Have you ever wondered how analytic and holistic people differ when it comes to baking a cake? To begin with, an analytic person will need a recipe... and not just any recipe.
The other day, I tried to give my so-called-recipe for muffins to a highly analytic person.
“What do you mean by whatever fruit you have?” she asked suspiciously.
“I mean, whatever. Frozen blueberries, fresh blueberries, chopped kiwi fruit, diced apple, or a mixture. They all work.”
“But how can you say to always add a cup of fruit if it’s different fruit every time? Frozen blueberries will take up more room than chopped kiwifruit, so the ratio of fruit to batter will be different.”
A holistic person will happily substitute all bran flour with white flour if they run out of all bran, and if they don’t know what “broil” means, they will improvise.
A tactile person will stick their finger into the dish long before it’s ready. They will prefer to knead the bread dough by hand, foregoing the expensive electric appliances.
A visual person will decorate the pie with crust cut-offs, the muffins with little cherries and the plates with sprigs or parsley.
Now, if you’re familiar with the Learning Styles Analysis on our website, www.creativelearningcentre.com, you might like to answer the following questions:
· What type of personality will hum as they’re cooking?
· What Learning Style type will line up all the ingredients on the bench top before they begin cooking?
· Who is least likely to want to use measuring cups?
· Who likes help in the kitchen while they’re cooking?
· Who is most likely to clean up afterwards?
Are you and your spouse / partner / flat mate compatible in the kitchen? What cooking arrangements do you have and do they work for you? Write a comment to this blog and let us know, or do the test on www.creativelearningcentre.com to find out.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Why “Creative” Learning?
People often ask us about the name of the company: why “Creative” Learning? Being a very good question, it doesn’t have a simple answer.
One reason for the name is to distinguish our method of learning (using Learning Styles) from “traditional” learning (traditional learning takes place in a brightly lit classroom, with the teacher at the blackboard and the pupils uncomfortable on hard chairs).
"Creative learning" also means: be creative when you learn, use learning tools to help you, have fun.
Some examples (and there are literally thousands) of learning using the Creative Learning approach include:
· making and using specific learning tools like electro-boards, flip chutes, wrap-arounds,
· playing a board game with a child to teach them to count,
· playing a board game with a child to teach them to recognise at a glance the visual patterns made by the dots on dice,
· becoming detectives for the day and taking a walk through the neighbourhood to find all the numbers "3" on the houses - great for kinesthetic children,
· making a gigantic letter A from cardboard, then cutting it up into jigsaw style pieces and putting it back together again (to teach the alphabet) - great for tactile children,
· playing bank or post office (using official forms) to practice writing / adding up,
· playing FlySwat to teach a foreign language: you write the vocabulary on the black board, give 2 children a fly swat each, then you call out a word and the first child to find the translation on the board gets to swat it - again, good kinesthetic fun.
What else can a teacher do, apart from finding out their own Teaching Style and their pupils’ Learning Styles (available from www.creativelearningcentre.com)?
· At the end of each lesson, let kinesthetic children throw a ball around or hit a balloon to one another as you call out one thing you remember from the lesson,
· For a geography lesson: let visual children paint and write a postcard from a pretend-holiday describing typical weather of that month, tourist attractions, cuisine, industry, farming,
· For a geography lesson: let kinesthetic children set up a drama play about their experience as tourists in a foreign country,
· For a geography lesson: let tactile children build a topographic map of the region using coloured clay.
Still stuck for ideas? Then please email me on yvonne@clc.co.nz and let me know the age group and the school subject you’re targeting, and we can brainstorm together.
Alternatively, please leave a comment on this blog.
I look forward to hearing from you.
One reason for the name is to distinguish our method of learning (using Learning Styles) from “traditional” learning (traditional learning takes place in a brightly lit classroom, with the teacher at the blackboard and the pupils uncomfortable on hard chairs).
"Creative learning" also means: be creative when you learn, use learning tools to help you, have fun.
Some examples (and there are literally thousands) of learning using the Creative Learning approach include:
· making and using specific learning tools like electro-boards, flip chutes, wrap-arounds,
· playing a board game with a child to teach them to count,
· playing a board game with a child to teach them to recognise at a glance the visual patterns made by the dots on dice,
· becoming detectives for the day and taking a walk through the neighbourhood to find all the numbers "3" on the houses - great for kinesthetic children,
· making a gigantic letter A from cardboard, then cutting it up into jigsaw style pieces and putting it back together again (to teach the alphabet) - great for tactile children,
· playing bank or post office (using official forms) to practice writing / adding up,
· playing FlySwat to teach a foreign language: you write the vocabulary on the black board, give 2 children a fly swat each, then you call out a word and the first child to find the translation on the board gets to swat it - again, good kinesthetic fun.
What else can a teacher do, apart from finding out their own Teaching Style and their pupils’ Learning Styles (available from www.creativelearningcentre.com)?
· At the end of each lesson, let kinesthetic children throw a ball around or hit a balloon to one another as you call out one thing you remember from the lesson,
· For a geography lesson: let visual children paint and write a postcard from a pretend-holiday describing typical weather of that month, tourist attractions, cuisine, industry, farming,
· For a geography lesson: let kinesthetic children set up a drama play about their experience as tourists in a foreign country,
· For a geography lesson: let tactile children build a topographic map of the region using coloured clay.
Still stuck for ideas? Then please email me on yvonne@clc.co.nz and let me know the age group and the school subject you’re targeting, and we can brainstorm together.
Alternatively, please leave a comment on this blog.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Friday, August 18, 2006
The Extended DISC Work Pair Analysis Report
· Are you considering setting up business with a friend?
· Are you going to work closely on a specific project with a team member?
· Is you company about to recruit somebody to work alongside an existing employee?
Work Pair Analysis is a tool used to determine how well two individuals can work together. While two similar DISC styles often get along well, their partnership amplifies not only their strengths, but also their weaknesses. As a result, their performance is not optimal.
The tool identifies the styles of the individuals, how the styles complement each other, and where
the behaviour gaps exist. It also provides a visual, easy to understand report about what the individuals should:
• remember,
• accept and
• practice
when working together.
Work Pair Analysis does not require the participants to complete another DISC questionnaire: it can be generated from the data set provided by your original responses.
To perform your Work Pair Analysis, please contact info@clc.co.nz.
· Are you going to work closely on a specific project with a team member?
· Is you company about to recruit somebody to work alongside an existing employee?
Work Pair Analysis is a tool used to determine how well two individuals can work together. While two similar DISC styles often get along well, their partnership amplifies not only their strengths, but also their weaknesses. As a result, their performance is not optimal.
The tool identifies the styles of the individuals, how the styles complement each other, and where
the behaviour gaps exist. It also provides a visual, easy to understand report about what the individuals should:
• remember,
• accept and
• practice
when working together.
Work Pair Analysis does not require the participants to complete another DISC questionnaire: it can be generated from the data set provided by your original responses.
To perform your Work Pair Analysis, please contact info@clc.co.nz.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
DISC Personality Assessment
Are you a D or an S? We’re talking about the DISC Personality Assessment, of course. DISC is a reliable way to gain insight into interpersonal relationships, work productivity, teamwork and communication, using a 4-dimensional model of behaviour.
D stands for Dominance: People who get high scores in this area enjoy dealing with problems and challenges. They are described as demanding, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.
I is for Influence: “High I” people influence others through talking. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with Low I scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings and are described as reflective, factual, calculating, sceptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact and critical.
S is for Steadiness: People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don't like sudden change. They are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. People with Low S scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.
C stands for Conscientiousness: Those with High C scores adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High C people are cautious, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate and tactful. Those with Low C scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic and careless with details.
Comprising 24 multiple-choice questions, this quick fun test is available in paper or online versions from Creative Learning Systems (www.creativelearningcentre.com). Are you Analytical and Concerned, or a Good Listener and Sympathetic? Find out today by sending an email to info@clc.co.nz for more details.
D stands for Dominance: People who get high scores in this area enjoy dealing with problems and challenges. They are described as demanding, strong willed, driving, determined, ambitious, and pioneering. Low D scores describe those who are conservative, low keyed, cooperative, undemanding, cautious, mild, agreeable, modest and peaceful.
I is for Influence: “High I” people influence others through talking. They are described as convincing, magnetic, political, enthusiastic, persuasive, warm, demonstrative, trusting, and optimistic. Those with Low I scores influence more by data and facts, and not with feelings and are described as reflective, factual, calculating, sceptical, logical, suspicious, matter of fact and critical.
S is for Steadiness: People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don't like sudden change. They are calm, relaxed, patient, possessive, predictable, stable, consistent, and tend to be unemotional and poker faced. People with Low S scores are described as restless, demonstrative, impatient, eager, or even impulsive.
C stands for Conscientiousness: Those with High C scores adhere to rules, regulations, and structure. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. High C people are cautious, neat, systematic, diplomatic, accurate and tactful. Those with Low C scores challenge the rules and want independence and are described as stubborn, opinionated, unsystematic and careless with details.
Comprising 24 multiple-choice questions, this quick fun test is available in paper or online versions from Creative Learning Systems (www.creativelearningcentre.com). Are you Analytical and Concerned, or a Good Listener and Sympathetic? Find out today by sending an email to info@clc.co.nz for more details.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Single Sex Education
“By almost every benchmark and across every demographic group, boys are falling behind at school.”
This statement was made about the shape of education in America last year, but it’s equally valid in most parts of the globe. Whereas fifty years ago the education system advantaged boys, nowadays it measures academic success in a way that seems to benefit girls.
For some strange reason, the solution of choice appears to be single-sex education. Journalist Christine Flowers put it as follows: “males and females should mix at parties, at sporting events and in holy matrimony, but that it's far too distracting to have a member of the opposite sex sitting in class beside you.”
I disagree.
School is a place where you learn many things: logarithms, Shakespeare, basketball, how to spit and how to stay out of trouble, how to make friends and how to hurt enemies. Learning how to deal with members of the opposite sex is an integral part of the beautiful process of learning, in the fullest sense of the word.
I know the statistics, about how girls in particular, but also boys, fare better in single-sex schools. I know that in New Zealand, some secondary schools are choosing to split boys and girls in subjects such as English, Maths and Science. In England, parents are choosing single-gender schools. In European countries where co-ed education has been the only mainstream option since the Second World War, private single-sex schools are mushrooming.
To all that I say: stop, think. Boys’ brains differ from girls’ brains, nobody can argue with that. Boys and girls are developmentally and psychologically different, true. And yet, it would be a gross error to generalise along the gender lines to say “all boys need mobility and a certain level of noise during the learning process, while all girls need to sit still in a quiet room in order to concentrate better.”
Teachers need to recognise it and learn how to bring out the best in everyone, and Learning Style Analysis (www.creativelearningcentre.com) is the best place to start. That’s where teachers find out whether their pupils need visual stimuli or kinesthetic activities, brightly lit rooms or a sip of water, external rewards or rigid guidelines, early morning tests or background music, in order to learn to the best of their potential.
STOP PRESS: “Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced in July 2006 that she had signed the first bill on the way to allowing single-sex education in Michigan.”
How many pupils in Michigan have had their Learning Styles assessed, I wonder.
This statement was made about the shape of education in America last year, but it’s equally valid in most parts of the globe. Whereas fifty years ago the education system advantaged boys, nowadays it measures academic success in a way that seems to benefit girls.
For some strange reason, the solution of choice appears to be single-sex education. Journalist Christine Flowers put it as follows: “males and females should mix at parties, at sporting events and in holy matrimony, but that it's far too distracting to have a member of the opposite sex sitting in class beside you.”
I disagree.
School is a place where you learn many things: logarithms, Shakespeare, basketball, how to spit and how to stay out of trouble, how to make friends and how to hurt enemies. Learning how to deal with members of the opposite sex is an integral part of the beautiful process of learning, in the fullest sense of the word.
I know the statistics, about how girls in particular, but also boys, fare better in single-sex schools. I know that in New Zealand, some secondary schools are choosing to split boys and girls in subjects such as English, Maths and Science. In England, parents are choosing single-gender schools. In European countries where co-ed education has been the only mainstream option since the Second World War, private single-sex schools are mushrooming.
To all that I say: stop, think. Boys’ brains differ from girls’ brains, nobody can argue with that. Boys and girls are developmentally and psychologically different, true. And yet, it would be a gross error to generalise along the gender lines to say “all boys need mobility and a certain level of noise during the learning process, while all girls need to sit still in a quiet room in order to concentrate better.”
Teachers need to recognise it and learn how to bring out the best in everyone, and Learning Style Analysis (www.creativelearningcentre.com) is the best place to start. That’s where teachers find out whether their pupils need visual stimuli or kinesthetic activities, brightly lit rooms or a sip of water, external rewards or rigid guidelines, early morning tests or background music, in order to learn to the best of their potential.
STOP PRESS: “Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm announced in July 2006 that she had signed the first bill on the way to allowing single-sex education in Michigan.”
How many pupils in Michigan have had their Learning Styles assessed, I wonder.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Learning Styles and Bullying
By Sharon D'Penha
School bullying is a very common cause of poor performance among students. Children who are bullied by other children tend to slow down as far as progress at school goes, and they tend to want to stay away from school altogether. Research has shown that violence among peers may cause a low rate of literacy among children of various age groups.
According to a September 2003 report in the Journal of Urban Health, 15% of children reported feeling unsafe in school, while only 8% felt the same way outside school. In the same study, nearly 31% of all children said their schoolmates "get away with anything." Billingsley, Janice, "Many Children Don't Feel Safe at School”, HealthScout.com, Sept. 2003.
School bullying peaks during your child’s early teenage years, but it is experienced in most primary and secondary schools. In order to help our children, we need to know more about the nature of bullies and their victims.
Our task as parents and educators would be easy if all we had to do was give a child a questionnaire to complete in order to discover whether they are a potential bully or victim. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complex than that.
How to spot a bully?
There are different types of children who turn into bullies.
· Some are ‘Attention seekers’: they want to be the centre of attention most of the time. They can be very friendly to some people (to the point of being overfriendly or overgenerous) and aggressive to others.
· The other type of bully may be dubbed ‘Wannabes’: they are underachievers and underperformers, but they want recognition for skills they don’t have.
· Yet others are known as ‘Gurus’: they are task-focussed and have no people-skills. They are sometimes regarded as favourites and valued by the teacher, either because they come from rich and famous homes, or because of their genuine knowledge in a narrow field.
· There are also those called ‘Sociopaths’ who interest only in personal gain, survival and can be very deceitful, manipulative and evil.
Is your child being bullied?
If your child is being bullied, you will be able to observe both physical and social signs. You may notice your child has come home with wounds and torn clothes, and when questioned, he won’t give a satisfactory or believable answer. Complaining of headaches and stomach-aches could be another sign of being bullied, especially if this happens right before the child is leaving for school.
Socially, a child can run down in numbers at school: his grades may suddenly go low instead of going higher, he may not like to participate in school activities and events anymore, not like to talk to his best friends any longer, he might keep to himself all the while. It’s important to find out what is causing this distress and change of attitude in your child, and it would be unwise to put it down to “typical teenage angst”.
What you can do?
You may not always be able to confirm your suspicions. "Bullies may instil a sense of shame in victims," says Kate Cohen-Posey, author of How To Handle Bullies, Teasers and Other Meanies. "Either they internalize the names they are being called, or feel like they should be able to handle it themselves."
All children are entitled to courteous and respectful treatment by students and staff at school. Educators have a duty to ensure that students have a safe learning environment. Fortunately, most educators take their responsibilities to stop bullying very seriously.
If you have any concerns or even unproved suspicions, speak to your child’s school in the first instance and ensure that together you form a Plan of Action to combat not only the bullying, but also the resulting issues (lower grades won’t necessarily go away when the bullying stops: you will need to bridge your child’s gap in knowledge).
For a chance to understand your child’s learning potential and strengths, as well as to increase their sense of self-worth, assess their Learning Style on www.creativelearningcentre.com.
Make your children ‘BULLY-PROOF’: get wise, act now!
School bullying is a very common cause of poor performance among students. Children who are bullied by other children tend to slow down as far as progress at school goes, and they tend to want to stay away from school altogether. Research has shown that violence among peers may cause a low rate of literacy among children of various age groups.
According to a September 2003 report in the Journal of Urban Health, 15% of children reported feeling unsafe in school, while only 8% felt the same way outside school. In the same study, nearly 31% of all children said their schoolmates "get away with anything." Billingsley, Janice, "Many Children Don't Feel Safe at School”, HealthScout.com, Sept. 2003.
School bullying peaks during your child’s early teenage years, but it is experienced in most primary and secondary schools. In order to help our children, we need to know more about the nature of bullies and their victims.
Our task as parents and educators would be easy if all we had to do was give a child a questionnaire to complete in order to discover whether they are a potential bully or victim. Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complex than that.
How to spot a bully?
There are different types of children who turn into bullies.
· Some are ‘Attention seekers’: they want to be the centre of attention most of the time. They can be very friendly to some people (to the point of being overfriendly or overgenerous) and aggressive to others.
· The other type of bully may be dubbed ‘Wannabes’: they are underachievers and underperformers, but they want recognition for skills they don’t have.
· Yet others are known as ‘Gurus’: they are task-focussed and have no people-skills. They are sometimes regarded as favourites and valued by the teacher, either because they come from rich and famous homes, or because of their genuine knowledge in a narrow field.
· There are also those called ‘Sociopaths’ who interest only in personal gain, survival and can be very deceitful, manipulative and evil.
Is your child being bullied?
If your child is being bullied, you will be able to observe both physical and social signs. You may notice your child has come home with wounds and torn clothes, and when questioned, he won’t give a satisfactory or believable answer. Complaining of headaches and stomach-aches could be another sign of being bullied, especially if this happens right before the child is leaving for school.
Socially, a child can run down in numbers at school: his grades may suddenly go low instead of going higher, he may not like to participate in school activities and events anymore, not like to talk to his best friends any longer, he might keep to himself all the while. It’s important to find out what is causing this distress and change of attitude in your child, and it would be unwise to put it down to “typical teenage angst”.
What you can do?
You may not always be able to confirm your suspicions. "Bullies may instil a sense of shame in victims," says Kate Cohen-Posey, author of How To Handle Bullies, Teasers and Other Meanies. "Either they internalize the names they are being called, or feel like they should be able to handle it themselves."
All children are entitled to courteous and respectful treatment by students and staff at school. Educators have a duty to ensure that students have a safe learning environment. Fortunately, most educators take their responsibilities to stop bullying very seriously.
If you have any concerns or even unproved suspicions, speak to your child’s school in the first instance and ensure that together you form a Plan of Action to combat not only the bullying, but also the resulting issues (lower grades won’t necessarily go away when the bullying stops: you will need to bridge your child’s gap in knowledge).
For a chance to understand your child’s learning potential and strengths, as well as to increase their sense of self-worth, assess their Learning Style on www.creativelearningcentre.com.
Make your children ‘BULLY-PROOF’: get wise, act now!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Carrot and stick - how to motivate our children using Learning Styles
There are two types of people in the world: those who are internally motivated, and those who are motivated by external means. That’s according to the Creative Learning Systems’ learning styles found on www.creativelearningcentre.com.
It’s very easy to get an externally motivated child to do her homework, put away her shoes and be nice to her baby brother: all you have to do is promise her a reward. The reward can be verbal (you’re such a good girl, I’m proud of you), material (a chocolate bar if you allow your kids sweets), accrued (a star-chart with a well defined end-goal, such as a pair of skates once the child accumulates 20 stars) or a withdrawal of privileges (no TV after dinner if you don’t load the dishwasher). In the old days, there was also active punishment (the stick approach), but I’m glad to say that’s being phased out to the point of being made illegal in some countries.
(Do you have an opinion as to whether it should be illegal for parents to smack their children? If so, please comment at the bottom of this blog.)
It’s even easier to get an internally motivated child to do her homework, put away her shoes and be nice to her baby brother: you don’t need to do anything at all, because your child will do it all out of her internal sense of “I want to get this done”. That’s provided she herself sees that homework, putting away the shoes and being nice to the baby brother as important matters worthy of engaging her internal motivation system over. If she doesn’t see them as important, you have a huge problem on your hands, because no amount of chocolate or withholding of privileges is going to have an effect on her.
So, what do you do as a parent? The first step is, naturally, to establish what type of motivation works on your child, and to what extend: your child may have a strong or a slight preference for external motivation, she may have a non-preference for it (in which case it’s really not a good idea to offer her external rewards), or she may be flexible in this area (in other words, a combination of internal and external motivation would work well on her).
If your child is strongly internally motivated, all you can do is continue to instil your values in her and hope that her internal motivation system will make her do the right things. Particularly if she also has a non-preference for external motivation and would be unhappy with an external reward system, your task as a parent is very hard indeed.
If your child is externally motivated, set up a reward system for her. But - I hear you argue - isn’t it wrong to have to reward my child for doing something that’s her duty? Well, let me ask you this: how many hours would you spend at your place of work if you didn’t get paid for it? Also, the rewards need be nothing more than a clear and positive acknowledgement from you of the fact that your child did indeed perform her duty. It’s amazing how far you can go with loving and sincere praise.
Which brings me to the topic of over-praising. It’s currently fashionable to give your children praise whether or not they really deserve it. In my opinion, that’s wrong, very wrong, because it leads the child to believe that they need not put any effort into their tasks: whether they try hard or not, they will hear “good work, great drawing, you’re so clever!”.... In particular, internally motivated children will look with disdain at such empty rewards.
So, make sure the praise is deserved, sincere and specific. Avoid general feedback: “this is wonderful” in favour of “I like the way you drew the scales on the mermaid’s tail”, “Thank you for sharing your bun with your brother” and “I’m proud of all the effort you put into cleaning your room”.
And do remember the best praise of all, to be used on internally and externally motivated children alike: “I love you”. You can make it as general and as frequent as you like!
It’s very easy to get an externally motivated child to do her homework, put away her shoes and be nice to her baby brother: all you have to do is promise her a reward. The reward can be verbal (you’re such a good girl, I’m proud of you), material (a chocolate bar if you allow your kids sweets), accrued (a star-chart with a well defined end-goal, such as a pair of skates once the child accumulates 20 stars) or a withdrawal of privileges (no TV after dinner if you don’t load the dishwasher). In the old days, there was also active punishment (the stick approach), but I’m glad to say that’s being phased out to the point of being made illegal in some countries.
(Do you have an opinion as to whether it should be illegal for parents to smack their children? If so, please comment at the bottom of this blog.)
It’s even easier to get an internally motivated child to do her homework, put away her shoes and be nice to her baby brother: you don’t need to do anything at all, because your child will do it all out of her internal sense of “I want to get this done”. That’s provided she herself sees that homework, putting away the shoes and being nice to the baby brother as important matters worthy of engaging her internal motivation system over. If she doesn’t see them as important, you have a huge problem on your hands, because no amount of chocolate or withholding of privileges is going to have an effect on her.
So, what do you do as a parent? The first step is, naturally, to establish what type of motivation works on your child, and to what extend: your child may have a strong or a slight preference for external motivation, she may have a non-preference for it (in which case it’s really not a good idea to offer her external rewards), or she may be flexible in this area (in other words, a combination of internal and external motivation would work well on her).
If your child is strongly internally motivated, all you can do is continue to instil your values in her and hope that her internal motivation system will make her do the right things. Particularly if she also has a non-preference for external motivation and would be unhappy with an external reward system, your task as a parent is very hard indeed.
If your child is externally motivated, set up a reward system for her. But - I hear you argue - isn’t it wrong to have to reward my child for doing something that’s her duty? Well, let me ask you this: how many hours would you spend at your place of work if you didn’t get paid for it? Also, the rewards need be nothing more than a clear and positive acknowledgement from you of the fact that your child did indeed perform her duty. It’s amazing how far you can go with loving and sincere praise.
Which brings me to the topic of over-praising. It’s currently fashionable to give your children praise whether or not they really deserve it. In my opinion, that’s wrong, very wrong, because it leads the child to believe that they need not put any effort into their tasks: whether they try hard or not, they will hear “good work, great drawing, you’re so clever!”.... In particular, internally motivated children will look with disdain at such empty rewards.
So, make sure the praise is deserved, sincere and specific. Avoid general feedback: “this is wonderful” in favour of “I like the way you drew the scales on the mermaid’s tail”, “Thank you for sharing your bun with your brother” and “I’m proud of all the effort you put into cleaning your room”.
And do remember the best praise of all, to be used on internally and externally motivated children alike: “I love you”. You can make it as general and as frequent as you like!
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