Remote Ready Biology Learning Activities

As a tutor assisting first graders with their writing, one of the difficulties I have experienced is not knowing how and what to praise. In my fieldwork, I offered general praises for a variety of purposes: to encourage or motivate a child, to express admiration for a piece of work, to recognize a child's efforts, to draw a child's attention to the useful strategies that he or she used. Consequently, I felt it was necessary to expand my vocabulary of praises to go beyond the usual "good job" and "well done." I assumed that my praises would achieve their desired positive effect, and that the child would understand my intentions. In addition, I expected the child to beam with joy upon receiving praise and experience an elevation of self-confidence. I naively thought praise could only induce good feelings in the child. However, the children I have worked with led me to reexamine my ideas about praise. By speculating on the diverse ways in which my praises could have been interpreted by the recipient, I hope to underline some important considerations that would help tutors refine their skills in delivering effective praise.

On one occasion, my tutee rejected my praise about her writing. When I said, "You are getting good at this," Lena replied, "That's not true." I was taken aback by her blatant objection, which also made me feel like a liar. I expected the child to savor, rather than reject, my praise. I realized that if I had meant to acknowledge Lena's effort and provide encouragement, then my praise must be more specific, referring to particular aspects of the child's performance (Brophy, 275). If I had wanted Lena to be aware that she is showing improvement and making progress towards mastery, then my praise should contain these elements: the standards which I use to evaluate the child, the things she did that define or promote performing well and thus her attainment of those standards, and my expectations for the child in that particular context (Henderlong & Lepper, 786). For example, I could say to Lena, "I am glad that you remember to capitalize the first word of your sentence and leave a space after each word."

Because I did not know Lena well enough, I should not have alluded to her progress. Consequently, my praise was as an evaluation. Brophy proposes that one should praise children only when it is likely that they view their accomplishments as deserving of praise, or when they would recognize their performance when it is pointed out (276). Assuming that children are capable of appraising their accomplishments, Lena might view me as a tutor who has made a disingenuous attempt to make her feel good about herself, especially since she is aware that she does not write as easily and as well as others. In the long run, this could hurt my credibility with the child. Damon believes that children are also sensitive to empty flattery and like adults, they are capable of asking themselves these questions: "Why do people feel they need to make up things about me? What is wrong with me that people need to cover up? (74)" While my intentions were good, my praise might negatively impacted Lena’s confidence in her own ability.

If my remark were a sincere observation of her progress, then Lena's reply may reflect her existing view of herself as a writer. According to Henderlong & Lepper, children's response to praise may depend on whether the praise is consistent with their views and beliefs of themselves (779). If Lena held the belief that she is an incompetent writer, then she is likely to reject a praise intended to help enhance her confidence in writing. However, praise can still be effective if it is specific, genuine, and given sparingly (Henderlong & Lepper, 779). Clearly, it is important to examine one's motives for wanting to praise a child before delivering praise. As a tutor, I had viewed 'praise' as synonymous with 'affirm' and focused too heavily on the effect which I wished my praise would have on the child. Consequently, there is a discrepancy between my intended message for the child and the message conveyed by my praise.

While effective praise is beneficial, tutors must not be overly anxious to deliver praise, especially when they are still getting acquainted with the learner. Henderlong & Lepper explicate the importance of a learner's relationship with the educator, "[T]he same praise statement given in the context of a more conflict-ridden or less-secure relationship may be perceived as manipulative, controlling, or as a sign that the teacher feels sorry for the student" (779). I noticed that when Lena is working with her teacher, she seems to respond well to both general and specific praises. Lena's close relationship with her teacher might have also led the child to perceive the praises as genuine and helpful. When I first worked with Lena, I used praise to open conversations because I thought that would be a good way to build rapport with her. Lena, however, remained aloof and withdrawn. Therefore, it may useful for tutors to monitor how praise is being received by tutees in order to avoid giving empty praises.

A student, Bel, once came up to me with her journal to share a new story. While reading, I was actively searching for praiseworthy details. I responded, "Good job!" and praised the child about the content and her ability to write long sentences. There was an awkward moment when Bel looked up at me, as if expecting me to ramble on, and I thought to myself that I had run out of things to praise. With a shy smile, Bel said, "And I remember to leave a space between the sentences and put in the periods." Her simple remark helped me view the issue of praise from a different perspective. Bel wanted me to be the audience of her story, not a reader who assesses its merits. As a writer, she could recognize some of the things that she did well; she was probably more aware of her accomplishments. In a sense, my praise was unnecessary unless it conveyed that I enjoyed the story or admired her work.

More importantly, I realize that adults can help children "praise" their own work; my usage of the word "praise" conflicts with the conventional notion. Kanouse, Gumpert, & Canavan (1981) define praise to be "positive evaluations made by a person of another's products, performances, or attributes, where the evaluator presumes the validity of the standards on which the evaluation is based" (Henderlong & Lepper, 775). I feel, however, that regular praise could diminish a child's ownership of his or her work. Children may eventually measure the value of their work by the praises they receive. Consequently, they are motivated to put in their best efforts for the sake of receiving praise, not for the purpose of the task or the enjoyment they may derived from it (Persaud, 2004; Cleary, 1990).

Praise that is meant to convey competence, if not carefully offered, may also encourage children to compare their performance with their peers' (Henderlong & Lepper, 785). Children as young as 7 or 8 are capable of using normative information to draw inferences about their individual competence (Henderlong & Lepper, 785). Although social-comparison praise is more likely to negatively impact older children's intrinsic motivation and response to challenge (Henderlong & Lepper, 785), I feel that social-comparison praise may also affect younger children's developing perception of success. One should also be aware that children who receive continual praise may feel undue pressure to repeat their praiseworthy accomplishments (Cleary, 25). This could take the enjoyment and challenge out of learning and could hurt a child's subsequent performance.

Praise is often assumed to have positive effects on the recipient. Yet, we have seen how praise may have detrimental effects on children's view of their own ability, attitude towards learning, performance, and intrinsic motivation. Therefore, tutors should also help children to appreciate their work. After reading Bel's story, for example, I could have invited her to share the writing process: Did she enjoy writing the story, and why? Which is her favorite part of the story? Which did she think she has done well? Praise may be more informative and effective when it is given after one has solicited the child's opinion, especially when one does not already have a good gauge of the child's abilities.

Generally, one should praise children for both their effort and ability to perform well (Brophy, 276). Compared with children who are praised for effort, children praised for ability are more concerned with performance goals, tend to attribute their successes and failures to ability, and are less likely to persist at a task after experiencing failure (Henderlong & Lepper, 781). However, one should not overemphasize the amount of effort expended by the child to achieve success, as the child may interpret this as an indication of his or her lack of ability (Brophy, 276). Previously, I had not known how to add variety to my praises. Thus, I might have overpraised a child for his or her effort. According to Henderlong & Lepper, one should also praise children for other process-oriented factors as well, such as "the sorts of strategies, self-corrections, or thoughtful concentration underlying children’s achievements" (781). In my fieldwork, I found this advice to be useful and observed that children seem to respond well to such praises.

Brophy states, "[n]o teacher will be able to praise effectively on a continuing basis and yet simultaneously accomplish all the other tasks of teaching" because of the factors-time, focused attention, and effort to individualize comments—involved (277). I believe that this is where tutors could come in useful, especially if they work one-on-one with a child or with a small group of children. To become effective praisers, tutors must be conscious of their intentions before praising a learner, and thoughtful about the words they use. Effective praise, when offered at the right time in the right words, could serve to empower the learner.

Works Cited

Brophy, Jere. On Praising Effectively. The Elementary School Journal 81 (1981): 268-278.

Cleary, Linda M. The Fragile Inclination to Write: Praise and Criticism in the Classroom. The
English Journal 79 (1990): 22-28.

Damon, William. Greater Expectations: Overcoming the Culture of Indulgence in America’s
Homes and Schools. New York: The Free Press, 1995. 74.

Henderlong, Jennifer, and Lepper, Mark R. The Effects of Praise on Children’s Intrinsic
Motivation: A Review and Synthesis. Psychological Bulletin 128 (2002): 774-795.

Persaud, Raj. Overdose of Praise Can be Toxic. The Times Educational Supplement 24 Sep.
2004: 20.

How can I deliver effective praise?

1. Before you praise a learner, be aware of your intentions for offering praise

2. Be thoughtful about the words you use to prevent miscommunication

3. Offer praise that is sincere and specific

4. Add variety to your praise

5. Acknowledge both the learner's effort and ability

6. Avoid praise that refers to progress unless you are familiar with the learner

7. Praise sparingly to avoid creating undue stress for the learner

8. Avoid social comparison when offering praise

9. Monitor how the learner is responding to praise

10. Balance praise with efforts to help the learner appreciate his or her own work

Hello, learners/teachers/writers-and-thinkers-out-loud. Thanks to you all (especially to Samantha) for inviting me into the drafting-and-responding stage of your handbook-making; I feel privileged and excited to participate in this project, and look forward to reading the final version.

I've been thinking about teaching and learning, and re-thinking my teaching and learning, and revising my re-thinking about teaching and learning for decades now (you read this semester one of my more recent attempts--along with some colleagues--to write about our current notion of Emergent Pedagogy: Learning to Enjoy the Uncontrollable – and Make it Productive. So that's where I'm coming from...

...when I say that (like Alison) I want Samantha to slow down and do some explaining first! Before you start describing all the ways to be a role model (all great ways, by the way) I need to be convinced why role-modeling is valuable in teaching-and-learning. I actually shiver @ that phrase, and both its parts:

• "roles"? are they what we are teaching, or want our students to learn: how to perform?
• "modeling"? is that what we are teaching, or want our students to learn: how to copy?

...I worry that, in trying to offer ourselves as role models, we can/could restrict the possibilities of our students' lives--for they will surely grow beyond the confines of ours (I think it's in The Peaceable Classroom that Mary Rose O'Reilley talks about rebellion being the job of youth--they are supposed to push against the roles we give them)...

...even when we are trying, as teachers of "emergent pedagogy," to be role models for the kinds of inquiry in which we want our students themselves to be engaged; even when, as evolvers of new intellectual communities, we are trying to model for our students not only a willingness but an enjoyment in multiple ways of learning ....

...we need to remember, as Cherrie Moraga also said, that the clan mentality can be (strategically) useful; but the identity of the clan must be malleable, open to shifting and changing. How to model that--that our students should not try to become like us, but *only* fully themselves--something new and never-yet-been? (How's that, Sky, as a way of thinking about revolution?)

...found the O'Reilley quote, along w/ another suggesting that, the more insistently we structure our classrooms, the more insistently resistance will be produced:

"The natural work of young people is to subvert and challenge the authority of teacher and parent, no matter how 'enlightened.' This is perhaps their primary learning experience. They are, in some strategic sense, the opposition" (Mary Rose O'Reilley, The Peaceable Classroom 68).

Patti Lather gives a similar account of student dislike of "being understood" by their elders and asks whether teachers' attempts to overcome such resistance are appropriate:

"'"You really hate an adult to understand you. That's the only thing you've got over them, the fact that you can mystify and worry them." Contemporary youth have cause to be wary of giving up their anonymity, of making their private and lived voices the object of public and pedagogical scrutiny.' To what extent is the pedagogy we construct in the name of liberation intrusive, invasive, pressured?" (Patti Lather, Getting Smart: Feminist Research and Pedagogy With/In the Postmodern 143).