Written by Sandie Barrie Blackley, MA/CCC
Published on March 29, 2012
In my post on task persistence, I cited the work of Carol Dweck, her growth mindset approach (and book), and her Brainology curriculum. In this post, I’d like to talk a little more about how we offer praise and reinforcement to children.
By the time they get into school, many kids have well-established ideas about their abilities and “talents.” Whether the messages they’ve received are subtle or overt, some children have already come to accept that they are “smart” or “not very bright” or “lazy” — designations that seem as unchangeable as brown eyes.
What these messages suggest is that achievement is not based on personal effort, but on some fixed quality or character. The “smart” kids think they don’t really have to try because everything will come to them; the “not-so-smart” kids think they don’t have to try because they already know they’re going to fail.
Carol Dweck’s growth mindset approach helps children “understand that their intelligence can be developed. Instead of worrying about how smart they are, they work hard to learn more and get smarter.”
In his blog, Playdate Nation, Scott T. cites the book Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman and the authors’ conclusion that “too much praise actually weakens children’s defense mechanisms and reduces their ability to respond to failure.” (Be sure to read about Scott’s praise experiment with his 4-year-old daughter.)
So where does that leave parents who want to encourage their child’s efforts without loading on “dangerous” praise?
that we heard as children and parrot back without thinking. As Scott recounts, in his experiment with Sophia he had to stop himself at each praising opportunity and consider another way to engage with his daughter — to show interest and appreciation without suggesting that she had achieved her results because she was smart or pretty or talented.
Here are a few suggestions:
.
At first, this way of thinking and these phrases might seem awkward, but, as Scott discovered in his experiment, children are ready to engage in conversation about what they do and to build success through effort and experience.
If your child is experiencing difficulty with reading, writing, or spelling, Lexercise can help. Our professional therapists offer individualized lessons and know how to encourage and praise your child as they work toward their goals. Take a look at our Professional Therapy page for more information or to schedule a free consultation. You can also contact us at Info@Lexercise.com or 1-919-747-4557.
I’d love to hear about your successes in the effort-versus-talent challenge below!
Schedule a FREE
15-minute consultation
Yup, all good points. When it comes to reading, it seems that specific praise works best, as reading takes WORK. Kids love tracking progress – they love to see results. So, instead of saying, “Wow, you’re doing a great job with reading!” – show them what you mean. What new speech sounds have they mastered? What new words have they learned? How many sentences were they able to read perfectly? How many words could they read in one minute? This can seem counterintuitive, considering that reading can be stressful and very difficult for some children. Still, children like resulted-oriented praise – not fluff. They are too smart for fluff (just don’t praise them for being too “smart” for fluff).