http://inayatscorner.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/the-examined-life-dont-praise-kids-for-their-cleverness/
I'm listening to this on audiobook at the moment, I have a hard copy too and its interesting, what do you think about what is praiseworthy and giving praise?
I know that I've encountered this in my work, when someone will tell me "I've been good" and then describe how they have refrained from verbal abuse, aggression or even violence for the morning, then I'll have to tell them that they have been "normal" or much like anyone else rather than especially "good", and its been much harder to deal with it when its in terms of academic performance, I find it harder to gauge what is praiseworthy because sometimes what is being undertaken is straight forward enough but if its, for instance maths, outside of my ability it will appear great when its just average.
The argument in this book/audiobook is about prescence, the quality of attention from an adult, is what counts and not praise and that habituating children to praise rather than prescence will have all sorts of negative and unintended consequences. They will not be motivated to create a second or different picture if they have reached perfection or greatness with the one they already did, they will be more concerned about failure if they have been accustomed to success, they can become complacent or arrogant about work, if you're already accomplished why bother?
Does any of this ring true? I'll be honest that I dont really think that Ireland at the time I was growing up, not the seventies like mentioned in the book, wasnt really a society in which praise was taboo but it wasnt actively used either, a lot of my report cards were not very praiseworthy but the feedback which was positive mattered to me at the time and motivated me too, its still pretty much the case, what's your own view?
I'm listening to this on audiobook at the moment, I have a hard copy too and its interesting, what do you think about what is praiseworthy and giving praise?
I know that I've encountered this in my work, when someone will tell me "I've been good" and then describe how they have refrained from verbal abuse, aggression or even violence for the morning, then I'll have to tell them that they have been "normal" or much like anyone else rather than especially "good", and its been much harder to deal with it when its in terms of academic performance, I find it harder to gauge what is praiseworthy because sometimes what is being undertaken is straight forward enough but if its, for instance maths, outside of my ability it will appear great when its just average.
The argument in this book/audiobook is about prescence, the quality of attention from an adult, is what counts and not praise and that habituating children to praise rather than prescence will have all sorts of negative and unintended consequences. They will not be motivated to create a second or different picture if they have reached perfection or greatness with the one they already did, they will be more concerned about failure if they have been accustomed to success, they can become complacent or arrogant about work, if you're already accomplished why bother?
Does any of this ring true? I'll be honest that I dont really think that Ireland at the time I was growing up, not the seventies like mentioned in the book, wasnt really a society in which praise was taboo but it wasnt actively used either, a lot of my report cards were not very praiseworthy but the feedback which was positive mattered to me at the time and motivated me too, its still pretty much the case, what's your own view?