Praising the Process
There are many misconceptions today that praising a child will make sure they are successful in school. Some teachers and parents believe that if you tell a child "Great job! You are so smart!", that they will believe it and it will improve their grades. In fact, "80% of parents [involved in a study] believed that it was necessary to praise their children's intelligence in order to give them confidence in their abilities." However, I am here to tell you that these beliefs are WRONG. Teachers need to maintain a positive learning atmosphere for their students, but there are better ways to do it. I believe that it is important to educate all of my colleagues and student's parents on this subject so that we can all work together to show kids how their brains are growing each and every day.
First of all, if not praise, then what do we do?
We need encourage kids to have the mindset that we can grow to overcome our failures. It's the power of not understanding something YET.
How can we do this?
1. Don't praise their intelligence, praise the process. The process could be their effort, strategies, concentration, choices, persistence-that helped them remain motivated, confident, and effective.
2. Tell stories about achievements that result from hard work.
First of all, if not praise, then what do we do?
We need encourage kids to have the mindset that we can grow to overcome our failures. It's the power of not understanding something YET.
How can we do this?
1. Don't praise their intelligence, praise the process. The process could be their effort, strategies, concentration, choices, persistence-that helped them remain motivated, confident, and effective.
2. Tell stories about achievements that result from hard work.
An example from the classroom...
A few questions to think about...
1. Is the teacher praising Alex (the bear), or helping his brain grow?
2. Why did the other boy in the class get a worse grade? *Hint: What is his mindset?*
*This is important because it actually happens in classrooms and the effects are HUGE!*
1. Is the teacher praising Alex (the bear), or helping his brain grow?
2. Why did the other boy in the class get a worse grade? *Hint: What is his mindset?*
*This is important because it actually happens in classrooms and the effects are HUGE!*
Lets look at the facts!
Students being praised for their effort had an average of a 76.5% in their junior high school math class! The students in the same class who were being praised for their intelligence only averaged at a 72.5%.
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Student's motivation increased by 18% more for those with a growth mindset, compared to those who were focused on their intelligence.
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To learn more about we can grow our brains, I encourage you to read this article:
How closely were you reading?
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