Creating “Thought-Full” Environments 105perseverance, strategies, improvement, and the like) fosters hardy
motivation. It tells students what they’ve done to be successful
and what they need to do to be successful again in the future.
Process praise sounds like this:
•“You really strived for accuracywith your report, and your
improvement shows it. You read the material over several times,
outlined it, and tested yourself on it. That really worked!”
•“I like the way you thought flexiblyby trying all kinds of
strategies on that math problem until you finally got it.”
•“It was a long, hard assignment, but you persistedand got
it done. You stayed at your desk, kept up your concentration, and
kept working. That’s great!”Although we acknowledge some of the problems related to praise, we
do not suggest eliminating praise altogether. Praise is entirely appropriate
at some times and can be used judiciously. For example, praise might be
appropriate when students have obeyed rules or changed behaviors to the
benefit of themselves and the class. Or praise can be useful in develop-
mentally appropriate instances with young children. Praising seems best
used with certain students and for certain tasks.
If praise is offered, it is important to describe the criteria for the praise.
What makes an act “good” or “excellent” must be communicated along
with the praise. This way, students understand the reason or criteria that
makes the act acceptable, and they can repeat the performance. Consider
these examples:
•“Your answer was good because you gave your reasons and ratio-
nale for your statements.”
•“Your paragraph was well formed because you started with a topic
sentence, then provided the evidence to support your conclusions.”
Most teachers enjoy rewarding and praising their students. Brophy
(1981), however, found that the one person in the classroom for whom
praise has the most beneficial effect is the teacher. It is understandable,
therefore, that research studies showing the detrimental effects of rewards
are met with resistance.