Research shows that praising effort, rather than results is more effective if your goal is to encourage positive behaviors. It’s also important to point out what positive behavior was demonstrated.
“I really appreciated the way that you put your coat and shoes away when you came inside just now.”
“Justine, you behaved so kindly and generously with your little brother. I know that he can be difficult sometimes, and I really appreciate how well you played with him this afternoon.”
If the goal of praise is to reward a behavior and encourage it’s recurrence, we have to be specific, and recognize improvements, however incremental.
This is relevant to raising all children, and important to keep in mind for parents. When it comes to mathematics, it’s especially relevant. I’ve lost count of the number of children I see in my office who have a tremendous amount of anxiety around mathematics, and are convinced that they’re destined to fail in this area. Too often, the model for mathematics instruction is oriented towards results, rather than process; children who don’t grasp the concepts quickly aren’t rewarded for their efforts, but often receive well intentioned negative feedback.
Many of the children I see come to me specifically to work on their mathematical skills; in general they see me after a tutor hasn’t proven effective. For these kids, a great part of their barrier to success is rooted in fear – the other day, a student of mine actually drew a picture of herself as a zebra, being chased by her math homework as a hungry lion, illustrating the analogy I commonly use to explain the stress response. When your first instinct is to run, it’s impossible to think clearly and systematically.
So the question is: how do you teach a child who fears mathematics to play, and discover, and be curious? How do you help them to move forward while learning to try?
Briefly, with broad strokes, I’ve found the following to be most effective:
1. Set them up for success: Task approach is often a big part of the challenge for a lot of kids; they don’t know how to get started and feel overwhelmed by the number of problems. Bounding the task, and letting them dictate the terms makes a huge difference. Eliminating the expectation of accuracy is critical here. Do you think you can work on this for five minutes? Which problems do you think you can try? See if you can get started on a few of them.
2. Reward and recognize effort. See my first paragraph above.
3. Remediate for missing background knowledge: Most – not all – students who come to me for support in mathematics are creative kids who have trouble seeing the way the numbers work together to create a picture, and a difficult time following multi-step directions and maintaining consistent detail analysis. Identifying the weak strands, and giving instruction for these areas is critical, as advanced mathematical concepts are built on more fundmental understandings.
3. Support cultivation of a sense of curiosity and play: Mathematics is a wonderful language for cultivating analytical skills and an understanding of the world . The notion that math is answer driven, rather than process driven is hurtful, and kills curiosity. Again, praising effort, as well as asking questions, and allowing opportunity for exploration is a fundamental component to raising mathematical thinkers.
There’s no shortage of resources along these lines; here are a few that stand out:
1. The Scientific Americanarticle on effective praise.
2. Games and activities which cultivate logical and mathematical thinking – this list spans across levels of sophistication: Educational programming languages, Chess, Set, Ticket to Ride, Battleship, Settlers of Catan, Monopoly, Risk, Backgammon, Mancala, Civilization (the board game), Risk, Power Grid, Nine Men’s Morris, Dominion, Stone Age and really, the list goes on, and on.
3. Danica McKeller, famous for her role on the show Wonder Years, is a math whiz in addition to being a successful actress and role model for young women. She’s written several books for the tween set. Information can be found on her website.
4. Courtesy of Wikipedia, a basic description of number sense, the fundamental understanding of patterns required for mathematical success. Here’s an interactive quiz for adults assessing number sense.
5. A longer, more academic article at Reading Rockets comparing number sense in mathematics to phonological awareness in reading.
