Motivation Post 2

Although many people think that praise is a positive way to encourage motivation in students, it can be detrimental if it's not used in the correct way.  Teachers often praise their students on doing simple tasks  in the classroom.  While they may think that this is positive reinforcement for their students, it is actually doing the opposite.  Students might be as though their teachers don't think they are good enough to complete more difficult tasks if they are being praised for the easiest ones.  Also, depending on what teachers are giving praise for, they are showing what they value in schools.  If a teacher is constantly telling his or her students that they are smart, then it shows the students that their teacher cares about intelligence.  They, in turn, will only strive to give the right answers, even if they don't know why they are right.  If a teacher praises his or her students for effort, this motivates his or her students to try, even if they don't get the right answer.

When students are obsessed with proving their intelligence to others, they often opt for the easier task in classrooms because they know that they will succeed in it.  If they are constantly told that they are smart, they might be afraid to fail.  They will only answer the questions that they know are right.  Many times, the best way for students to learn is through their mistakes, and if a student is obsessed with intelligence and getting the right answers, they might not ever learn the concepts, only what to say to get it right.

To provide the most effective praise for students, teachers need to praise their students for putting effort into their work.  They need to motivate students to achieve, but rather than telling them that they are smart, they need to say, "Good effort."  Teachers need to remember that if a student is not focussed on effort and only on intelligence, they might not fully learn in school, and they won't get much else out of the experience other than knowing the right answers.