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By Debbie Silver, Ed.D.

Studies on motivation theory have taught us that the most effective feedback for any learner is that which actually helps a student get better. Value judgments and labels (both affirming and negative) do nothing to help the learner long term and are often counterproductive. Overwhelmingly research argues that learners acquire improved self-efficacy and make greater achievement gains when their adult advocates focus feedback on things the student can control rather than on their innate talent, skills, or other externally controlled factors.

As a middle grades teacher it was hard for me to consider that my perpetual cheerleader style of teaching with a barrage of compliments was not the best method. However, I finally decided to modify my feedback practices to more closely align with what I came to believe would provide the best long-term outcome for students. Part of the problem for me in altering my praise reflex is that I had developed the habit of making a pronouncement about everything kids did. In my well-intentioned effort to show the students I was paying attention, I felt the need to make a judgment statement about every aspect of their progress (e.g., “Looking good!” “I like that!” “That is great!” “You’re so smart!”). I think this is true for a lot of us perpetual affirmers at the middle level because we know how important it is to connect with our learners and we worry that many of them do not get enough positive affirmation outside of school.

In truth, our job is to build relationships with students that promote them in becoming self-sustaining learners who believe that hard work is a good thing and achievement without effort has little enduring value. Many teachers tell me they agree with me in principle, but they have a hard time finding different ways of praising students on just the things they can control like effort and choices. I struggled with the same dilemma; one runs out of ways to say, “Wow, your ten-word essay shows a lot of improvement,” or ““You must be really proud that you used your words instead of your fists in my class.”

In a 2001 article he wrote about the overused term “Good Job!” as feedback¹, Alfie Kohn makes these suggestions as alternatives: 1) Say nothing, 2) Say what you saw, 3) Talk less, ask more. These ideas have been a great help to me. Here are just a few examples based on Kohn’s ideas.

Tips for Improving Feedback

1. Say nothing. Sometimes praise calls attention to something that does not need it. Overzealous praise may give the child the idea that you think the positive behavior is a fluke. Sometimes a wink, a nod, or a touch on the shoulder is all you need to let the student know you are aware of what she is doing.

2. Say what you saw. A simple evaluation-free acknowledgement lets the child know you noticed. “You went the extra mile in helping your friend today.” “You finished it on time.” Or describe what you see. “You just improved your last score by 32%.” “You kept working when you were obviously tired.”

3. Talk less, ask more. Better than describing is asking questions about the work. “So what made you decide to take this perspective with your work?” “Tell me about the steps you took in solving this problem.” I think by using intentional, purposeful feedback middle grades educators can maintain our close relationships with students while promoting a sense of self-efficacy in our learners. Adjusting the way we praise is one way to start.

¹Kohn, A. (2001, September). Five reasons to stop saying, “Good job!” Young Children, 56(5), 24–28.

Dr. Debbie Silver is a member of the AMLE Professional Development Cadre, former middle grades science teacher, middle school methods university professor, and author of Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to be Successful and Drumming to the Beat of Different Marchers.

Views expressed in this post are strictly those of the author and do not reflect the endorsement of the Learning First Alliance or any of its members.

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