Is it a good idea to give "Encouragement, feedback and praise" to students? by Hnin Aye Yee@Snow

 Is it a good idea to give "Encouragement, feedback and praise" to students? by Hnin Aye Yee@Snow

 

Encouragement, feedback, and appreciation play an extremely important part in education. These aspects play an important role in creating a student's learning journey, influencing both academic success and personal growth. Let's look at why these components are important and how they might be effectively implemented in educational contexts.

 The Power of Encouragement.

Encouragement is an effective motivator. It helps students gain confidence and resilience, promoting a good attitude toward learning. When students feel encouraged, they are more willing to take on new challenges and persevere through adversity. Encouragement can be as easy as recognizing a student's efforts or expressing confidence in their abilities. Educators can motivate students to achieve excellence by fostering a supportive environment.

Is it really effective every time?

Some children could develop an unhealthy dependence on outside approval, which could cause them to become upset if they don't always get praise. Demotivation and a detrimental effect on their learning process may arise from this. That is why we need to understand how to provide appropriate support, praise, and feedback to students.

Later, we can use more advanced methods to encourage self-evaluation.

1. Reflective questionnaires
Create a form that students can fill out after certain lessons. It might encourage students to reflect on their learning and achievements. Use word questions to highlight positive achievements and set goals for future weeks. Sample questions include: "What are the most useful new things you've learned this fortnight?" and "What have you improved at doing?"'What is your best English achievement in the last two weeks?' 

2. Learning Diaries

Give students a short period of time at the end of day or week to write a blog post or learning journal summarizing their accomplishments.

3. Can-do statements

Exam-focused education systems often focus on students' limitations rather than their abilities. Students often focus on their mistakes rather than their successes, which is understandable. Try giving kids can-do statements to self-assess against.
These are short explanations of real-world or language-related tasks that demand the use of English. For example, "I can give directions from the school to the station," "I can name 10 different fruits," "I can use the phone to invite a friend to my house," and "I can ask." Have you ever asked questions regarding others' experiences?

4.Encouraging Self-motivation

Assisting students in deriving personal fulfillment and purpose from their education is one of the most effective methods to inspire them. This entails relating the teachers to the students' interests and practical uses. For instance, if a tech-savvy kid understands how arithmetic relates to coding or game design, they may be more attentive in class. 

5. Developing a Growth Mindset

Students who are encouraged to adopt a growth mindset see setbacks as chances to learn rather than as things to avoid. This kind of thinking can be developed by emphasizing work and progress above and beyond output. Saying something like, "I noticed how hard you worked on that problem, and it's paying off!" would be a better example than, "Great job!"

Conclusion

Although praise and encouragement have their place, there are other ways to inspire students as well. Teachers can assist students in developing a more profound and long-lasting motivation for learning by emphasizing intrinsic motivation, promoting autonomy, posing significant challenges, and establishing a supportive learning environment.

 

Written by Hnin Aye Yee @ Snow

 

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