Study finds words of encouragement improve academic scores!
“Priyanka, you did a great job of solving the trigonometry sum today.”
What is the most powerful tool at the disposal of a teacher? It’s words of encouragement! It can do wonders from unlocking potential in children to helping them learn better, to ensuring a smooth flow to classroom sessions.
And now there is scientific validation to this statement. Last week, the University of Missouri-Columbia came out with a rather interesting study — positive encouragement can result in better academic outcomes in school kids. Teachers have known this a long time. Still, when you have a scientific study backing up the claim, it helps reinforce it.
The research, published in the Journal of Educational Psychology, indicates that a behaviour management intervention helps not only increase student engagement but also boost teachers’ confidence in their ability to manage disruptive behaviour.
When teachers encounter disruptive students in the classroom, they typically respond by focusing on negative behavior. But rather than telling students what they don’t want to see in class, the researchers said teachers should set clear expectations of what behaviors they DO want to be seeing in class.
The research that was conducted in a middle school classroom in the US over the course of five years found that the positive intervention resulted in decreased disruptive classroom behavior and student concentration problems. It also improved both completed class work and standardized test scores, as well as increased the amount of time students remained on task with classroom assignments.
So, what are some of the ways teachers can encourage students?
- Create a culture of encouragement, where teachers and students praise each other for a good job done.
- Verbally praise and acknowledge when students demonstrate progress. Yes, praise, even what may seem like the smallest efforts.
- Try a tangible form of encouragement, a visual reminder of sorts, that they have the power to learn and succeed — Gold stars for the younger ones, certificates of achievement etc. For older students, formally recognizing accomplishments will help. How about noting it in the school newsletter? Or with an announcement in the school assembly?
- No two students are alike in how respond to encouragement. So, it would be good to combine modes of encouragement. Mix in the non-verbal smile with the class announcement for example.
- Be precise with words of encouragement. Use words that resonate with a student, rather than general words of praise. “Aryan, it was so nice of you to help your classmate Sudhan learn the poem.”
- And finally, encourage even in failure. There is a saying that “A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.”
All the best teachers!
