Teach Effectively!

Over on Behavior Concepts Rayna and Andrew Houvouras have a good take down of a weak piece of popular press reporting. They cover an article entitled “How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise” by Po Bronson and published in the magazine New York. Following the work of motivation psychologist Carol Dweck, the article paints a dim view of the value of praising behavior, overlooking the extensive research showing that specific, contingent praise produces substantial changes in behavior. The Houvourases correct the record. Read their analysis.