As I've been preparing my classroom for the new school year, I've been thinking about my practices and how I can improve what I do as a teacher. An article that I read in the March/April NEA magazine last Spring titled "The Praise Paradox" really impressed me, so I thought I'd try to find it online to reread. Found it here! This very powerful research by Dr. Carol Dweck and her team is well worth reading as we begin the new year. Dweck found that praising children for being smart can actually prevent them from achieving to their highest potential. Instead, praising children for their effort and hard work empowers them and puts them in control of their success.
Here is the "The Praise Paradox." It's a compelling read!
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VERY cool article, Dee. I've wondered about that. It totally makes sense to praise for the "hard work" not the innate "smarts". I have to say, I've noticed that with some of my kiddies ... the smart ones often try to take the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I'm going to pass it on to my staff!
❀Barbara❀
Grade ONEderful
Woohoo! Yes, as the mom of GT kids, I found that they would at times, just give up if something didn't come easily. Praise for working hard is definitely the way to go. Thanks for sharing your comment!
ReplyDeleteDee
First Impressions