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Before reading the article:

Praising will help to boost the self-esteem of the individual. Praises also helps to motivate an individual, although it only works for younger individuals. Praises are also a way of recognising the individual's efforts.

After reading the article:
1) There are different types of praises. a) Global Praise. b) Contingent Praise. c) Specific and Evaluate Praise. d) Evaluation Praise. e) Descriptive Praise.

2) It is crucial for teachers/educators to adopt specific praises. This will help students understand which good and positive behaviours they should continue to adopt.

3) We should try to avoid evaluative praise. It has the potential to damage relationships between teachers/students/peers.

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My perceptions on the use of praise:
In my opinion, praise is a compliment and it helps to encourage and motivate the child to continue a desired behaviour.
I usually praise using words like 'very good' and 'good job'. But during my school stint, I have learnt that praise should be specific for it to be effective, eg. 'I like how you sat down and put in effort to complete your task'. I also think that we should not use praise for routine, expected tasks (eg. to complete homework) but rather we can praise a child for completing his/her homework on time and not leaving it to the last minute.

3 things I have learnt from the article:
1. Global praise may not be very effective in changing behaviour as students may not understand what they are being praised for. Nonetheless, it promotes teacher-class relationship and a positive class climate.
2. Age-related praise helps us to be mindful when we praise younger and older students. Younger children can accept praise at face value. Whereas, older students are more sensitive as they reflect and analyse on what was said.
3. To praise effectively, we should praise for persistent process and sustained efforts rather than for intelligence and ability. This can help to assure students that they are not inferior to anyone and that they are capable of learning and making progress too.

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My perceptions of the use of praise:

Praise is a form of compliment. It can be used to encourage certain behaviour or outcome. However, it has to be specific and genuine in order to be effective.

3 things I have learnt from the article:

1. Global praise though not effective in changing behaviour, it can improve teacher-student relationship and create positive classroom evironment.

2. Contingent praise that is specific, genuine and task-related is generally most effective in reinforcing desired behaviour.

3. Evaluative or judgmental praise can damage student-teacher and peer relationships and therefore should be avoided.

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Perceptions of the Use of Praise

In my opinion, the use of praise is one the simplest yet powerful techniques to engage our students. My general understanding is that, praising helps to boost one's self-esteem. I believe that it is one of the best technique educators can use to build rapport. By praising them, we are hoping it could motivate and reinforce the good actions or behaviours that they have exhibited. When we encourage them to feel good about themselves, we hope that it will also assure them to trust in us. That is the first step we need to get the students to be on board with us.

3 Things I have learnt from the article

1) Use of praise may not work for all children. Some children will not react positively to praises as they may not have the social skills, the rapport between the teacher and themselves is not strong enough, or praising itself is no longer effective. Others, it could be cultural differences. Hence as an educator, it is important for us to self-evaluate our use of praise by assessing how each students respond to the praise. When we praise a child, we want to reinforce appropriate behaviours and make them become autonomous learners.

2) Specific praise focuses on effort and gives descriptive feedback. When we use them, we are informing our students and letting them know that they are doing that particular task correctly. It provides clear feedback and we are acknowledging their effort and achievements. It also builds their self-esteem and it does not encourage a constant need to seek approval from others. Gradually, giving specific praise will help to develop these students to be independent learners.

3) Evaluation or judgemental praise should be limited unless it is within a trust relationship. Evaluative praise gives vague statement and is unrelated to the target's response. Students will not be able to know what to work on to improve themselves. It tells nothing about what they have done well or how they can improve. Instead, it will made them rely on teachers for approval.

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Initial perceptions on the use of praise:

I understand praise to be a useful form of positive enforcement, and that it is especially useful in establishing a positive and conducive learning environment for students. Additionally, from my previous work with children with autism, I found that it is perhaps good to consider giving more specific praises in order for the recipient to be clear and aware as to the specific behaviour/task/outcome that brought about the praise.

3 things I’ve learnt from it:

1. I’ve learnt that there are many types of praise, namely global praise, contingent praise, specific praise, evaluative praise, age-related praise and credible praise. All this while, I have been using the big umbrella term ‘praise’, not realising how many different types there are and how each type can be used well according to the different settings.

2. While majority of students respond well to praise, there are still students who prefer not to be. It would be good to develop a deeper understanding of student in these cases and to be open to alternatives that may better motivate the student.

3. Especially relevant to my initial perceptions on the use of praise, I learnt the importance of effective praise, so that the recipient is not only clear about the desired behaviour (as mentioned above) but also develops a better understanding as to why it is important.

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My perceptions on the use of praise:

Praises, in a school context, is used frequently to drive positive behavior and outcomes in students. During my school stint, I've come to notice that I tend to give out more specific praises to children whom have learning difficulties, especially to those whose learning difficulties affect their self-esteem i.e. "You managed to complete this question all by yourself, great job X". Despite giving out specific praises, some children are not receptive towards them and thus, I'll seek other ways to praise them i.e. rewards (stickers, snacks).

3 things I've learnt from this article:

1. There is a distinction between Praise and Encouragement. Praise is consistent with an authoritarian approach, which lowers self-esteem, provokes disruptive behavior with outcome more important than the process. Encouragement, on the other hand, focuses on strength, avoids competition, and generates better-behaved students.

2. There are many factors affecting how one gives out praise. Age is one of them. Teacher-student dynamics is another. As the child gets older, the desire to please declines thus one should lean more towards effort-feedback for older students and ability-feedback for younger ones. As no age-range is specified, I believe mental maturity too affects 'age' thus through having strong teacher-student dynamics, one will be able to figure out students' preference on how they like to be praised.

3. Praises are effective if they are specific, effort-related and not outcome-related. By doing so, the student will be able to understand what they are being praised for, in hopes that they will develop intrinsic motivation in their learning.

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My perceptions on the use of praise:

From my personal experience, I think praise is generally effective on children as it motivates them to learn and/or behave in appropriate ways. However, if it is not conveyed in a genuine and sincere manner, students may be less receptive towards it. Praise also works better when it is specific - such that students know what they were complimented for and understand that it is the kind of behaviour which their teacher wants to see in them.

3 things that I have learnt from the article:

1. The quality of praise is more important then its quantity. Even if a student is praised often, whether it really works depends on how the praise is being put across and under what kind of context. It is important for educators to evaluate a student's individual receptiveness to as well as his/her interpretation of praise across a range of settings, and make the necessary adjustments to make their praise more effective and impactful.

2. Be cautious when making evaluative praises (e.g. I like how student X...) as students may feel that they are being controlled, which can strain the teacher-student relationship and cause tension between students. This is because evaluative praises are likely to come across as judgemental and suggest a power difference between educators and students. Yet when used appropriately, it helps to improve classroom management by encouraging the good behaviour that is being pointed out.

3. Praises should cultivate independence in students and enable them to take charge of their own behaviour even when teachers stop using them. Such praises would be descriptive, informational and non-manipulative - without making use of social forces which would be a source of extrinsic motivation. This allows intrinsic motivation to take place by promoting introspection and self-evaluation, thus encouraging students to engage in good behaviour from within.

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My thoughts before reading the article

I believe that praise is a positive reinforcement for someone to continue doing something good in general. We have to emphasize on what kind of praise are we giving to our students. Is it something just to make them feel good? Is it something to motivate the other students to move ahead together as well? Is our praise an effective one and does it help the students to stay motivated?

3 things that I have learnt from the article

1) Use a global praise only when you want to enhance  a positive class climate. (for eg saying 'fantastic work' and 'great job'.) I am guilty of using this kind of praise too at times.

2) Educators should be specific when they are giving a praise so that students can be prompted to think about what are the next learning/behavioral steps to take. Besides being specific in their praises, they also have to be genuine when giving praises. Do not praise just for the sake of showering students with praises that are not sincere and will not benefit them at all.

3) Always praise the students effort rather than their ability/performance. As educators, we definitely want to see our students take charge of their own learning and be a reflective learner. It will also be great if educators can include parents in the process of praising their children as it can further enhanced their belief in themselves as effective learners.

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Praises have evolutionized over the years, from traditional cultures, varied parenting styles and the frequency of its usage. The constant factor is the relationship and level of consciousness it gives to both the provider and recipient of the praise. Studies on the brain have shown a similar response rate with social approval as to monetary rewards (Bhangi and Delgado, 2015).

The article has brought to light some misconceptions I have had to the concept of praise,(in no particular order)

the counter-effectiveness of praises for children with low-self esteem,

the link between inflated praises and reduced student efforts

targeting specific academic behaviours that can include effort, accuracy and goal-setting

the importance of “effective praise”, that praises not only the positive behaviour but also provides an explanation for why it is important. For example: in my previous workplace due to time constraints in classes I often provided lots of global (for the general class), and contingent (to specific children with behaviours I was working on) praise, and I thought it was sufficient to ignite qualities like higher self-esteem, proactiveness and intrinsic motivation.

Other learning points that resonated with me are the arguments highlighted on the effects of contingent praise. This suggests the need for an educator to balance and take into account a multitude of factors. They are the background of the child, intensity of behavioural challenge, and knowing when to transition out of contingent praise to praising the child’s autonomy as suggested by Robins (2012) or specific praise.
Additionally the arguments between descriptive and evaluative praises were rather thought provoking. Bear (2010) and Webster-Stratton’s (2012) stance on a child’s imitation behaviour based on social learning does play a foundation or a motivational step towards imitating the socially appropriate behaviour. However, social-comparison may incite competitiveness and not mastery. Therefore, I do agree that subsequent steps could be followed up with descriptive praise in order to provide a platform for the child to learn to be more independent and self-reliant.

Lastly, while the article considered a wide range of factors and effects to praising a child, one could also consider a naive approach of asking the child on their preference of praise.(example: high five for every attempt or verbal praise)

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My perceptions of the use of praise (Before reading):
-Praises are good and it motivates students
-Praises makes students feel good about themselves and thus, elevates their spirits and confidence
-Students like to be praised. Even a 'good job' makes them happy

3 things I have learnt (After Reading):
1) There is such thing as 'overpraise'.
Praises should be done sparingly otherwise it will lose its credibility and effect on a person. Over time, the praises will start to sound insincere and unworthy. I used to think that more praises is always good for a person.

2) Praises should be specific and directed.
Praises should not be generalised but targeted to the person and the good behaviour shown. Just like how we would like a person to explain why they scolded us, praises should work the same way. A person needs to know exactly what he/she had done right in order to continuously do it. Praises given should be age-appropriate as a person's thought process matures as they grow.

3) Praises should be administered in private
I have always thought that giving praises in a class setting helps set my expectations on class behaviour and attitude. Students can learn from a role model; their own classmates. However, in this article, it is said to be otherwise. I believe that if a certain child is often praised, his/her classmates may think that she is receiving favoritism. With that, it may cause social exclusion in class which can be very emotionally challenging for the person.

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My perception of the use of praise
- Praises motivate students
- Praises can improve academic performance
- Praises make the students feel good about themselves which boosts their self-confidence
- Praises improves student teacher relationship. This also facilitates rapport building

3 things that I have learnt from the article
- For effective learning and behaviour, praises should be specific and credible. The praise should reflect the student's ability, effort and the outcome of their effort.
- Authoritarian approach gives a teacher high level of control in the classroom but low level of student involvement. This results in low self-esteem amongst students and provokes disruptive behaviour.
- Non-targeted praises are not effective in changing behaviour.

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My thoughts before reading the Article:
Before reading the article on praise, I sort of know that one should not "Overpraise" as it will loose its effectiveness and thereafter be redundant. From my Early Childhood course that I had undertaken, I was taught that, if you are praising a child, you must let the child know what they have been praised for, instead of only saying umpteen "Good Job!".

After reading the article:
It further dissected the different kinds of praises.  I learnt that there were:
1) Global praise (a non targeted praise which is used often)
2) Contingent praise - given on observation of a desired
behavior
3) Specific and Evaluate Praise - praise on specific
information or descriptive feedback and
Evaluate praise - takes place within the trust
relationship

With the above, I also found out the difference between praise and intrinsic motivation

Further to the article on praise, Maria Montessori further elaborates the Early Childhood way whereby praise has an Evaluation and a Descriptive praise.

Evaluation Praise - this kind of praise imposes adult's values on a child's work

Descriptive Praise - scaffolds a child's work as they evaluate their own work in order to become independent thinkers and learners.

With that I conclude my take on the article that I have read.

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My perceptions of the use of praise
Praise is an effective tool to encourage and reinforce positive learning and behavior. Praise can be given regularly to keep student motivated and need to be specific. When praising the student for specific behavior consider varying the usage of words so as not to appear too mechanical when expressing it. Every child regardless of their needs, certainly has strengths that an educator can observe and provide feedback to help the child look beyond his/her learning needs. I believe in using praise generously as it fluences a person positively and build the person up.

3 things I have learnt from the article:
1.       Effective praise is powerful! Hence, educators need to be clear of the intent to praise as it encourages and reinforces positive learning and behavior.

2.       Additionally, to praise effectively, educators have to assess how individual students respond to praise, how they perceived the praise in terms of their ability, effort and outcome of their effort.

3.       Effective praise focus on the student’s effort and the process involved. It is informative, appreciative, sincere, age-appropriate, avoids competition and not controlling.

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My perceptions of the use of praise:
1. Praise is used to affirm someone or to encourage a desired behaviour.

2. Praise helps to increase students' motivation.

3. Praise should be sincere, specific, focused on process (not ability or performance) and immediate (if possible).

3 things I have learnt from the article:
(1) There is a distinction between praise and encouragement. While encouragement focus on reinforcing effort (process), praise tends to focus on outcome thus it tends to lead to competition.

(2) The manner students are praised and rewarded is more important than the frequency praises are given. As a teacher, I need to observe how each student respond to praise and use them in a more effective way. The effects of praise is determined by several factors such as age, context/situation, relationship or even cultural differences. Thus, the same praise can have different effects in different students.

(3) Although praises usually have positive impacts, they can undermine the development of intrinsic motivation. In some research, it has shown that although praise enhanced students' performances, once removed, performances declines drastically (Robins, 2012).

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My initial perception of praise is that it is use boost students' confidence and increase motivation to achieve desired behaviour especially with lower ability students and those with disciplinary / behavioural issues. Even if the student do not answer correctly, praise is given to encourage participation in class like "Good try" so as not deter them to try again. It also encourages response from other students to participate even if they did not get it right. However too much of praising will result in overconfident and an inflate ego.

3 things I learnt:
1) Educators have to recognize the goal of why praise was given, what are we trying to get out of the students by giving praise and use it accordingly. This is done with consideration to their age, the context / situation and their relationship.
2) Specific or descriptive praise is a good tool to encourage independent thinkers and learners as it provides feedback distinct to the particular student. It uplifts the students receiving the praise as well as provide assessment for students to think of the next step in their learning and/or behaviour.
3) When giving praises, it has to be backed up with something they have done well and not just for the sake of praising. This will have a negative effect as students can distinguish between a sincere and an insincere praise. As a result, instead of achieving the purpose of praising, it backfires.

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Perception of the use of praise
Praise is used widely and generally in the education system. I believe that praises can have a powerful positive impact in students. When using praises appropriately and timely, it is a positive reinforcement where the student will repeat the desired behaviour.

3 things I learn from the article
1. In order for an educator to praise effectively, we need not praise frequently but to praise well. Educator need to analyse the situation, observe how receptive our student respond with our praise; are the students able to understand why they are being praised?

2. Contingent praise (given when a positive behaviour is observed so as to encourage that behaviour). This type of praise is best used with the "troublemakers" in class and students who needs that positive reinforcement. This form of praise will allow the student to understand the norm behavioural and expectation in society.

3.  Praising effectively depends on the students age group. The younger age students is to praise their skills and abilities whereas the older students is to praise their efforts. This is because the younger students looks up to an adult and aims to please them but the older students  are more sensitive and reflective with the praise given.

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There are multi-faceted views on praise and everyone interprets praise differently;
1. By expanding with elaboraton on whether we are giving praise based on the product or outcome, effort or ability on hand, we are respecting the individual with specific feedback.
2. In a classroom, we are building teacher-student relationship and we capture the teachable moment to affirm and praise.
3. Also, we give praises to avoid criticising the inappropriate behaviours in students but targetting those who can demonstrate appropriate ones, so as to build positive classroom climate.
I learnt from the literature, the following considerations are useful to include in my intervention strategies with my students:
1.  age-related praise for lower to middle primary group of students and the upper primary group,
2. in effecting learning and behaviour development, I can design autonomy in choices of activities , helping my student have visibility to their progress development in skills helps giving contingent praise much more credible.

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Praises are often used to acknowledge and motivate positive feelings and behaviours of an individual. Students have the desire to impress and want their effort or actions to be acknowledged and appreciated especially by an adult.

3 things that I have learnt:
1. We should tailor the type of compliments to suit the age group of our students. Lower primary students thrive on praises as they want the acknowledgments from their teachers. We can use compliments to reinforce their  positive behaviours and learning attitude. For the upper primary group, we need to be more specific as they want their efforts and feelings to be validated. We should be specific in our praises and use it appropriately. Praises and reward system can work hand in hand to motivate the students.

2. Overdose of praise can backfire and loses its credibility. Praises need to be sincere and genuine. Establishing good teacher-student relationship is critical so that our praises are considered as valid and legitimate to the students.

3. Teachers must consistently motivate and acknowledge positive behaviours. Although not all students respond positively to praises, teachers should give praises to help the students who need the boost from someone whom they trust.

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My thoughts about praise at first were:

1)     The use of praise is to motivate students to keep up their good work. Students deserved to be praised after they had done something good; for example if a student had completed a remarkable task with assertive effort, without fail teachers will praise them. Praise is a form of reward to encourage students to achieve better result and to keep their spirit high.

After reading the article, I have learnt that:

1) There are different types of praises. Namely, Global Praise, Contingent Praise, Specific Praise, Evaluative Praise, Age-Related Praise, Credible Praise and the definition of Praise vs Intrinsic  Motivation.

2) To praise a child too frequent may not be an effective approach. Instead it is important to well praise a child and be specific on what we are praising for. For example, praising students with just a simple comment “Good Job!”, it may be very generic and may not linked to any task or behaviour. It will be good to give a specific praise as it is an effective reinforcer for students. For example of specific paise; “Thank you for asking permission before using my stapler!” (praise on their positive behaviour).

3) Students who are more challenging to handle need to be praised frequently as teachers need to motivate them through positive treatment.

4) Younger students are more receptive towards praise publicly while older students are more sensitive towards praise as they thought teachers will judge them.

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Before reading:
Everyone loves to be praised. Use it as often as you can to motivate the students. Saying something nice about the students or the work that has been done is always better than saying nothing.

3 things that I have learnt after reading:
1)The different types of Praise:
a) Global Praise - most often used, non targeted
b)Contingent Praise - good for encouraging desired behaviour
c)Specific Praise - specific information given
d)Evaluative Praise - implies judgement
e)Age-Related Praise - considering the age

2) It is more important to know how to praise well so that it is effective rather than to praise all the time.

3) There is no single standard way of Praise for it to be effective. Factors to consider when giving different types of Praise include the situation, the age of the student, the purpose of the praise, relationship with the students and even culture background of the students.

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I have always perceived praise to be something good and to be given freely whenever anyone is deserving of it. Praise only in the form of words are good motivators and encouragement to students or anyone who have done anything good. Simply having done homework within stipulated time is deserving of praise, an example of how I use praise.

After reading this article however, I have learnt that:

1.       Quality of praise is far more important than the quantity of praise. I praise too freely and easily that is loses the essence therefore, it is important to be purposeful and genuine in your praise to not lose the power of what praise can do for students.

2.       It is important to use specific praise as this focuses a lot on the effort of the student and the feedbacks from the educators. From this, there can then be effective thought process on what is the next step towards their behavioral change and growth of the student.

3.       Praising only in school context would not be sufficient for there to be growth or change in the student as another half their time is spent at home. Therefore, also as stated in this article, that praise should be shared with parents to create a positive home-school communication and environment which assists in the reinforcement of behavior change.

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Before reading the article
My perception of the use of praise is that the more you use it, the better results it will give. Constantly praising someone will give them that acknowledgment that most people crave for which will boost their confidence and self-esteem, hence motivating them to do better. In a school context, teachers give praises to students with good behaviour as a form of positive reinforcement and a way of saying "keep doing it". Most of the time, praises given are vague and general like "well done!" or "great job".

After reading the article
1.  There are many things to note of when we give out praises. Praising needs strategy. Age and cultural background of the student as well as the specific action that warrants the praise are some of the things that need to be taken into consideration to ensure that the praise works.

2. When giving praises, we should give very specific feedback to the students to reinforce the good behaviour. Vague feedbacks may leave the students confused as to what they did right, hence they might not find the motivation to do better.

3. It is more ideal to praise for effort instead of performance. Praising for performance may be harmful as it involves judging one's intelligence and innate ability, whereas praising for effort further motivates the students to continue learning and improving themselves.

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My perception of the use of praise is to give motivation and encouragement to someone. Making them feel confident about themselves. Teachers mostly use praise when they notice good efforts and behaviour.  However, I thought just by saying "Good job" or " Good effort" is good enough when praising.

After reading the article, I have learnt that:

1) it is important to consider the age of a child when praising as older student tends to be more sensitive to how a praise is administered.

2) it will be good to praise strategically to develop the social, emotional and behavioural competencies of self-discipline. This will allow them to behave in a responsible manner even without the praise.

3) praise will be best delivered  if it is specific and the feedback given is task-related. This is to allow the person to understand what you are praising for.

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My perception of the use of praise:

I used to think that when you praise someone, that person will feel happy and good about themselves. And it would actually help to boost their self-esteem and confidence. And by praising a person who have put in effort in his work, it would help him to exhibit good behaviour in class and would feel that his effort has been acknowledge by his teacher.

3 things I learnt about the article:

1.  There are 5 types of praise. Global praise, contingent praise, specific praise and evaluative praise, age-related praise and credible praise.

2.  Global praise is commonly used by teachers in class. It is not link to specific behaviour or student. This praise is generically address for everyone in class and intended to make ‘feel good moment’.

3.  The age of a child should be considered beforehand when praising. For younger student, they tend to be more receptive towards praise because they want to please the adults while older kids tend to be more sensitive towards praise and rewards. Instead of praising the older kids, we should provide them with feedbacks for the efforts they have put in.

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My perceptions:

(1) The use of praise is to encourage a desired behaviour from the receiver, or to reinforce a positive behaviour.

(2) Need to be task-specific when praising so that the student knows why he/she is being praised.

(3) Praise a student for the effort put in, or when there is an improvement.

(4) There seem to be a shift in mindset on the use of praise in schools. Previously, teachers did not praise as much (actually they scolded more than praising). Now, the teachers are more encouraging and would praise students for showing that they are putting in the effort to improve.

3 things I've learnt from the article:
(1) It is important to be genuine when we praise. We would also need to take into consideration other factors such as the age of the student(s), our objective of praising (at the class level or individual level?), the teacher-student(s) relationship, and the situation.

(2) At the individual level, we should use more specific praise to encourage student(s) if we are trying to modify their behaviour(s).

(3) Important to reflect on our use of praise to ensure its effectiveness.

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Perception of the use of praise before reading: I had the assumption that praise is good motivator for all students. Hence, we should praise students often. When we give them praise, we recognise their effort hence it will drive them to continue with their good work and good behaviour.

After reading the article, I have learnt:

1. It is more important to praise well, rather than to praise often. What constitutes a ‘good praise’ will depend on the purpose of the praise. Praise can be a tool to help develop positive teacher-student relationship, reinforce positive behaviours, provide students with feedback and guidance, and can motivate students to put in effort.

2. It is more effective to give specific praise as global praise is not effective in changing behaviour. Providing specific praise helps students understand what positive behaviours they should continue to practice. It can subsequently lead to independence in practicing these behaviours.

3. Frequent praise may be a motivator for younger children that want to please authority figures, but may not work for older children who may find it less credible when given too frequently. Praise given has to be sincere as students can sense when it is not genuine.