Praise is very important, but it should be used in a considered way

Praise can improve self-esteem, self-reliance, autonomy, achievement and motivation

It may be more effective for simpler, more mechanical tasks

Praise has been found to have different effects according to the gender, home background, abilities  and personality of pupils

Praise should be seen as encouragement, as part of a continuing process

It is often used to control low-achieving pupils and such pupils often receive disproportionate amounts of praise

Praise for low-achievers is often of a general nature and not relevant to the task

Teachers can be conditioned by pupils to praise them

Teachers think of praise as reinforcement, but this may not be true - there is poor correlation between use of praise and success in learning

Praise is used particularly with very young children as a means of managing individuals and groups, but American research suggests this is not effective - brisk, smooth organisation of activities and instructions was found to be the most effective approach

In one study, when teachers began praising pre-school children for something they were already motivated to do, the motivation was reduced

Is random and unsystematic

Rewards mere participation in an activity and conveys no significant information

Uses the performance of other pupils as the basis for judging achievement

Attributes success to ability alone or to other factors such as luck or easiness of task

Places emphasis on extrinsic motivation - performing a task for praise or other rewards

Focuses attention on the teacher as an authority figure who controls and manipulates

Intrudes into the work on the task and breaks the flow of work/concentration

It may weaken self-motivation and can result in pupils seeking extrinsic rewards rather than doing work for its intrinsic appeal

Research showed that, when praise is frequent and lacks focus, pupils may offer answers more tentatively, eye-checking with teacher, apparently worried about pleasing him/her

Pupils used to receiving a lot of praise tend not to engage in more challenging tasks, preferring easier tasks and their easy reward from the teacher - such pupils also tend not to persist in demanding tasks and can be less confident when challenged

Even the most able may be deterred and may also not share answers with others, seeking praise only for themselves

It is unlikely to work with pupils who are not interested in pleasing the teacher - and this tends to be increasingly common as children get older

When a child has become accustomed to rewards, if the rewards are removed then the child may become demotivated

Some studies showed that when individuals are performing a task for rewards then performance can deteriorate

Some research has shown that rewards may be effective in the short term, but may not be in the longer term

Can take the form of “appreciation” in which positive feelings are expressed about and individual’s contribution

Can take the form of “encouragement” in which we try to  build the individual’s confidence to progress with tasks/challenges

Recognises that different individuals need different types/amounts of praise

Shows appreciation of individuals’ characteristics and what they bring to the classroom

Helps develop pupils’ self-confidence

Is related to the pupil’s achievement

Specifies particular details of the achievement, instead of being bland and general

Is linked to the satisfaction of target criteria, but can also be given for effort

Gives information about the value of the achievement and competence

Is delivered spontaneously in a natural tone of voice and in varied language

Is accompanied by body language which reinforces the message

Makes the pupil reflect on his/her approach to the task -  both during and afterwards

Relates present achievement to prior work

Is geared to the pupil’s ability and success in challenging tasks

Shows how further success can be achieved

Creates intrinsic motivation - desire to do tasks for their own sake