Jan
17
Written by:
Kevin
1/17/2012 6:14 AM
Alternate headline: Washington Post (and others) pull their collective heads out of ... the sand and catch up with reality.
For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.
Now, an increasing number of teachers are weaning themselves from what some call empty praise. Drawing on psychology and brain research, these educators aim to articulate a more precise, and scientific, vocabulary for praise that will push children to work through mistakes and take on more challenging assignments.
It's as if millions thousands hundreds a few dozen trust-fund babies cried out in terror, and then suddenly became completely irrelevant.
(via A Rock In A Sea Of Chaos)
Tags:
3 comment(s) so far...
Re: This is my shocked face
The problem is that you have "educators" who keep trying to give young people self-esteem. Self-esteem can only be earned or built; it cannot be given.
By BobG on
1/30/2012 7:29 AM
|
Re: This is my shocked face
There is a cliché in education that boys feel good when they accomplish something, whereas girls have to feel good before they can accomplish something.
If you said that the educational pendulum had swung in the "feminine" direction over the last fifty years, I would not argue.
Now does it swing back? Can there be equilibrium?
By Chas Clifton on
1/30/2012 7:29 AM
|
Re: This is my shocked face
My Husband tells me that his best years in grade school were when he had a schoolboy crush on his teacher and wanted to excel to please his "sweetheart". Let's face it there is an element of the psycho-social issues that play into our performance at school.
We are social creatures and this cannot be overlooked. Coming from a troubled home, being bullied all play a role in the youngsters performance. Yet it is not in the teachers providence to control or offset these issues which are largely unknown to them. Teachers should concentrate on teaching their courses, exercising courtesy, rewarding good grades and giving under-performance its due as well. beyond this the educators really shouldn't turn the class rooms into social laboratories; but rather have parent conferences and put the responsibility back where it belongs - with the parents. This is assuming parents want to raise their children?
By Marie Gronley MD on
1/30/2012 7:29 AM
|