A cornerstone of early childhood education is the strong emotional connection between teachers and children. Demonstrating genuine enthusiasm for children and their learning is essential for fostering this bond. Praise is one strategy to achieve this.
Praise also plays a crucial role in shaping a child’s identity. We must be mindful that our words carry significant weight, potentially influencing a child’s self-perception for years to come.
Thinking about these two contexts, praise becomes a wonderful way to bond: we will always tell a child who is wearing glasses for the first time or has a new haircut that they look beautiful. We will also praise processes (Wow, you are so focused on the task!), products (What a nice drawing you made!), and behaviors (You acted like such a good friend!) and there is nothing wrong with doing this!
So, where is the problem?
The issue is that often we become habitual users of good job, nice, and well done. While receiving a positive comment from the teacher can make a child momentarily happy and proud of themselves, a good job does not give the child any information about what they are doing correctly or how they can maintain/improve that action.
Overreliance on praise can create a dependency on external validation, obscuring the connection between actions and outcomes. Indiscriminate use of “good job” can diminish the value of individual accomplishments, especially when it triggers a competitive dynamic. The challenge arises when attempting to acknowledge one child’s effort without excluding others, creating a dilemma for educators.
That’s why it is so important to understand the difference between praise and feedback in the context of learning.
While praise is valuable for building relationships and self-esteem, it’s feedback that truly propels children’s learning. In this context, feedback is specific, actionable information that guides children toward their goals. It’s a teacher’s tool for providing clear insights that empower children to progress.
Feedback is always connected to your teaching objectives; it is always pointing towards a learning goal. So, when you replace good job with genuine feedback, you are giving the child autonomy and understanding of their learning process.
Let’s consider a practical example. After a lively game involving scattered tennis balls, you instruct the children, “Time to clean up! Let’s put all the balls back in the basket.” Immediately, three children begin gathering the balls. Instead of praising specific children, you could say, “Look at how quickly you’re helping to clean up! We’re almost there!” This acknowledges their cooperation while inspiring others to join in.
From the perspective of children who aren’t yet helping, your praise for picking up balls might be misinterpreted as rewarding running. This can inadvertently encourage disruptive behavior. To ensure all children benefit, it’s crucial to provide clear and specific feedback that reinforces the desired action.
You could express gratitude by saying, “Thank you, Olivia, Laura, and John, for starting to clean up!” This acknowledges their cooperation and models the desired behavior for others. Alternatively, you could say, “Look at Olivia, Laura, and John helping to clean up! Let’s all work together to put the balls in the basket.” If you prefer to use praise, try, “Great job starting to pick up the toys, Olivia, Laura, and John! Now let’s put them in the basket.”
The examples provided effectively combine the positive reinforcement of praise with the informative nature of feedback. They foster a sense of belonging and pride while clearly communicating expectations. By explicitly acknowledging and describing the desired behavior, these statements empower children to understand and replicate positive actions, creating a more inclusive and productive learning environment.
Now that you understand the difference between praise and feedback, how about gradually implementing this teaching component in your daily routine?
