Precise Praise
TLAC Technique 59, page 433
- Precise praise is a specific comment that reinforces both positive behaviour and academic actions.
- Praise must be genuine and be wary of overusing. Avoid sarcasm.
Try these four rules of thumb to be effective in your Precise Praise:
1) Reinforce Actions, Not Traits
Reinforce actions as specifically as possible and focus on actions that students can choose to do – work ethic, improving on previous academic errors, following the steps to solve a problem etc...
2) Objective Aligned Praise
Aligning your precise praise to the learning objective can be a powerful tool
Example 1: ‘I see lots of us lining up our decimal place when adding and subtracting decimals’ .This reinforces strong academic processes
Example 2: Using a ‘Show Call’ to show off a student’s work to the class and explaining why it is good. You can read this work to the class, show it on their mini-whiteboard or place it under the visualiser for all to see
3) Differentiate Acknowledgement from Praise
Acknowledge when expectations have been met (‘thank you for being ready on time’)
Praise when expectations have been exceeded (‘I love that some people are going back revising when I have not even asked you to’)
4) Vary Your Delivery
Unpredictable positives can make the feedback memorable and provide ‘cover’ for critical private interactions
Vary your volume (loud v quiet) and degree of privacy (public in front of class/small group or private 1 to 1)
Try Private Individual Precise Praise (PIPP) - a quiet, 1 to 1 conversation with praise
Videos