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Marisa Cappelletty

ECE 210

Dr. Jennifer Haeussler

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Positive praise is a tool that can be used to help teachers gain a better relationship with

their students to make their classroom a healthier environment for all. When children receive

positive praise they become less of a disruption and want to learn along with their peers, this

allows the teacher to have learning time that all students can gain knowledge from. Teaching can

be very difficult when there are constant distractions which is why the teacher has to be in tune

with her students and their needs. When the teacher is in tune with her children then she has the

ability to praise the children effectively for them to feel safe in the classroom. Once the child

feels safe through praise they can learn alongside their peers for a healthy classroom

environment.

The environment changes from a child causing distractions to that child being able to

learn, this then allows the class as a whole to learn with minimal distractions. When children feel

their peers are going to be safe around them and each child can help the other learn, the

classroom takes a shift from being on guard to feeling safe. The teacher has to take the initiative

to develop a personal relationship with each child positively to make this possible. If the children

feel as if they can do good in the classroom by getting positive praise then they are more likely to

engage and follow not just class rules but also the directions that are in place.

“Knowing what to praise your students for and when to give that praise is just as important as the

praise itself.” (Martin 2021).

This article talks about three types of praise, personal praise, effort-based praise, and

behavior-specific praise. The differences between the three will define the outcome of the

classroom. In this article, personal praise is the least effective since this is focusing on the

students strengths and not the effort put in. “Research has shown that this kind of praise may

backfire. When students feel their abilities are outside of their control and just part of who they
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are, they may think they don’t have the ability to improve.” (Martin 2021). Effort-based praise

talks about the hard work a child has done to get their personal outcome and are being

recognized for their efforts. While behavior-specific praise talks about what the child has done

correctly to get a good outcome. These three types of praise will determine what type of class

outcome you will get.

In my personal opinion behavior-specific praise will give a teacher the best outcome

since this is focusing more on what the child did correctly and not what you first observe.

“That doesn’t mean you should start praising students for every little thing they do. And you

can’t expect it to be your only classroom management technique. Before you jump right in, it’s

important to know that some kinds of praise are more effective than others.” (Martin 2021). This

helps the children feel more confident in what they are doing correctly and can help them gear

more towards the positive efforts rather than their efforts put in or their natural abilities. If a child

is putting in a lot of effort but still not getting a good outcome the efforts need to be changed

according to the situation. If a child is being praised for their natural ability they feel as if they

cannot extend their thinking past what they already know in fear of failure.

Praise can negatively affect children if they are being praised for something they have no

control over thus making them feel that they cannot do better than where they are currently at.

This creates hardships in the classroom especially when a child starts to fall behind and the

teachers start to take interest. “For praise to be effective, students need to know what the

standards are. Explicitly state the criteria you’re using to evaluate an assignment or the behaviors

you expect. Then, provide positive feedback that students can directly match to the

expectations.” (Martin 2021).

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I feel that this article was informative on the different types of praise that a teacher can

give and help them further understand why their classroom is functioning the way it is. If a

teacher feels the class is not reaching their full potential then the teacher should be reflecting on

the types of praise they are giving to their children. If you’re focusing on a lot of negatives then

you will get negative outcomes, whereas if you focus on the positives then you will receive

positive outcomes in the classroom.

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The power of effective praise: A guide for teachers

2021 English Amanda Morin

https://www.understood.org/articles/en/the-power-of-effective-praise-a-guide-for-teachers