Elizabeth Wanner
This past year I took a longterm substituting position in a middle school all boys ED (behavior) issues classroom. I had to find a way to get them to focus long enough to get some work accomplished (a near impossible mission)and to be respectable to each other and to all present staff. We used the reward system, (similar to what Jess discussed in her blog) everyone that behaved all week would earn Dunkin Donuts and watch a movie for fun Friday. I found that by them having an incentive to look forward to and work for made them perform off the charts. However, rewards did not only come in the form of a snack they also could earn free time to play cards and computers as well as going outside and playing baseball and shooting hoops. By allowing them to earn free time it gave them a chance to unwind, clear their heads, relax and refresh in the middle of the day between subjects.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dweck, whenI was growing up (and even today) my younger brother has always been a genius. The easiest way to describe him is, he is a walking database overflowing with knowledge on any and every subject. He never had to study, never brought home anything lower than an "A" and was offered a full scholarship to every school he applied to. I am extremely proud, now. However, that was not the case growing up. When we were younger I think my best described feelings for him were nauseating- because as hard as I studied he would lounge on the couch watching cartoons in high school and still surpass my grades without ever opening a book. The point I am trying to make is that having grown up next to someone that school came so easy for made it more difficult to carve a path to success for myself because I felt dumb for having to put so much effort into it. Dweck said it perfect, students care first and foremost about how they are judged : smart or not smart. By watching my brother skate through school, it made it harder for me to not want to put effort forward to attempt getting a good grade. The challenging work made me not want to put the effort forward because at least if I failed I could say it's because I didn't open the book as opposed to saying I studied and earned a horrible grade.
Praise is crucial to children, it builds their confidence and their motivation to learn. Because I gave my students the incentive towork, to play outside and to enjoy donuts at the end of the week they in turn completed more work than on a regular basis because they knew they'd get something out of it. I was able to give them something without them realizing it, a chance. Their improving behavior showed teachers around
us that they could be well behaved instead of mouthy and inappropriate. They also were able to display for the principle that they are capable ofdoing the work contrary of what they originally tried to convince him.
I’ve heard before that praise can do harm in a classroom. What I’ve heard, however, is that praising the students too much is not good, because it loses its motivational effect. I have never heard what this article states, that praising for intelligence can be harmful. I would not have thought that to be true, but I don’t think the research presented in this article should be ignored.
ReplyDeleteI have always praised students I work with, for effort, engagement, positive behavior, and yes, intelligence. I know I have called kids smart before, and as Dweck states in her article, they exhibited that “short burst of pride”. I did not realize it could be followed by negative consequences. To know that I may have contributed to a fixed mind set causing lack of confidence and motivation in a student makes me feel a little guilty. I would say that I definitely have praised students more for effort and behavior than for intelligence, however.
The teacher who I am doing fieldwork with this semester uses praise a lot in her 2nd grade classroom. She must know about these studies, or maybe just have good intuition, because I have never heard her praise a student’s intelligence. She always praises the effort. I’ve actually heard her tell a student who does really well without trying that they need to find something to challenge her more, just like what was written in this article. In this same classroom, I have also seen a couple students who I believe are in the fixed mind set. I think they came to her classroom already in this mind set. They do exactly what Dweck points out in her article: They don’t want to try anything new, and when they make a mistake, they really do try to hide it and feel embarrassed. I’ve even witnessed one of the little 2nd graders that I believe is in a fixed mind set trying to copy answers off another student’s paper.
So what do you do when students come to you already in the fixed mind state? I like Elizabeth’s idea of teaching students the study skills and strategies that were used in the intervention in the New York City school. I believe it would be well worth the effort and time. To have students that are more confident and who want to learn is invaluable. After the strategies are learned, you would of course keep praising their efforts. I believe even rewards are ok to use as long as you don’t give them out all the time. It can be things like Shayna and Jess mentioned in their blogs: free time, a movie on Friday, or even cookies. It should be clear to the students that this is a reward for their efforts. I think my 2nd graders, or at least two of them, could benefit from some kind of intervention like the New York City students received. Their motivation is nowhere in sight, but I bet it could be found and brought to the surface, with the right techniques. It makes me so sad to think that there are kids out there who are going through life rejecting opportunities to learn and grow and feeling dumb if they have to put forth effort.
Melissa
Carol Dweck’s article on “The Perils and Promises of Praise,” was really interesting. The research she has conducted on the effects of praise was revolutionary to me. Her findings make a lot of sense. The way teachers praise students has great effects on their perception of how intelligent they are, and I think everyone who has been through any sort of schooling can attest to this. The most interesting part of the article, I felt, was what Dweck was doing to help students get into the growth mind set. The Brainology workshop she helped to develop seems to be the best way to get students to realize their potential in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteDweck works with students in the middle school range because it is a “time of great vulnerability,” and “often a time of disengagement and plunging achievement.” Throughout this vulnerable time I really like the way Dweck’s Brainology workshop is presented. The basis is to teach students about how the brain works to get them thinking that they can increase their own intelligence by working hard and creating new synapses in their brains. I really like this concept. Teaching students how the brain works has them learning about learning. It is an interpersonal way to have all students learn more about themselves and how learning works, without just teaching the latest study skills. Just like Dweck’s research found, teaching study skills alone is not going to work for everyone.
I remember sitting through a study methods class in middle school, a class all seventh graders were required to take for a quarter, where the goals of the class included: read faster, note-taking, shorthand writing, following directions, and critical reading. Throughout the entire quarter teacher made us fold our note book pages in half, take notes on half of the page, and for homework we were to go back through the day’s notes and make connections and take more notes on the blank half of the page. I hated this. It was not the way I studied, and still is not to this day. While this method may be effective for some students, it is not for all. The class never taught other methods of studying or note-taking, which is definitely a downfall. Back in middle school and to this day I copy my notes multiple times to study for a test on pieces of clean white paper. I like to be able to go through my notes from class in sequence and make connections through the progression of material in class. This has been an effective method for me, because when the test comes I can visualize the rewritten notes on the paper and typically can remember the material that came before and after it in great detail. This, however, was never taught in my study method class.
My way of note taking and studying may not work for everyone, just like the way taught in my study methods class did not work for me. The great thing about Dweck’s Brainology workshop is that it does not teach study skills alone. It teaches students that by studying, in any method, they are working their brains, and therefore expanding their intelligence. This is not the typical way teachers praise, I have never heard a teacher say, “You must have really been firing a lot of synapses to complete this test!” but according to Dweck, it should be. After reading this article I am really going to have to think before I praise in my own classroom.
Dweck’s states a great point. I never realized the difference with praising and that it had a huge effect on the student. I did not realize that praising a student correctly by praising their efforts over that it would boost there want to study and learn.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that you would praise a child’s work if they did a good job. But I do remember in high school my parents made a deal. If I could get honor roll every marking period that my mom would give me her weeks pay check. She was paid every two weeks so that check was around $600. That sounded good to me just to do well in school. I of course did not succeed in getting honor roll every making period I think I missed one marking period. These here sounds like the kind of praise that we do not want to do to our students and even our own children. When they fail to do something as in this they tend to do things that are not as challenging and cause their brain not to grow. Now after reading this article I thought back to the opportunity when I could have taken algebra 2 trig instead of just algebra 2. I choose not to take algebra 2 trig probably because I knew that that the class would be a challenge and if I took an easier class that the prize offer that my parents had made would be less likely to happen. I believe this is exactly what Dweck and other’s studies have found.
I think a better way for my parents to reward me and to help me better myself would be to instead, say okay you received a C in whatever class in may be then look at my report card the next marking period and if I have done better maybe give me reward. This would give me the impression that my hard work to improve my grade is what caused them to give me the reward not the fact that I just got the grade. The same thing would go for the following marking period, if I receive an even better grade the following marking period then reward again. If the grade stays the same then I should get nothing.
I think that at the middle and high school level it may be a little more difficult to get the students to change their attitude towards school. This is because that as we know many children of this age are trying to find where they belong and have developed their understanding of themselves. They may feel that they have to be “dumb” as Dweck states. They change their minds about who they are and begin to show progress because; instead of praising them for getting a high grade we praise them for doing the work better each time.
I think also that we have to take into consideration that not every student has the same ability. We have to be fair. Fair is not everyone gets the same. It is that everyone gets what they need. So we may need to make some things a little easier for some to see them progress. I think a great way to do this is to give out worksheets of problems that get progressively harder (at least in math.) Tell the students that you know that some are going to be difficult for them try anyway.
I feel that this research alone is of great significance for educators, but what I find to be the most interesting part of Dweck’s research, is of the impact of student perception of intelligence on their own intelligence. To clarify, I understand Dweck’s basis to be that students affect their own intelligence related to their definition of intelligence. This definition is, at least in part, created by the students’ teachers. It is the self-fulfilling prophecy idea. I would like to explore the implications of this idea on more than simply praise.
ReplyDeleteI was first exposed to this research in my education psychology class and I found this study very interesting. I remember how it made me think about the way that I have used praise in the past and how damaging that I could have been. I felt the same way as Melissa when she said, “I know I have called kids smart before, and as Dweck states in her article, they exhibited that “short burst of pride”. I did not realize it could be followed by negative consequences. To know that I may have contributed to a fixed mind set causing lack of confidence and motivation in a student makes me feel a little guilty.” I felt the same way, watching the color drain from my face, as I wade through all the kids that I praised for being “smart.” Of course, I have come around realizing that my thoughtless words will probably not cause irreparable damage, but I believe that Dweck’s research is very valuable for classroom use and I am relieved that I have been exposed to this information before I became a full-time teacher. It does make logical sense that praising a student for “being smart,” would lead them to the thought that “smart” is a trait that one either has or doesn’t have. It would be similar to praising students for “being tall,” or “being short.” Following this train of thought, I would like to slightly diverge from the specifics of Dweck’s article to relate it to a broader idea and warning.
Dweck cautions on the use of praise to encourage students to “believe that their intellectual ability is a fixed trait.” I would like to relate this to another study showing similar results but for a different reason. The “Eye of the Storm,” was a classroom experiment that was recorded for frontline, to educate students through personal experience how it feels to be discriminated against. Mrs. Jane Elliott led the students against one another by praising a group of students on physical traits and tying them to things such as intelligence. An example is that she stated to the class that students with blue eyes are smarter and all around better than students with brown eyes, and allowed the “blue eyes” special privileges that the “brown eyes” would not be allowed. Though the goal of this experiment was to teach students about racial discrimination and mistreatment by first hand experience, I feel that some of the data that she collected from this can be related to Dweck’s theories. (Feel free to watch it at this address. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p66&continuous=1 )
Jane Elliott tested the discriminated-against group of students with flashcards and found that those students told that they were inferior actually tested lower than they had the previous day. Some feel that the emotional distress of the situation was the reason for the lesser scores and I agree that this may be the reason, but combined with Dweck’s theory, I now believe more strongly that those students scored poorly because they were told that they were going to by the teacher. The point of my discussion is to simply expand Dweck’s theory beyond simply praise and apply it to all aspects that may influence a student’s perception of what they are capable of achieving. I’m sure that we have all experienced or seen when a teacher does not believe that a student is capable and how quickly that student realizes it, no matter how careful the teacher is to hide it. I think that it is important to be cautioned how perceptive children can be and how it is important that we honestly believe, as their educators, that they have the capacity to learn. As Dr. Lafave always likes to say, “there is no such thing as learning disabled, just learning different!” If we decide that there is no such option as retention or out-sourcing and we truly take responsibility for every child’s learning in our classroom, I believe that we will be surprised with the results.
ReplyDeleteThis article seemed to fit right into this semester by fate because in my Ed Psych fieldwork observation I have recently hit a wall with a struggling 2nd grade girl. She does not respond to any positive reinforcements I have attempted when she completes her classwork correctly and for good behavior. I was almost hitting that wall where (like most teachers) I selfishly took the "it's not me; it's you" role and was feeling helpless. But this article showed me that "it is me"; I was missing the mark by praising her correct answers when instead I should have been praising her efforts. I am excited to get back in there next week and see if that makes a difference!
ReplyDeleteI also found it quite beneficial to learn that when students were aware that brains were just other muscles that needed to be trained and exercised, they made cooperative efforts to strengthen their brains and chose challenging activities rather than simple. Children know just as well as adults that when hard work pays off; work is going to be done! And when the work is intelligence, a student that struggles with academics might feel inspired to work harder to yield better results! However, that student's effort is wasted unless we use what Dweck stresses; PRAISE OF EFFORT (not result)!
As we discussed in class; the definition of intelligence and intellect is quite unique to one's own experiences and values. We discussed concern that that bias might conflict with our teaching philosophies. Dweck shows us that if a child's success is dependent upon our praisal of effort rather than academic success (which is in part assessed by our individual definitions of intelligence) we can totally omit that bias because effort is not as subjective as intelligence! Whew! That's good news being as though all of our ideas of intelligence were varying from being both street and book smarts to my own definition of constantly questioning norms!
It made me a bit sad to hear that we are the future educators of these children that are a "generation of young people who can't get through the day without an award." I wonder how true that statement really is... but I know that I take it very seriously from my own experiences and personal observations. I think these children are the aftermath of a generation of parents who have lead our country into economic dispair and global shame. Competition and greed; "Keeping up with the Joneses"; and the top 1% making more money than the bottom 99% added together! Children carry Iphones and drive Beamers because parents wouldn't dare be judged for middle-class'dom. I think Dweck is correct; these kids can't get through the day without an award.. the biggest problem is that they don't achieve it! The awards are now social symbols of the parents' successes rather than an earned symbol of determination and dedication. What's up with that?
I know I am personally scared to have my own children some day who will come home at age 8 and ask me for a cell phone because little Sally all ready has one. What will I do? What values will I instill? As educators we have the power to value hard work, effort, and determination. But as parents will we have the same values? We have to be the next generation of parents that brings back some good old fashioned discipline. Please!!!
I am one of those people who does believe that there is a whole generation of young people who come out of college expecting a great job, high pay, weekends off, and pats on the back every day. Why? Because of those damn stickers teachers gave out in elementary school! This article has only reinforced my belief in motivating my students intrinsically; to teach them to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do!
ReplyDeleteWhat I’ve taken away from this reading may not be apparent at first, but it’s there. I’m sure we have all observed elementary classrooms where teachers have prize boxes, sticker charts, and gold star rankings on the board etc. I want to throw up when I see that. I believe this is harmful to all students in the room. Who gets the rewards? The kids who do their work and behave earn the stickers. But I’ve noticed it’s always the same kids who seem to earn the rewards. Why? Because they already know how to behave and do their work! So what are they learning from this reward system. That just by doing what they are supposed to do they will get a pat on the back.
And what about the children who don’t do their work, or who have trouble doing their work? What is in it for them to improve? A temporary reward, which doesn’t teach them long term thinking skills, or inspire them to learn beyond doing what they need to, to get the reward.
Now suppose we pass federal legislation that says, no more stickers, prize boxes, or anything else that hangs a carrot in front of the kids and encourages them to grab at it. Teachers, you need to resort to a higher level of instruction, one where you actually get the kids to learn to make the right choices on their own. Teach a level of instruction where you inspire them to work hard and challenge themselves because that’s how people grow and prosper.
Find the passion in your students, whatever it is, and use that to motivate them.
This may sound smug but the conclusions in this article are self-evident to anyone who has successfully raised children. It’s very difficult to raise a child and teach them right from wrong, that all work is valuable, that the effort usually is more important than the end result. That when you are learning to walk, you are going to fall down a lot. That you don’t get a cookie every time you don’t pull the cats tail.
There’s a book about kindergarten that puts forward the theory that everything you need to know in life you learn in kindergarten. I think this article fits in very well with that theory. You don’t even need to tell kids that the brain is a muscle that can grow and expand over time. All they need to know is that effort is important, the quality of your work matters, and that it’s okay to make mistakes.
Sometimes it seems schools, and a lot of parents, focus on grades, test scores, class rank, etc, more than the process. The process is what it’s all about!
I found this article interesting because it reinforced some of my beliefs about how to reach all my students, and I thought it was more about teacher’s behaviors in the classroom than anything else.
And Andrea when your future 8 year old child comes home and asks for a cell phone because little Sally has one, do what your instincts tell you. Say no!
Dweck's article " The Perils and Promises of Praise" definitely brought back horrible memories of studying for hours upon hours for my math tests. All my life, I remember having to put in the extra effort with my teachers and myself to get through school. I'm not ashamed of needing the extra help, because I realized early on that it was what I needed to get by. Well... not just to get by, but really pass with a grade I knew I wanted and deserved at the same time. My brother on the other hand (like Shayna), usually would come home after school and start watching tv when he knew he had like three tests the next day. He would sleep all throughout class, but somehow miraculously pass all his classes. His teachers always wondered the grades he could be getting if he actually paid attention in class.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very helpful because as a future teacher I would never want to set up my students for failure. Although I don't see myself ever praising a child for just their intelligence but their continuing effort. The article mentions students with a growth-mind set share qualities of "dedication and persistence in the face of obstacles". In the 16 Habits of Mind article, persistence was number one. In order to complete anything in life, you must persist. Unless of course you have your life handed to you in a silver platter and that's not always the case. As I was reading some of the phrases used to comment on praising intelligence, I thought to myself would a teacher say that? They sound ridiculous. Why would anyone ever say, "Wow Billy you must be really smart if you answered these problem!!!" What good are you doing to Billy? You're really just making him even more hot headed than he probably already is. By praising intelligence we are letting our students believe that they know everything, instead praising their hard work and persistence will encourage the student to try harder and learn more. I wonder what would they teacher from the rare class from Monday's article as these students who think they know everything?
In order for our students to try harder and more challenging problems, we the teachers have to provide an environment where risk taking is praised. I would never want my students to be scared of trying something because I won't approve. Many of the students, I know I did, are looking for the teachers approval more than anything. Shayna wrote that "praise is crucial to children, it builds their confidence and their motivation to learn". I want my students to know when they did a good job,so of course I'm going to praise them, and give them rewards for doing so. It's a great feeling to know that you worked to the best of your abilities and someone recognized it. I feel praising students for their hard work, is exactly what they need to keep on trying and surpass even their own expectations!
Carol Dweck’s article The Perils and Promises of Praise showed a very interesting viewpoint of the different types of praise given to students and how they can alter them in the future. In the next few paragraphs I will share my opinion on how I feel about this article and the positives and negatives that came from it.
ReplyDeleteI am going to talk about the two beliefs Dweck stated when referring to praise and students and why I agree and sometimes disagree with him. The first belief was “praising students' intelligence builds their confidence and motivation to learn”. I strongly believe that this is true. Although it is not the only thing that motivates the student, it doesn’t hurt. Any positive reinforcement will show the student that their hard work has paid off. Dweck’s research said that this is false, but does not prove reasoning in his article valid enough for me to believe it. The second belief was “students' inherent intelligence is the major cause of their achievement in school”. This one I have to disagree with because it all depends on the child’s situation. For instance, in preschool and the early years I believe the most important achievement is socializing and interacting with others. Also, grades are not everything. If the child shows a lot of effort, determination, and the will to learn than they will be okay throughout life, even if their grades do not show it right away.
When the author was talking about the differences between fixed and malleable mindsets when learning I began to wonder why teachers tend to praise the fixed mindsets so much more. Although there are fewer mistakes, probably higher test grades, and the effort to be “smart”, the idea of being so conservative is not necessarily good when it comes to learning. However, if the malleable mindset is used, more risks are taken and better results can come from it. The only downside is the students are probably less testable and only pick up material in the fields that they are interested in.
The one thing that I strongly agree with in this article was the idea that praising effort is better than praising intelligence. Although I believe it doesn’t hurt to praise intelligence like Dweck suggested, he convinced me that praising effort may be better. This is because when things get tough for the student, corresponding effort with praise may help the student keep trying to solve the issue. Also, praising effort shows less emphasis on grades and more emphasis on how the student received the grades which is a learning experience in itself.
As a result, I really enjoyed this article. The idea of praising students is one that every teacher has, but showing readers the right way to praise is valuable. Next time want to say something positive to a child I will remember this article. I did not realize that something so simple can make such a big difference in the world of a child.
Being an education and psychology major I am very familiar with the experiments and studies performed by Dweck’s team. In my Ed. Psyc. class we talked about the pro’s and con’s of praising students and how it effects them academically. Like Dweck’s, many articles showed that praising students for their effort and encouraging them to consistently try harder no matter how they do on an assignments is more beneficial to students, in the long run, than trying to boost their self-esteem. Praising students for “being smart” will only cause a superiority complex and make them feel as if they do not need to improve their abilities further. I speak from experience.
ReplyDeleteI was that student in grammar school that did not have to open a book to get good grades. I knew in the back of my head that if I studied and put in the time and effort I could get straight A’s…but why bother? A’s and B’s were good enough. School always came easily to me. I never minded going and at times I even enjoyed it, until high school. All through grammar and middle school I went to a Catholic private school where I was one of the best in my grade, but when I moved to go to a public high school that was not the case. I was behind in 3 subjects, and with classmates from all different schools in one class I could not take the competition. I gave up. I went from an honor student to forced to take “B level” classes my sophomore year. I thought school was just too hard for me or that the teachers never taught me enough to succeed, until I read this article and realized I was in a fixed mind-state.
As Dweck states in the second paragraph under “The two faced effort”… “[students] are also afraid of effort because effort makes them feel dumb...it can cause bright students to stop working in school when the curriculum becomes too challenging.” This whole section of the article really opened my eyes to how students today feel.
As educators, I feel it is extremely important to praise students. They need that reassurance to gain the confidence to try new things and not fear learning, but I also feel that we should be realistic. If a student is not succeeding to their full capability it does not matter what the grades are, they should be encouraged to try harder. Praise should be dealt out on an individual basis. If one student in class starts out September with no friends, never participates in class, and cannot read, every time he reaches out for help or makes an attempt to answer a question I think praise should be given, no matter if the answer is correct or not because that little boost in his self confidence could be the motivation he needs to continue to participate or try to find the right answers. Same goes for a straight A student if she is capable of improving her papers or writing on a higher grade level she should be encouraged to do so because that is what will help this individual student succeed to her full potential.
I do not see a right or wrong way to praise or reward students. I think it depends on the person and what they need to hear in order to gain the confidence they need. Some students need truck loads of reassurance in order to become self sufficient in their learning while others only need maybe a handful. Teachers should recognize this in their students and reward their behaviors accordingly.
-Brittany
My oldest daughter always got strait A's in grade school. Then in 8th grade she got picked to be in advanced geometry. She felt "special" because she was considered "gifted" and one of the chosen few. The first week into the class, she felt the teacher was not instructing her the correct way because she got a C on her first test. She said she was having trouble learning because of the teacher. So, as a caring parent I went to the teacher and asked him what he thought her problem was. Much like in the article my daughter was use to easy math. This math was totally different. When the teacher told her to go back and look and the problems again she couldnt understand why he didnt just give her the correct answer and explain how he got to it. So her easy way out was to blame the teacher. Being in the gifted classes automatically labels these students as more intelligent then most. Yes, they are achievers but are they really more intelligent? I hear alot of teachers say things like. "I like the way so and so is working" I like how you worked on this project really hard, it really shows". But, I hear these praises mostly in the remedial learning classes, rarely do you hear the teacher praise this way in the gifted classes. In the gifted classes you hear things like, "If the spelling is wrong it counts as points, or you should be able to handle this work load outside of your other classes". The teacher rarely gives praise to the gifted kids for just trying, mainly because they are already labeled as hard working students. Most of the praise I find, is in the basic skills learning level. When you praise a student at a lower learning level they seem to appreciate it more than the gifted student, although, I find that once praise is given it can be taken as , ok if this is good enough for her to praise me than I must be done. That drive of the special needs student is different than the gifted one solely based on maturity level and understanding level. I believe no matter how much praise you give either group it wont matter on productivity because the student has to want to praise themself and want to achieve for themself. My daughter still gets great grades and is still considered gifted. But, now she is older and considering college, her goal is not to get praise but to earn her right to go to a good school when she graduates. The praise will be when achieves that goal.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started to read this article I stopped and complained to my roommate about how many things there are in this world that are suppose to be good and just always have negative effects! Since when was praise such a bad thing?! Until I read through this article I never realized that its true, praise could have a negative response on children and some teachers may not even realize that they are the cause for there students poor performance.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought that praise was always going to be a positive thing and motivated students to do better. Yet, it is the type of praising that we are doing that could have a positive or negative effect on the student. Looking back at my school career, I was never the smart kid in class so any type of praise or encouragement definitely helped me out. On the other hand I could see how an intelligent student could be turned off if they think they are as smart as they are going to get at a task. In the article two types of beliefs are brought up, one being “praising students' intelligence builds their confidence and motivation to learn”. At first I totally agreed with this statement and couldn’t believe that they named this belief to be false. After reading more into this article I realized that maybe it is false and maybe all that needs to be changed is the word intelligence to effort. If we encourage children’s effort they will understand that they are headed in the right direction and will have more motivation to move forward in their work.
Another negative effect of praise could be that children are just looking for the satisfaction of their teacher’s approval and not actually putting full effort into learning. The statement “the desire to learn takes a back seat” goes along with just looking for the praise instead of fully understanding the information. Another statement, “praising student’s intelligence gives them a short burst of pride followed by negative effects” describes how the wrong type of praise will turn out. Possibly children who are praised for their intelligence get a big head and don’t work as hard since they got the satisfaction of being smart. I agree with the idea of effort or process praise. I believe this is the correct way to praise children, not just praising their intelligence but the effort and ideas they are putting forward and how to improve or continue to stay successful. Praise is most definitely a necessary thing for children, its just the way a teacher praises a student that will either produce negative or positive effects.
This article really made me think about what I’ve done in the classroom as a substitute and as a fieldwork student. Before reading this article all I ever heard was how teachers needed to praise their students in order to get the best out of them. Granted, often with the previous statement I would also hear that I should praise the exact action that the student did, not just blindly say “good job”, but that was more for the student to know what they did well. I never heard that praising a student could eventually cause the student to struggle in school by becoming a fixed-mind set type person. And as a teacher this is the last thing you want your students thinking. If your students believe that their intelligence is fixed and there is nothing that they can do to change that, then they’re not going to see any reason to come to school and put forth effort.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher you already believe in growth mind-set otherwise you wouldn’t be a teacher. And since every teacher believes in this theory and should be passionate about it, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get students to believe in it as well. While thinking about teaching I began thinking about what I do when I’m substituting or doing my observations. I realized I often try and get the students to say a task is easy. Before reading this article, I felt that if I got the students to say something was easy, then they would be more receptive to learning about the topic. However, according to Dweck, this may in fact have the opposite effect. The students may actually not want to learn more about a topic if the information is more difficult to obtain, since the previous information was easy to comprehend. That’s the last thing I want to do as a teacher is promote a behavior that reinforces students putting no effort towards learning. So this article was quite enlightening for me in realizing that I need to rethink how I approach praising students.
This article also had me thinking about the exercise we did in class about taking the pill that makes you smarter but perceived as dumber. I feel that’s the issue that is presented to those who believe in a fixed mind-set. They chose not to take the pill because they don’t want to be perceived as dumb. We need to get these students to take the pill, meaning take chances and risks, in order to learn more, rather than playing it safe. Students shouldn’t be afraid to fail, but unfortunately that’s one of the biggest fears of a child. If we somehow get students to be unafraid of failing then in result they will begin having a growth mind-set because perception won’t matter as much.
Walter Figueroa
ReplyDeleteI find this article to prove very interesting. I am sure we all can relate to knowing someone who has everything come naturally and others who have to work hard and put in alot of effort to get the same result. I believe motivation and praise is important in the classroom. It is good to let a student know they should be happy with the work they are putting in, but it never dawned on me that where the motivation is pointed to truly makes a big difference. If a student feels they have fixed knowledge, if a difficult task comes up they don't think a certain amount of effort will help them. They give up because they feel if it doesn't come naturally, it's not going to happen at all. I can definitely relate to that feeling sometimes.
Alot of times when we see successful people we see the nice side, the end result. We don't see the hardship and the struggle that is behind the scenes. I think many people feel if something doesn't come naturally, it won't at all. I can relate and I use to feel like that sometimes even though I feel I've gotten much better and realized there is always room to learn and you can do things you don't originally think are feasible. Praise is important. I know, personally, when I get praise I feel better and more motivated to do even more. I don't think teachers should ever be negative to a student. Even if the student doesn't perform perfectly, they should be praised for their efforts. If they know they're going to be praised for trying hard and the teacher is rooting for them, it will motivate them to continue to push themselves and reach their academic goals. If a student is told they did awful and they should be doing much better it is discouraging.
I found the experiment to be very interesting. It showed that praising the effort rather than the result yields better results overall when students are presented with more challenging tasks. I never thought about it, but it certainly makes sense. Some things will come natural, but eventually everyone is bound to reach that task that is going to be difficult. If a student is conditioned to be praised on their results and think everything should be easy, they will likely shut down when a hard task comes up. If a student is always conditioned to be proud of the EFFORT they put into their work and and conditioned to believe everything won't always be easy, it makes sense that they will be more prepared to challenging tasks. I definitely agree that we, as teachers, should focus more on effort because I think we'll see alot better results all around. As Professor Hall said during class, the idea is to get the very best out of each student. Not everyone will do as good as the top students and some students will always struggle with things (I still struggle GREATLY with math and I know I always will) but all you can do is try to get the best out of each individual.
Reading this article was eye-opening for me because it made me realize that all throughout school I’ve had a fixed mind-set. I don’t know who gave me intelligence based praise to make me that way or if it’s just part of my personality but looking back I can see where this way of thinking was detrimental to my education in some areas, especially in math. Somewhere in my schooling I got the idea in my head that I was not good at math, I would never be, and being good at math was just not part of my intelligence. Because of that I’ve always (and I still do) approach math with a negative attitude and as soon as I begin to struggle with it I shut down and stop trying. Struggling at math has always made me feel so dumb, and I can remember countless times becoming frustrated to tears with math problems and simply leaving them blank. Every single example in Dweck’s article sounded just like me as an elementary student.
ReplyDeleteHaving this fixed mind-set has been so negative for me that I am going to do all that I can as a teacher to make sure that my students do not develop one. Through my studies in childhood development and psychology I’ve known that there are negative effects to praising a child’s intelligence instead of their effort and process however it hasn’t sunk into until after this article. I do however think that teachers are not the only ones to blame, and that parents can be the culprit of intelligence-based praise as well.
Setting out to only praise a child’s effort and learning process instead of their intelligence may seem like an easy feat, but I think it actually takes a lot of effort on the teacher’s part. Firstly, it can be so easy for a teacher to have a slip of the tongue and exclaim to a student “You’re so smart!” or “You’re so good at math!” that the teacher may not even realize it. Secondly, many classroom reward systems are not set up to reward the thought process and effort level of the student. Students usually only get rewarded for giving a correct answer, and those who did not come up with that answer or who did not come up with it in time are given nothing even though they may have put a tremendous amount of effort and thought into solving the problem.
I think a lot people view effort as a bad thing and believe that everything in life should come effortlessly, and if it does not they simply give up. This is probably because as students they viewed themselves as having fixed-intelligences. Having this view can severely impact one’s thinking as an adult and potentially in their career. I agree with Brittany that each student will vary in which type of praise/reward will be good for him or her. This is why it’s so important to put a great deal of effort into getting to know your students and understanding their needs as individual students.
-Stephanie Pyle
I had to laugh at Dweck's opening statement regarding young people's expectant success because they are special. Not too long ago my first child began playing sports; t-ball,5 yr old soccer, etc. At the end of every season the kids would get a trophy, and that became a reason to continue to play-the end of the year party and the trophy! My husband was floored--he played baseball as a kid and you never got a trophy unless you beat the pants off everyone else! It was for pride that you played hard, so to that end I agree that parents and society have created this (and future) generation of kids who expect reward simply for participation.
ReplyDeleteAs I continued to read the article, I was reminded of an article I read 8 or 9 years ago in a parenting magazine which addressed praising your children. This article, as in years ago, gave me an "A-ha" moment. The parenting article talked about the importance of specific praise vs. global or generalized praise. Say your child came home with a painting from art class--global praise would be "That is another beautiful job you did" whereas specific praise would be "I love the way you used red over here, and then painted this shape down below." The premise of the article was that kids catch on to the emptiness of global praise in its all-inclusive greatness, and then the feel they must always reach that level of overall greatness. They can sense when it is insincere and doesn't speak to the effort. The article goes on to mention many negative effects of this, which Dweck duplicates in this article, mainly the fear to challenge oneself and the danger in labeling oneself for life. I see now through this article the implications of classroom praise. Both articles are saying the same thing.
With respect to praising the effort not the intelligence, I thought back to my papers, book reports, essays, and projects all through secondary school and even college. I always felt teacher's comments were so much more appreciated than just the grade. This is a case of end-result (the grade) vs. feedback, and I always felt that feedback was a kind of effort praise where specific things could be addressed. This leads me to another point of feedback, one regarding the growth mind-set. Dweck states that the "growth mind-set creates motivation and resilience." This speaks to a child's ability to bounce back from constructive criticism. If a child becomes too afraid to challenge himself, he will not be able to reevaluate himself either. I absolutley believe in positive reinforcement and in using praise to that end. However, I will really think now before certain things come out of my mouth. I have Ed Psych next semester and have requested 7th grade for observation, and I will be paying extra attention as Dweck also noted how 7th graders' worlds really change in terms of work difficulty and social/learning environments. Since this seems to be a critical year for self-perception, I'll be able to see if specific, effort based praise lifts them up.
Gregg
ReplyDeleteYou are such a hard ass!!!!!! Actually, I wondered what you thought of team rewards-class divided in 4 or 5 teams and team rewarded. No individual tallys. Premise is that peer approval or disapproval is more powerful that teacher. Like, or no? :)
Meredith
It does seem that many times a teacher will praise a student on how intelligent they are instead of praising them for their effort. I completely agree with Carol Dweck's essay. She taught me the difference between a fixed mind-set student and a growth mind-set student. It is important to make all your students see that effort is rewarded and not how smart you are. Studnts should be challenged so they do not become fixed mind-set students. In a classroom, the worst thing as a teacher is for your students to give up and not try to learn what is taught. Obviously not every student is going to understand all the material taught; I could never understand math, but I always studied for it and tried to work out the problems as best as I could. Many of my math teachers even through college would say to write something down and to show all your work because even if you do not get the prblem correct you will still recieve some points for the work you showed instead of zero points for skipping over the problem.
ReplyDeleteStudents must learn at an early age that trying is everything, and that succeeding is not. You can be good at everything but than what challenges you? As a future teacher (hopefully) I hope that if my students do not take anything from my class they at least will know that your grades are earned by effort and that you must try things before you give up on them. Being smart is not everything.
I am also a firm believer in rewards. I do not think that a class should be rewarded if they did not make any efforts in their learning, but if your class works together to figure something out and challenges themselves, than they deserve something. Going out to play kickball, having a friday movie, bringing in bagels or donuts etc. shows your students that effort can be rewarded and it also shows that a teacher is proud of their students efforts to learn something new. Spoiling your class is another story. I do not believe that eveytime your students learn something new they should receive and awars. They need to know that they need to try on a daily basis and they can not just try once and recieve something. They need to know effort is not a one day thing.
I agree with Andria that it is bit sad to hear that we are the future educators of these children that are a "generation of young people who can't get through the day without an award." A reward does not have to be stickers or a prize box, but rather is a high five or a simple “great job”. Like Shayna said praise “it builds their confidence and their motivation to learn”. It is important to positively encourage your students. When students feel good about themselves, their work will improve. Through improved work, their self-confidence will be greater. We as teacher do not need to praise the correct answers, but rather praise the student’s efforts. I feel that students are so scared to make mistakes, when really we all learn from our mistakes. It is not always important that the students get the correct answer, but rather the process and effort that the students put into doing that problem.
ReplyDeleteLike Andria, I found it interesting that “when students were aware that the brain is just muscles that need to be trained and exercised, they made cooperative efforts to strengthen their brains and chose challenging activities rather than simpler.” Last year when I started my paraprofessional job, one of the first things that Mary said is I do not give out stickers because students are here to learn and work hard. I thought to myself hmmm no stickers, but it’s elementary school isn’t that why stickers were created!!!! I was wondering how she was going to praise the students. Instead of giving out stickers she has something even better. Mary uses the slogan, from Dr. Jean, kiss your brain. Every time a student says a great answer she says kiss your brain. The students love it. It makes the students praise themselves and she praises them by saying the slogan.
Now kiss your brain is great for the younger students, but what about the secondary age students. The high school where I observe is a low income culturally diverse school. The lack of motivation in the class from the students is mind blowing. I leave there thinking how scary it is knowing the lack of motivation and self confidence that this next generation has. However, the teacher praises effort and uses incentives such as the computer, food, or free time. At the end of the day the work is done and now they are starting to do it on their own. So this shows me that they can do their work and the importance of praise. Yet, there needs to be a way to make them work with a bribing incentive. Because not everyone gets done their work, it is not fair for all. Also, like Gregg said “A temporary reward doesn’t teach them long term thinking skills, or inspire them to learn beyond doing”.
Teachers need to remember that positive reinforcement of self esteem is most important. You want to positively encourage your students through praise of effort. Stickers at the end of the day get thrown away, however when a student feel great about their work on the inside that lasts a lifetime.
I consider that most students can develop intelligence but only through effort and education. If it was not for effort and education we would not be able to expand our intellectualism. It is a fact that is not only about being “smart” but how we utilize and increase our knowledge and the effort to get there. For example, to have a 4.0 GPA doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is intelligent. In fact, I know people that have a very high GPA and I know for fact that they are neither intellectuals nor book smarts. Instead, they are determined to keep high grades in exchange of a reward or praise. One of my co-workers said to me yesterday “I am looking for an easy class to bring my GPA score up; my mom is driving me crazy because my grades are kind of low” She was not looking to gain knowledge but to hide her failures from her mother. This is what Dweck discusses in her article about “the fixed mind-set students.” “Finally, students in the fixed mind-set don’t recover well from setbacks. When they hit setback in school, they decrease their efforts and consider cheating” Even though, they know that they are “cheating,” they’ll do whatever it takes to conceal their failures. They seek for self- acceptance and to “look smart” in front of others.
ReplyDeleteThe author also discusses about students that try to learn from their mistakes and are willing to fight to achieve their goals. “By contrast, in the growth mind-set students care about learning. When they make a mistake or exhibit a deficiency, they correct it. For them, effort is a positive thing: It ignites their intelligence and causes it to grow.” This is life itself, isn’t it? You learn to grow as a person by making mistakes. I teach my kids that every day “I can tell you about life and about what to do and not to do but at the end it is your choice. I won’t be here to save you every time you get in trouble; mistakes are good, they’ll make you stronger, wiser, and knowledgeable.” Both started college in September and they were somewhat fearful of it; especially for my 16 year-old because she feels intimidated by the older students. “It is normal to have fear” I said to Kathie “I believe in you Kathie, prove yourself that you can do this. It won’t be easy it takes a lot of effort but it’ll payoff at the end.” It takes effort to walk out of college with knowledge and a degree. I detest when some parents give their kids options similar to “Either you go to school or work while you live under our roof.” This is so common in our society, why some parents give them that option? When in reality, they are be capable to do both, work and attend school. My friend is a perfect example “My son gets $20 for every A he gets at school” she told me about six years ago. She bought him a new car when he graduated from high school. Nowadays, he is a sophomore in college. “He is allowed to keep his car as long as he stays in college and finishes” she said. This irritates me, he doesn’t work; has a brand new car, gets allowance as long as he stays in school. Moreover, she promised him $5,000 if he graduates and he gets to keep the car as well. It is obvious that he is a perfect example of a fixed-set student because his mom is rewarding him. Now, can we blame him for this behavior? I blame his mom for it; it is evident that she had initiated this behavior. Her son has continued in pleasing her, otherwise, he’ll lose everything that he has obtained in the last few years.
“Praising students’ intelligence gives them a short burst of pride, followed by a long string of negative consequences.” I’ve been observing a 4th grade class in which the teacher uses the “reward technique.” In my opinion, she uses this technique in excess. I agree with the author because I believe too, that this technique helps the students only for a short period of time. These children are constantly looking for something in exchange of their participation, homework, good behavior, etc. Constantly, she gives passes to the candy drawer, tickets (drawing every week) detention pass, homework pass; it is ridiculous. Do our kids need rewards? Yes, they do need rewards, but when this gets out of hand or is given to them in excess, this rather will create a negative behavior.
ReplyDeleteSorry my post is late. Didn't know that the link for the article was on here.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t always the best student or the hardest working student; I was the average student. I excelled in gym class, my multiplication and division skills, and art. Whenever an ounce of praise was given to me for something I wasn’t good at, I became elated and attempted to work harder. When my harder work wasn’t praised, I became disappointed and ended up going back to my previous behavior. I wasn’t motivated unless I got something for it. It seems like in schools now a days, praise has to be given constantly in order to keep a student motivated to do better. What ever happened to students motivating themselves to do better without the praise from a teacher or parent? When it comes to praise, sometimes it’s necessary as a way to motivate and inspire students, but there are also times when it’s overdone, abused, and hurtful to those who never get it.
ReplyDeleteIn grade school, the teachers show praise in the classroom with candy, classroom lottery tickets, and homework passes to show the students what behavior and work ethic is most valued. Even the administration at the school itself contributes to praise with Student of the Month Awards, Peer Leadership Awards, Sports Awards, etc. These ways of praise are excellent ways to motivate students, but then again, it can also be disappointing to the students who do all they can to earn the praise and never receive it because they aren’t good enough. I remember in grade school when it was that time once a month to announce the Student of the Month. I remember the disappointment when it wasn’t me, but then again, I remember the elation when it was me. I was always student of the month at least once a year from Kindergarten to 8th grade. The category for the award would change every month so the teachers would look for different qualities to award every month. I never received it for the best grades; I always received it for either most improved grades or best behavior. If the category for certain praises and awards changed and ranged over the year, it would give a fair and equal shot to all the students. If the award went to the best straight A student every month, then the award would probably always go to the same student or students, which isn’t fair because not every student gets straight A’s.
The best reward I ever got was when I finally mastered something that I didn’t fully understand before. We need to motivate students with knowledge and the want for an education. Most college students are at that point. You all know what I’m talking about. Here’s a clue: I’m a creative writing major and last semester there was an Avant-Garde Poetry Workshop with Stephen Dunn; unfortunately I couldn’t fit it into my curriculum worksheet, but I wish I could have because it sounded like such an amazing workshop. When it’s that time of year to register and to pick certain electives, we go for the ones that sound interesting and would be fun to learn about. College students have a thirst for knowledge. We need to find a way to pass it on to our students when it’s our time to figure out how to motivate them. How are you going to do it without using gimmicks?
I was not aware the article was up. Sorry this is late
ReplyDeleteI think praising children is good but don't hold it to them if they don't do well. What I use to hate is when I would do something good my teachers would praise me, but if I had a bad day my teachers would be like, Dave are you losing it? You need to stop slacking. Get with it. And it would get to me. I don't think that this motivates kids to learn. I hate when teachers would point me out. People don't need to know how I do. Just leave me alone. hahah
As I read Andrea's, I knew exactly what she means. I could study my ass off and get like an 88 on a quiz and thought I was untouchable and my teacher wouldn't say anything. I'd be like, you know what if she doesn't care I don't care. And then I'd be that kid again.
I do believe that certain kids will be motivated when they are encouraged. I think there are kids that when the teacher pats them on the back or are praised in class, they want to impress the teacher again and they strive to do it again.
I like how andrea said that her best reward was when she mastered something and finally fully understood it. I love when I finally understood something and was able to help my fellow students with the problem. I like how the kids were able to depend on me for what they weren't sure of.
Hey Meredith
ReplyDeleteI am not a hard ass! I just think rewarding kids for what they are supposed to be doing anyway is crazy.
As far as working in teams go, did you ever notice that usually one or two people wind up doing all the work? You and I were fine but I've always found any more than three and the work does not get divided equally.
As far as students judging other students, I think they are probably harsher critics than the teacher(except for Hall of course. Ha Ha!)
but that could lead to hurt feelings. However this doesn't mean I don't favor competition. I can't stand the "you didn't lose Johnny. You're just the last winner" crap. That's not life.
The more we can do to prepare kids for life outside school, the better off they will be, in my opinion.
Gregg
I forgot the article was going to be posted. I am really sorry this is so late.
ReplyDeleteMy parents always told me that I had to work hard to earn what I wanted. They knew I was smart but that only made them be harder on me. My intelligence meant that I had to try harder than everyone else to earn skills. My parents were tough on me but that only made me want to be better. They would drill me on my homework, presentations, projects, etc. I had no excuse if I brought home bad grades. If I had bad grades it was my own fault for not putting in some effort because I already had the smarts.
To my dismay my teachers were just as hard on me as my parents were. My teachers knew I was smart and that I did not need to try hard to do well in class, so they were especially tough on me. There was a second grade math assignment I turned in late. I knew I wasn't the only one who had not turned it in because most of my classmates found the assignment hard. My teacher knew that was not the case with me. She knew I did not do it because I was being lazy, and she basically haunted me until I did it. It pissed me off so bad. However, since then I always do my homework on time, unless I forget. The other incident happened with my eleventh grade English teacher. I always got A's on the class and he was always mad at me because he told me I needed to be in the honors class, I was in the college prep class. The time came to sign up for senior year classes. My English teacher refused to sign my class paper until I signed up for AP English.
AP English was a kick in the behind. I had never had to work so hard to get an A since 8th grade. I sailed through my first three years of high school. I became one of those students with the fixed mind-set. I wanted to drop the class from the first day. My first marking period was a nightmare I was failing the class. The only reason I stuck through the first marking period was because my friends helped me out and forced me to stay in the class. I had to work really hard but when I started to get A's I was the happiest person in the world. I knew I had earned them. I learned that my parents had been right from the beginning that you have to work hard to earn things. As mad as I had been with my junior English teacher I became glad that he had put his foot down. He knew that I could do the work even if I doubted it myself.
On the account of praising I believe praise has a negative effect for different reasons. I became a fixed mind-set student because I love to slack off - if given the chance. But, personally I hate being praised by teachers. It makes me feel awkward and like the center of attention. I am shy so I like to be left alone. The negative effect it can have is that classmates can come to hate the student being praised. Most of my classmates hated me because I always got good grades. It alienated me from my peers. It is better if teachers just don't say anything about how smart a student is. The only thing praise does is make students feel like they are either smart or stupid. If smart they feel the pressure to live up to their intelligence. If stupid - why should they care about school?
Carol Dweck explains the difference between the fixed mind set and the growth mind set in her article, “The Perils and Promises of Praise”. I personally believe younger students consider they are born with the fixed mind set because they are too young to understand that practice can increase their intellectual results. These students may decide their poor math skills are direct results from their parents, but I infer that as these children mature, they realize that this intelligence, or lack thereof, can be positively enhanced through striving to attain further education in the subject matter they may be struggling in.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I understand the pressure and difficulty young students undergo, based on comparisons that are continually thrown at them. They may feel inadequate due to the fact that their peers may come across as “smarter”. I experience a sense of sympathy for students with disabilities who are placed into classes that contain students with intelligence results far greater than the mentally disabled students. As teachers, how do we ensure we are creating an equal educational environment for all groups of students?
Rewarding students can definitely have a positive impact on both their intellectual and emotional levels and every type of educational learner should be included in the reward system. I feel that students, who obtain fantastic grades and do exceptional in class, should be educationally pushed in whatever subject area they already excel in. The mentally disabled students should also be encouraged to strive towards accomplishing goals, as long as these goals are reasonable within the student’s intellectual means. The rewards should be given to students who achieve their goals, otherwise the students would feel the reward was mundane and expected and that they were not truly appreciated.
A growth mind set can double as a learning tool and a reward. In the article, a student mentioned the following, “If you do not give up and you keep studying, you can find your way through.” By studying the persevering, a student can achieve personal growth and may develop their own reward system once they start seeing a positive change. Rewarding a student for performing expected daily tasks is pointless, but rewarding a student who achieves beyond the unexpected is necessary; even if the student achieved their goal by utilizing the growth mind set. In this case, the student finds themselves in a win/win situation.
I once heard a wise person say recently that we gave our children everything we had except STRUGGLE.
ReplyDeleteI was in gifted classes my entire life and was "praised" as smart and creative for as long as I can remember. While not ever being praised at home – which was odd as my Father was a taught the gifted for 30 years! The praise was a double-edged sword from the beginning. While the studies here make some great points, you have to take into account that the negative effects of this kind of praise go far beyond personal motivation. Being praised as smart follows you from class to class, which in and of itself isn't that bad. But teachers often expect you to grasp concepts immediately. Often you're held to different standards. If you fail to understand something it can sometimes be met with disbelief or what to a child (or college student even) feels like ridicule. It's as if they didn't expect to have to teach you. This is also when difficult concepts are abandoned - not out of prima-donna behavior but out of embarrassment. You were supposed to get it right the first time. Praise can be a form of control just like punishment. A child who gets used to expecting it, becomes dependent on this external motivator (hurt when not getting it) and loses sight of her own authentic direction. She or he will form their life with the desire to please parents and teachers, impress others and seek external approval. When we depend on approval for feeling good about ourselves, we end up deeply insecure. If we succeed to live up to the expectations, we are temporarily happy but are lost when we fail. Some of the top students are the most insecure ones for this very reason. To me it is about effort. It is about what you put into it, and giving it your all, in a balanced way, under whatever circumstances. It's about being present in the moment, enjoying the task, and again, giving it your all! It's about taking action - "do" is the operative word. By the way, children in China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe and increasingly, Africa...who are getting advanced Math and Engineering degrees...don't need to be praised each and every minute of their childhood. Their parents have too much to do in the current climate laying a solid economic foundation to their/their children's futures -- and that our their Nations. Culturally, the kudos go towards the old...who have survived much, laid the foundations for current progress...and EARNED praise. American children will have to compete with self-assured, confident, ambitous, studious, very hard-working!
I believe it's important to praise children/students in things they excel in, because the quality of confidence, meaningless in and of itself, is vital for paving one's way in life. However, it's also important to hinder arrogance. Perhaps the word "encourage" is more fitting than "praise". Praise connotes some kind of exaggeration. Never should a child/student be told they're stupid or anything like that; all criticism should be constructive. Too often, you get teachers who are dissatisfied with themselves, so they vent it by belittling students. Children/students should be encouraged to cultivate skills they enjoy, regardless of their natural aptitude. Most often, it seems to me, that proficiency in some skill is the result of interest--that itself can take you 3/4 as far as genius, and an outsider wouldn't know the difference. Maybe hard work should not be encouraged, but rather working in a clever fashion. Why dig a hole by hand when you can do it with a shovel? It's a pity to work for no reason, being clever and industrious together should be rewarded, and the people at the top at their fields are always looking for ingenious ways to make their hard work pay off better. It can take different forms, such as insightfulness, inventiveness, etc. I think it's very important to encourage a child/student in the following way. Suppose there's a skill they're neither naturals at, nor interested in, but you're convinced that it's an important skill to possess. Then you should not push them to hone that skill, but rather do your best to explain to them and convince them why that skill is important. Of course, if it's a sink-or-swim scenario, then it might help to be a little pushy.
ReplyDeletePart 1 - When I was in elementary school, I brought home straight A’s or check +’s. In 5th or 6th grade, a friend’s father was the Superintendent of schools in our small town. He revealed the results of standardized test scores to my mother and I think to me. I can’t remember the details, but my friend and I were told we had very high IQ scores and were very intelligent. We were also told to keep it a secret.
ReplyDeleteI was chubby (with a pretty face) and the designated scapegoat in our family. Finally, I had value! My mom, embarrassed by my chubbiness, now had something she could be proud of too.
My brother is 2 years older than me. He always struggled with his grades and had behavior problems. Report cards came home, and my mother and father’s lecture was always the same, “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” This created a load of collateral damage.
Years later, I realized a few key things:
• Since I was smart, my work was never scrutinized. I could remain a secret agent.
• Since I did what I was told and brought home good grades, my parents assumed I didn’t need anything. I was self-sufficient.
• If I didn’t understand something, I would be too embarrasses to seek help.
• I gravitated toward subjects and assignments that were familiar or easy. I never understood that it was OK to not know something. I was terribly insecure!
• When I was young, I wasn’t afraid to ask questions. In later years, I was told I ask too many questions. I shut down and made up my own alternate reality.
• My only claim to fame in my home was my intelligence. My intelligence was the only catalyst for praise or attention. I had to protect it at all costs.
Back to School
Since our classes were grouped by ability, (1971) my friend and I were in the highest sections in 7th and 8th grade. This is where my problems began. There were so many things that I didn’t understand. My class was the first to receive Algebra instruction. I was clueless and quite honestly, I think my teacher was too. I assumed that since I understood some parts of the lessons, it would eventually “click” and I would breeze through it. This pattern of false belief was my SOP throughout junior high and high school and until my 40’s. Also, as mentioned in the article, I learned how to cheat and practiced it in High School.
I was lost without my intelligence – until I finished puberty and became attractive. That is another blog.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteIn my senior year, I found out that I had a GPA. Can you believe I didn’t know what that was? It took awhile to realize that everyone’s hands-off approach played a part the lost opportunity to challenge myself. I couldn’t fix my GPA. It was part of “the permanent record” my mom was always referring to.
Praising my intelligence in elementary school, rather than my actual work or effort was truly harmful. It gave my parents a “pass” on responsibility. It allowed me to hide out. We kept our heads in the sand because it was easier for everyone because there was so much other dysfunction to deal with. This wasn’t a collective decision. At 50, I know enough about my mother and myself that I can state this with certainty. She had her reasons as did I. Today I call that “I’ll lie about it and you will swear to it.”
AS a middle aged adult, it has been terribly embarrassing to talk about the elephant in the room. Of course I only talk about it with myself and with my class.
I have returned to College for a post Baccalaureate degree. I began this journey as a non-matriculated student in January 2009. I was forced to do it with my eyes open. I faced the elephant. The work was a challenge and I worked hard. This was something I had rarely done before because it was supposed to come easy. Right……
I raised my grades high enough to be accepted into the teaching program. I still struggle to keep up and am learning how to learn the correct way. When I receive praise, encouragement or constructive criticism from a professor, I know it is legitimate. My professors judge me on the work I am doing, or not doing. I don’t have to hide or pretend when I don’t understand. I just ask. This seems so simple.
Conclusion
In my fieldwork assignment, there is a young lady that has been told she is gifted and talented since birth. Prior to 5th grade, things came easy to her. She has to work harder in 5th grade and she occasionally makes a mistake. Her parents become combative with the teacher and she gets pouty because the teacher won’t change a grade. The teacher explained to the student and her parents that 5th grade is harder and that she needs to realize that not everything will be as easy as it was in the lower grades. She is being prepared for Junior High and the work and responsibilities have increased. There is no doubt that she has the ability to do the work. She is just used to getting it done with minimal effort. She has been praised for her intelligence. She gets frustrated and doesn’t know how to handle this new reality. Her teacher praises her work and does her best to being her back to reality.
This was me, 40 years ago, without the teacher. I wish I had a teacher who talked to me and my mom this way. I wonder where I would be today.