Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition

From MCREL’s Nine Effective Instructional Strategies

DeAnne Heersche

Guidelines for Effective Feedback

Be specific Be timely Talk about behavior; no mind reading Praise when you can Leave communication lines open

Instructional Reinforcement

Contingent reinforcement is positively related to achievement

Noncontingent reinforcement is unrelated to achievement; however, there is evidence that low-achieving students receive some academic benefit from noncontingent recognition

Instructional Reinforcement

Acknowledging correct responses is positively related to achievement

Reinforcements are most effective when linked to progress toward a goal

Achievement benefits are the same if they receive rewards for correct answers and lose them for incorrect answers

Instructional Reinforcement

Instructional reinforcement alone produces achievement benefits equal to those produced by a combination of instructional and behavioral reinforcement

Response to Alleged Negative Effects of Reinforcement

Reinforcers can contribute to intrinsic motivation if related to the task at hand

The recipient must view the reward as a symbol rather than a reward

The reward must be given for more than just participation

Decreased performance occurs only if the rewards are highly visible and attractive, noncontingent, and/or tied to behavior

Can Teachers Learn to Use Reinforcement?

Teachers trained in verbal feedback for correct responses have higher performing students

Providing training to student tutors is positively related to student achievement

Elements of Effective Praise

Is delivered contingently Specifies the particulars of the

accomplishment Shows spontaneity and credibility Tied to accomplishment Reward attainment of specified

performance criteria

Elements of Effective Praise

Provides students with information about their accomplishments

Orients students as to their progress toward a goal

Recognizes level of effort or difficulty Attributes success to effort and ability Fosters the belief that students do the task

because they enjoy doing the task

Elements of Ineffective Praise

Is delivered randomly or unsytematically Is restricted to global positive reactions Shows bland uniformity Rewards mere participation Provides no feedback toward a goal Compares students with peers rather than

past accomplishments

Elements of Ineffective Praise

Is given without regard to effort or the meaning of the accomplishment

Attributes success to ability alone or to luck Fosters the belief that students do the task

for the external reward Focuses students’ attention on the teacher

as an authority figure

Displaying Student Work

Base the selection on pre-set criteria Practice choosing work for display Share work for display Remind students of why work is displayed Examine existing displays Create a list of qualities that make a display

effective

Summary of Research on Reinforcing Effort

People generally attribute success at any given task to one of four causes: ability, effort, other people, luck

Not all students realize the importance of believing in effort

Students can learn to change their beliefs to an emphasis on effort

Classroom Practices in Reinforcing Effort

Teach and exemplify the connection between effort and achievement

Have students periodically keep track of their effort and its relationship to achievement

Summary of Research on Providing Recognition

Rewards do not necessarily have a negative effect on intrinsic motivation

Reward is most effective when it is contingent on the attainment of some standard of performance

Abstract symbolic recognition is more effective than tangible rewards

Classroom Practice in Providing Recognition

Personalize recognition Pause, prompt, praise Concrete symbols of recognition