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What is Good Praise?

Everything is really complicated when it comes to brains. It seems so intuitive that praising a good student is a good thing and that reprimanding a bad student is a necessary part of learning. But as we've learned, that's not always the case. Looking back to last week, I think that building up "practical wisdom" is a key part of developing a good teacher sense of praise in the classroom. Praise and criticism are still important for motivation and development, but they must be enacted in thoughtful and deliberate ways. As we've been discussing in our EPSE classes, there are forms of praise that enforce a fixed mindset, and forms that promote a growth mindset. To this end, we must be careful as teachers to comment on behaviours rather than people, progress rather than product; effort rather than result. These practices bolster student's developing intrinsic motivations and help them gain confidence and a sense of autonomy over their own learning. I also think that the role of peer-praise and criticism is worth considering, especially during adolescence. While a teacher's opinion matters, teens are often more swayed by their friends and classmates. For this reason, I think it's crucial to develop a classroom climate that welcomes students to celebrate a friend's success and also to offer offer support when their classmates struggle.

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