Just saying “Good job!” is not enough.
Good job… for what? Remember, for positive praise to impact behavior, it must: 1) be specific 2) be individual-based and 3) be sincere.
What does that look like?
(Name), I noticed you (action said plainly without extra description). By doing that, you show (developing character trait). (End with a sincere motivator).
Example:
You have a student (Jenny) who needs to be reminded everyday to keep her hands in her own space.
Jenny, I noticed you kept your hands to yourself during Math Meeting. You showed a great deal of self-control and respect toward students around you. Thank you for being a positive leader in our class today.
Please note: for the above example, there is so much more that would go along with that situation. This example does not show any of the prior efforts the educator has presumably made toward correcting that behavior, as well as not showing the results. The above example is used to show how the sentence stems right sound in a given situation.
You might be thinking to yourself - this is going to take a lot of effort to do for all my students all the time. That is correct! This type of behavior management is an investment in the future of these children. An investment with a huge payout for all!
But there’s a catch, human choice. Sometimes, even the best of efforts will fall short, not because of what you are doing, but because you are not the only influencer in a child's life.
Praise, as the ultimate form of positive behavior reinforcement, is the main part of developing a positive classroom culture.
Continues in Part 3.
Photo by Katrina Wright on Unsplash.