Against Praise?

[Guest TinklePrincess]

Hi everyone!

 

I was speaking to the manager of a day nursery where I'm on my ECSD-EYPS placement and suggested that, because the staff arent forthcoming with sharing with the parents the little things that he children have done (ie, they have day diaries but it's just for what they've eaten, their nappies etc, not for things like "Johhny went to the toilet all by himself today") so I came up with the idea of cutting out lots of big gold and silver stars (which took me ages and cost loads for the card!) and hanging one on a child's coat peg when they make a great acheivement, in order to continue the praise at home and bring positive reinforcement from the parent, who wouldn't have necessarily known otherwise.

 

After pitching my idea to the nursery mana ger, she said "Well, we're a High/Scope nursery so we try to stay away from praising the children"

 

Just wondering if this is normal or should I, as a trainee EYP, be challenging this?

 

I completely understand that they don't want to do the sticker thing, where a child will only do something good if he thinks he's going to get a sticker out of it, but this is different!!

 

I'm not sure if I've explained myself very well, let me know if you need clarification!

 

Many thanks

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Not praising the children is the high/scope way and as this is a high/scope setting I don't think you can really challenge this. Maybe you could do a bit of research on high/scope so you know where they are coming from? Although with all the studying I imagine you must be doing that may be the last thing you feel like doing!

I do think it is important to share the children's achievements with their parents and maybe you could encourage this, in smaller steps?

 

Campbells

[Guest]

Thats why i only like bits of high scope.

 

We all need praise, to know we have done a good job it increases self esteem and makes us feel good.

 

trouble is i dont know whether you should be challenging. Except do the parents fully understand the high scope theory??

[Guest TinklePrincess]

Hi Campbells,

 

Thanks for your reply.

To be honest with you, I didn't think that my idea was majorly focussed on praising the children, but more of sharing the child's achievements with their caregiver.

 

I suppose I could think of a better way, perhaps somthing along the lines of "Ask me what I did today" - do you think that would be more appropriate for the High/Scope way?

 

I did get a sort of Intro to High/Scope book out of the library but what with my dissertation looming, didn't really get chance to devour it the way I'd have hoped...

 

I love praising the children with a "that's great, well done" but now that I know that they are "against" it, I feel quite uncomfortable and have noticed that the staff don't praise the children very much, which I really dislike! Maybe it's just my lack of experience!!

[Guest TinklePrincess]

Hi Campbells,

 

Thanks for your reply.

To be honest with you, I didn't think that my idea was majorly focussed on praising the children, but more of sharing the child's achievements with their caregiver.

 

I suppose I could think of a better way, perhaps somthing along the lines of "Ask me what I did today" - do you think that would be more appropriate for the High/Scope way?

 

I did get a sort of Intro to High/Scope book out of the library but what with my dissertation looming, didn't really get chance to devour it the way I'd have hoped...

 

I love praising the children with a "that's great, well done" but now that I know that they are "against" it, I feel quite uncomfortable and have noticed that the staff don't praise the children very much, which I really dislike! Maybe it's just my lack of experience!!

 

 

EDIT:

 

To Suer,

 

I wasn't even aware that the nursery was a High/Scope nursery until last week when the manager/owner told me - there are no signs anywhere and nothing I've seen, even in the policies suggests that it is High/Scope, so I doubt that the parents know, or even know what it is!

[Guest]

I'm sure the parents would appreciate knowing what their children have been doing at nursery and i don't think this really goes against high/scope...but it has been a long time since I did my training and i'm a bit rusty!

 

Even though you can't praise the children you can talk about what they have done, ask questions and get their opinion of their own 'work'.

 

Just take it slowly, explain to the people you are working with what you are trying to achieve (can you use a quote from EYFS or ECM to back up your point?) and try and find a compromise between the 2 view points.

 

Good luck

[Guest]

This way of not praising is also part of the Montessori ethos, I recall reading it somewhere recently - it's about not creating children who are 'people pleasers', so that their motivation for doing things is intrinsic, comes from 'within' themselves. Although what a child has achieved is recognised, it is not with a "well done" type phrase. If I can dig out the reference I will post it later.

[Guest]

I do think that parents should be aware on how a setting runs or what theories or schooling it adopts.

 

We do a lot of outside work and go to the forest- my parents afully aware of this and have to sign upto it otherwise it wouldnt work.

 

They know how we work and how the setting functions, because we inform them and they come in for open mornings.

 

High scope doesnt praise but it does encourage

 

But i like praise, I like to know what I have done well, I like my staff and children to know that too

 

so how is it going?

[Upsy Daisy]

My understanding of High Scope is that they should avoid praise which is judgemental or evaluates a child's achievement but they should still be encouraging the child and supporting him or her in making their own evaluation.

 

With that in mind could you suggest that the child chooses whether to put a star on their peg at times when they themselves may want to share an achievement with their parents? That would seem to work within the High Scope ethos.

[Guest TinklePrincess]

My understanding of High Scope is that they should avoid praise which is judgemental or evaluates a child's achievement but they should still be encouraging the child and supporting him or her in making their own evaluation.

 

With that in mind could you suggest that the child chooses whether to put a star on their peg at times when they themselves may want to share an achievement with their parents? That would seem to work within the High Scope ethos.

 

 

That's a really good idea Upsy Daisy, I'm only at this setting for a couple more weeks and sort of gave it up as a bad job, intending to use it in my next setting, but I think this may work...

 

On another note, I have been doing a little digging and the OFSTED report suggests that the staff give plenty of praise! One member of staff I spoke to sees it as stepping away from the "Wow, you're doing good sitting!" and "That is good listening" thing... Although from my general observations, a few members of staff seem to praise the children when they do something well... Perhaps the manager needs to have a staff meeting on consistency?!