An instructional tip from the School Improvement Network

Many educators have heard about Robert Marzano and McREL’s nine research-based instructional strategies. One of the research findings is that providing students with recognition for reaching a standard of performance can increase intrinsic motivation. However, teachers must be careful to use recognition appropriately; research has also shown that the incorrect use of praise or reward can actually diminish intrinsic motivation (McREL, 44). How can educators use recognition to raise student motivation and in turn increase learning? A few suggestions:

Personalize Recognition
Recognition is most powerful when it is given for the accomplishment of a student’s individual goals. In one classroom, a fifth-grade teacher helped each student set a speed goal for multiplication problems. Students charted their progress throughout the unit. The teacher then sent a letter of recognition to the parents of students who met their personal performance goal. (McREL, 46)

Pause, Prompt, and Praise
Instead of simply giving the answer, teachers can use the Pause, Prompt, and Praise strategy when students are struggling with a difficult task. The teacher asks a student to stop working momentarily, or pause, to discuss why the task is difficult. The teacher then provides a specific idea, or prompt, for improvement. If the student’s performance improves through implementing the prompt, the teacher responds with praise. (McREL, 46)

Concrete Symbols of Recognition
If teachers are using awards, stickers, certificates, coupons, and treats as recognition, they must use these tokens only when students achieve a specific performance goal and not when students simply complete an activity. (McREL, 47)
The nine strategies, when correctly applied, can raise student achievement by 22 to 45 percentile points.

Source: A Participant’s Manual for Classroom Instruction that Works. McREL, 2005.