NurtureShock
The following section was written with an audience in mind of those who've already read the NurtureShock chapter on praise.[1] If you haven't yet, you can just read the following webpage which provides a shorter version of what's in the NurtureShock chapter on praise. In addition, it also has many examples and suggestions for how to cite specific behaviors in the praise that you give.
http://motionmathgames.com/how-to-praise-your-child-and-encourage-a-growth-mindset/
Praise that fosters a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset
The first chapter of NurtureShock talks about praise that fosters a fixed mindset vs. praise that fosters a growth mindset, but it doesn't talk about other kinds of praise (evaluative, appreciative, descriptive) and the effects these different kinds of praise can have.
With how I have things organized at the moment in this wiki, I have some of the same resources on praise in two places, on this page and on the Praise wikipage. The Praise wikipage is written with an emphasis on how praise can be given in a way that leaves it to the child to make his/her own evaluations and conclusions. What I've included on this page is written in terms of how some of the resources complement what's in the NurtureShock chapter on praise.
For an article on praise that I've found particularly helpful that has many examples of praising effort, go to:
Here are some more suggestions for finding ways to give descriptive praise and appreciative praise from the website for the book Mindset by Carol Dweck.
- Ask them how they went about it and show them how you appreciate their choices, their thinking process, or their persistence. Ask them about strategies that didn't work and what they learned from them. When they make mistakes, use these as occasions for teaching them to come up with new strategies. … Look for ways to convey your valuing of effort, perseverance, and learning …
As I mentioned above, the following website has many examples and suggestions for how to cite specific behaviors in the praise that you give.
http://motionmathgames.com/how-to-praise-your-child-and-encourage-a-growth-mindset/
- ↑ The first chapter of NurtureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman can be read online because it was first published in Po Bronson’s New York Magazine article, How not to talk to your kids: The inverse power of praise.
