positive feedback

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Home : 2004 : July : 3

positive feedback
By Sue W.

Keeping samples of student work has been very important to keep my own perspective about a child's progress but also has had great value to the students as well.

Keep good records and share them privately with children
at regular intervals. It's a lot more effective to show a child positive growth than to tell them what needs to be changed. A sample of a child's own work is something concrete, not someone else's opinion. Even if a child's progress is slow he needs to be aware that it IS progress. I do not want to see my students comparing their work to that of others, but rather to their own at a past

time.

You may need to point out to the child some items, for example in writing, more legible handwriting, improved spelling, more complex sentences, a more mature choice of words.

A couple of examples follow.

In January, I showed a 1st grade girl her writing sample for September. For at least a week she asked to see the paper each day. Smiled and redoubled her efforts.

A little boy who generally had a negative attitude was shown a paper he had worked on two months before to compare with a new effort. He asked if he could have it and I told him that I keep the samples but that I would make a copy for him. It was so touching to see him walking down the hall holding the copy of his old paper in one had and a new one in the other, talking to himself as he walked,"That's better! That's really a LOT better!"

I also have seen children totally amazed when doing running reading records and showing them samples of the difficulty of what they could read a few months ago as compared to what they are presently able to handle.

It can sometimes be embarassing to a child to be praised too much in front of others and can have a negative effect.

Basically the most positive feedback that can be given to a child is helping him recognize his own educational growth.