Either by coincidence, or because all my professors are aware of what everyone else is teaching, these ideas of praise and mindset have come up in several of my classes this week. While I'd heard of things like growth mindset before, I'd never thought too deeply about how praise affects motivation, engagement and success before now.
I don't agree with the idea (that has been presented in some of the readings and videos I've encountered) that praise is always bad. However, I think it is complicated and has much more power than we think. Looking back on my childhood, I was praised a lot, and I was often praised for "being smart" rather than for working hard or taking on a difficult challenge. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I got to university with a deep fear of failure, and the first time I truly struggled academically it deeply affected my confidence, and my self-worth. This isn't to say I had never worked hard at things before, I definitely had. But I think I valued "being smart" over working hard. Through self reflection and growing up, I think I have changed this perspective, but I wonder how much of it is still ingrained in me in ways I don't immediately recognize.
Praise was a significant motivator for me as I moved through school, and I think if the things I was being praised for had been shifted from achievement to effort, then this praise would not have had any detrimental effect. Perhaps the word appreciation or acknowledgment is more apt than praise, but I do believe students should be recognized for their hard work. We just need to carefully consider how and why we are recognizing these students.
I don't agree with the idea (that has been presented in some of the readings and videos I've encountered) that praise is always bad. However, I think it is complicated and has much more power than we think. Looking back on my childhood, I was praised a lot, and I was often praised for "being smart" rather than for working hard or taking on a difficult challenge. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I got to university with a deep fear of failure, and the first time I truly struggled academically it deeply affected my confidence, and my self-worth. This isn't to say I had never worked hard at things before, I definitely had. But I think I valued "being smart" over working hard. Through self reflection and growing up, I think I have changed this perspective, but I wonder how much of it is still ingrained in me in ways I don't immediately recognize.
Praise was a significant motivator for me as I moved through school, and I think if the things I was being praised for had been shifted from achievement to effort, then this praise would not have had any detrimental effect. Perhaps the word appreciation or acknowledgment is more apt than praise, but I do believe students should be recognized for their hard work. We just need to carefully consider how and why we are recognizing these students.
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