PADM Magnolia: Praise in the Montessori Environment
Something very important in a Montessori classroom is the way praise is handled with children. It is something that we, as adults, have to control within ourselves to avoid having the child’s accomplishments be over shadowed by a teachers emotions. We try to instill in the child that their work has inherent value; because, it […]
“There is no punishment or reward in our schools to interfere with the joy in the work itself. The only reward is in the completion of the work – it is at this time that internal discipline establishes itself, and the foundations of character are laid. ”
Maria Montessori, Maria Montessori Speaks to Parents, p. 22
Something very important in a Montessori classroom is the way praise is handled with children. It is something that we, as adults, have to control within ourselves to avoid having the child’s accomplishments be over shadowed by a teachers emotions. We try to instill in the child that their work has inherent value; because, it is something that the child has concentrated on and dedicated time to. We do not want children to seek external validation for their accomplishments; our hope is for them to find to find inner satisfaction.
We seek to aid the development of a child’s inner sense of reward. We do not want them to be motivated by our own excitement about their achievement or approval of their work. Children should accomplish tasks based on their own drive to do so.
We strive to make the children interested in self-improvement and self-motivation, avoiding both reward and punishment for any of the child’s behaviors. What we try to draw light on, is the natural consequences of their actions. For example, if a child helps to refill paper for cutting work, we draw the child’s attention to the people who are using cutting work and that it was due to their help. We want them to see the good they have done for themselves or their community, rather than simply being told. The child being able to see their impact is often rewarding and motivates them to continue doing things that are intellectually driven, kind, or helpful, simply for the sake of it rather than being told that they are “good”.
Why We Don’t Say “Good Job”
The phrase “good job” is often used by adults speaking to children, and though there is positive intention behind the verbal praise, there are often consequences.
Oftentimes, praise is given when the child is completing a task the adult wants done, rather than used when a child has achieved something they find valuable. Tasks such as cleaning up their toys, eating vegetables, or using the toilet are things that the child must do in their lives. If the basic skills they harness are treated with high levels of praise it can be hard to keep ‘raising the praise bar’ as the child accomplishes increasingly complex things in their lives. The child will begin to connect that they receive the same reward for doing something that requires minimal effort and doing something they put a lot of time and care into. As such, when children seek out the adults in our room to share something that they have done, we avoid telling them “Good Job”. This phrase, though at first can be very rewarding for the child, has diminishing returns. As the child continues to grow and complete increasingly complicated work, being told ‘good job’ for something that took them a moment and for something that took them hours, even days, begins to feel disingenuous. It is important for us to be intentional with our words and not try to make interactions with children about our feelings, but theirs! Some examples of language we use in the classroom are:
“How do you feel?”
“I saw you were concentrating on this for a long time!”
“Can you tell me more about what you did/made?”
“You painted the entire paper.”
When the child gives their answer we try to respond by focusing on the action or effort they have put forth. We will share observations, thank them if they have done something helpful, or express gratitude.
We want the children to be able to see the positive benefits of their actions. A child is engaging with materials because it is rewarding in itself. If a child is writing with the movable alphabet for example, the reward is forming the words or creating a story. We may draw attention to how much effort they put into their learning in order to write words now, children recognizing and remembering their own progress is a great motivator. It reminds them that they didn’t always know how to do what they are achieving, and then worked to gain that skill. If we tell children they are “good” for every task they do, they can become dependent on praise for motivation.
As your child grows, we hope for them to see how their own behavior can benefit themselves and accrue, as well as positively benefit others.
