Effective positive praise can make a huge impact in your classroom. In particular Behavior-Specific Praise. What is Behavior Specific praise? Let’s define it. Behavior specific praise is a positive verbal statement directed toward a specific student to acknowledge a behavior that is desired. Behavior specific praise should include these 3 things: student name, the specific desired behavior, and praise the effort not the ability. Let’s dive into this more!
State The Student’s Name
Why is this so important? Think back to when you were in elementary school. Can you remember times where your teacher praised you in front of your whole class. Do you remember how that made you feel? I do! Stating a student’s name within in your praise statement is much more personable than not doing so. It can do wonders for that teacher-student relationship we all strive for.
State The Specific Behavior
It’s important to state the specific behavior so that the student you’re praising as well as other students who may hear your praise will know what the desired behavior is. This helps define the expectation. Praise often has a domino effect. Students love to be recognized for their hard work. If a nearby student hears the praise, chances are they will follow the example of the student you are praising.
Praise The Effort Not The Ability
Acknowledging effort is more powerful and important than acknowledging ability. This is the foundation to building student momentum. For example, if a student can’t complete all the steps to tying their own shoe, they should still be recognized for completing the first step. This can aide in them continuing their efforts and encourage them to keep trying.
Using The Words “Like” and “Love”
I tend to reach for these statements first. You know, the ones where you say, “I love how good you are at drawing” or “I like the way you are standing quietly.” When we use these words in our behavior specific praise, it can encourage people pleasing. In other words we want students to do the thing because it feels good for them to do it, not because it pleases us. We still want to state specifically what they did, but emphasize the fact that they did it or that they tried. Not necessarily that we like that they did it.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. I encourage you to find more specific ways to deliver praise rather than blanket statements like “good job”. Behavior specific praise is something that is an evidence based practice. It truly works wonders with in and out of the classroom with kids.
If you enjoyed reading this blog post, you can find my other behavior related blog posts here!
Happy teaching,
Sofie
