Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should focus on teaching real life skills, and cast your vote by the end of December 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our November 2015 poll was about whether children should be praised frequently or not:

Children should not be praised frequently, because doing so can make them fearful that they won’t be able to live up to your standards and prove detrimental in the long run.

• I agree. Praising often can trigger fear of performance in children, causing them to avoid crucial learning experiences. (61%, 27 Votes)

• I disagree. Noticing and praising good behaviour in a child serves as positive reinforcement and helps them feel confident about meeting challenges. (39%, 17 votes)

The majority of our respondents (61%) feel that children should not be praised often. They believe that praising children puts pressure on them, causing them to avoid learning for fear that they won’t be able to live up to expectations. On the other hand, a minority of respondents (39%) believe that praising leads to positive reinforcement and increases children’s confidence.