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| Finals week. Students sit and review notes by the hallway. |
What motivates students to learn? This might be one of the
questions running on a teacher’s mind- just like me. I do not believe in
scolding as a way to improve student performance or gain respect. Though I have
been and still a student myself, I am wondering what my students think of me or
whether or not they find me a motivating teacher. There are many things that
motivate students to learn. I will talk about the thing I utilize in my classes
that keep college kids smiling all throughout the class- the use of praise.
Teacher praise is one powerful motivator for students.
Surprisingly, research suggests that praise is underused in both general- and
special-education classrooms (Brophy, 1981; Hawkins & Heflin, 2011; Kern,
2007). Effective teacher praise consists of two elements: (1) a description of
noteworthy student academic performance or general behavior, and (2) a signal
of teacher approval (Brophy, 1981; Burnett, 2001). I once had a set of students
who never seem to listen or are talking in my composition class. As a result,
when I made them write based on the concepts of my lecture, they failed to
follow. What I did was to go around the classroom, monitoring students’ works, offered
help and made myself available to provide suggestions. When I got the papers
for checking, I called the inattentive students to my desk, and told them they
have the potential and can do even better. That was followed by frequent
praises in front of the class. The result? They took teacher praise seriously
and became good writers. Now, they are in their senior year, writing their
thesis by themselves.
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| Laughter in the classroom. Comfortable students learn easily. |
Teacher praise: Make
the most out of it
Teacher praise is as powerful as it changes student behavior
by indicating teacher approval and informing the student that his/her academic
performance or behavior conforms to teacher expectations (Burnett, 2001).
Recognize your students’
behavior. Teacher praise like “Good job!” on your students’ essays may be
of good intention but it isn’t enough. Instead, expand with a more specific
behavioral element like “Good job! You have written a good thesis statement and
you supported it well. ” 'Good job!' is inadequate because it lacks a
behavioral description (Hawkins & Heflin, 2011). This, when heard by the
class members, can boost confidence and make students motivated enough to do
better.
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| Take a break! Future criminologists smile for the camera. |
It’s not only about
ability but effort and accomplishment. There is some evidence that praise
statements about general ability can actually reduce student appetite for
risk-taking (Burnett, 2001). In most cases, we may find ourselves telling or
marking students’ work with a praise that goes, “You are certainly an excellent
student. You don’t have difficulty doing this task.” Experts say, however, we
must give praises with specific focus on efforts and accomplishments exhibited.
Instead of the previous statement, why not praise student like, “You obviously planned
your topic well and supported it with realistic examples. Keep it up!” Researchers say that when teacher praises are
focused on exertion of effort and quality of work produced, students are given
hints that they should invest time and hard work to get the job done. This will
later result to teacher praise being a tool for improved academic or behavioral
performance.
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| Best shot. Students performing English dialogues. |
What are your
students’ praise preferences? Though praises can be viewed as a worthy
motivator, this should be done based on your learner’s preferred way. This can
be delivered in a variety of ways and even contexts. A teacher may give praise
to the student in front of the class or privately through marking student’s
work with motivating feedbacks. When possible, this should adhere to your
student’s individual preference for praise. It is worth noting that, while most
students in elementary grades may easily accept public praise, evidence
suggests that middle and high-school students actually prefer private praise
(Burnett, 2001). When dealing with older students, it is safe to deliver praise
in private rather than in public.
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| Let 'em be. Giving students what they want after a hard day! |
Praise, one of the most powerful motivating tools the
teacher can use, can encourage students in many different aspects like improved
output and academic performance. When done properly and with sincerity, this
can inspire and motivate students to push themselves to become academically
excellent and well-performing. I use that for my college kids, and mind you,
even my professor uses that on our graduate school outputs and academic work. Why
be stingy with teacher praise?
