The Gift of Coaches’ Praise

Withholding praise is like wrapping a present and then hiding it away, not letting it be opened. When we notice something good a teacher is doing, we shouldn’t bite our tongue! Compliments are thoughtful words that nurture and nourish. Praising is an effective coaching move, and it can become the prominent one as the need for other coaching moves drops away.
 
When I was talking with a group of coaches recently, I asked them for examples of praise that was specific or effort-focused. Two coaches were quick to jump in and share wonderful things about teachers they were working with.
 
One said, “Peter is so good at listening to students. He always puts them first. It makes his instruction so much stronger. When students are working, he is having conversations with them, one-on-one, that start by acknowledging where they are and then push them forward.”
 
Another coach described the amazing STEM lesson a teacher had just taught, where students worked effectively in small groups to solve a problem in a scenario connected with their unit on immigration. Students got their hands on materials and worked collaboratively. The coach described how pleased she was that this teacher took the risk to diverge from typical routines. The lesson, she said, was a great success.
 
It was clear the coaches recognized the value of what these two teachers were doing. They sang their praises to our group of coaching colleagues. But my next question cut them short. “Have you told them?”
 
Although both coaches recognized the teachers’ strengths, they had not taken the time to say so. Maybe because some coaching models discourage use of praise. Maybe because they are so focused on improvement that they are looking for things to change rather than things to applaud.
 
In teaching and learning, feelings of relatedness matter. Pre-school researchers and educators advocate a relationship-building practice called “banking time,” where teachers invest in relationships with children by spending quality one-on-one time with a child. The relationships that are built can be a resource that educators rely on. Positive interactions provide capital that can be drawn on later – thus the “banking time” moniker.
 
Similarly, business leaders suggest that a five-to-one ratio of praise to correction is characteristic of effective organizations.* They found that positive feedback motivates people to continue to do those things that they are doing well, and to do them with more vigor, determination, and creativity. Positive feedback was the thing that motivated them to continue improving.
 
Praise provides a sense of being valued. Without this validation, motivation wanes. Feeling encouraged increases engagement. “The better teachers feel about themselves, the stronger they feel about their capabilities, and the more passion they feel about their work.”** People need to feel appreciated to do their best. Praise stimulates more of the attitudes and actions that created previous success. Praise helps the good get better.
 
* Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2013). The ideal praise-to-criticism ratio. Harvard Business Review, 15. https://hbr.org/2013/03/the-ideal-praise-to-criticism
 
** Tschannen-Moran, B. & Tschannen-Moran, M. (2020). Evocative coaching: Transforming schools one conversation at a time. John Wiley & Sons, p. 107.
 
This week, you might want to take a look at:

Increasing student engagement:
 
https://ccira.blog/2023/12/18/student-disengagement/
 
 
3 Strategies to make note-taking interactive:
 
https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-fun-strategies-note-taking
 
 
Graphic novel adaptations:
 
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/best-graphic-novel-adaptations-for-the-middle-grades/
 
 
Resources for fighting fake news:
 
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2017/11/i_teach_students_how_to.html
 
 
Ideas for talking about math (share with parents or use yourself!).  Ages 1-9 or so; age filters on the right. Lots to explore here!
 
https://talkingmathwithkids.com/
 
That’s it for this week. Happy Coaching!
 
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Want more coaching tips? Check out my book, Differentiated Mentoring & Coaching in Education: From Preservice Teacher to Expert Practitioner, available from Teachers College Press!  I’m so excited to share it with you! TODAY you can use the code: DEC2023 for 20% off. Click  here  and I’ll email you the free Book Group Study Guide that includes questions, prompts, and activities you can use as you share the book with colleagues.  I hope you’ll love this book as much as I loved making it for you!