Rare But Social Use of Praise
Considering not all students are interested in every topic of a subject or whole subjects, I like the idea of extrinsic motivation because as per the definition, it provides students with something positive to look forward to.
However, in the adult classroom, I think in terms of praise or materialistic rewards, it should be rare and given in public because of several reasons. One, when the adult student is finally rewarded with praise after many attempts, it holds more value because it was harder to achieve. Not to say, in a semester's worth of classes, the instructor should be so stingy with praise that it is given only in the last few weeks of class. Instead, rather than giving praise every class, it should be given every week or two weeks for an especially good point. It seems to me that by giving it all the time, it diminishes the value of the praise and students do not think they have to work too hard to receive it. Additionally, because these are adults and not children on the elementary and middle school level, constant praising won't seem juvenile.
Because the praise is so rare though, it could be beneficial to publicly praise the student in front of other students so the value of the commendation increases. Healthy competition can always work to promote a prosperous learning environment. Approving a student's work in terms of comments on research papers or projects is also crucial, but public praising can lift a student's academic spirit.
One last comment I'd like to make on this is that because the praise is rare, it is important for the instructor to still be supportive and kind in their disposition. An instructor who is too strict or severe in their teaching may not want to implement this because the extrinsic motivation will probably have more of a negative reaction.
I do think for most adult students praise is a powerful motivator. These students usually are in school because they care about their value and thus the way they are perceived by others. But I question if we as instructors should be monitoring how often we give out praise. Praise is not effective unless it’s genuine and students know when it is and when it’s not. If we withhold praise because it’s too “soon†or give it out because it’s “time,†then we aren't really giving praise when praise is due. We don't grade in this fashion, giving A's but not too many. I recommend we give praise anytime praise is due. This way it is not only a motivator but also method of regular feedback.
As a side note we also need to be careful that the students we are praising in public like to be praised in public. Many do not and I think we forget this as educators because everything we do is in public so we are comfortable with that format. I have had students request I praise them in private. They want my praise when they deserve it, but they do not want it in front of others and can actually resent it when they are called to attention in this manner even when it’s positive.
I agree that praise is a good motivator. It is human nature to want to be complemented on a job well done. And as you said, it should be done in public. It puts more value on it. I come from a military background and I've always been taught to "praise in public and criticize in private". Usually, when students see other students earning praise they want to as well. But as you also said, one has to meter the praise out appropriately. Also, one has to be careful about praising one particular student too many times. It diminshes the praise and that student will soon be thought of as the teacher's pet.
