Apparently, according to the HighScope curriculum, praise can be harmful. In a 2011 resource guide (ReSource2011.12winter_72-1.pdf):

“Many well-intentioned teachers have used praise to improve children’s self-esteem and self-image, but the outcome can be just the opposite. Research from the field supports this conclusion. Alfie Kohn (1999), noted author of Punished by Rewards: The Trouble With Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A’s, Praise, and Other Bribes, explains the potential damage to children when adults use praise. Children learn to depend on adults for figuring out what is right or wrong, instead of developing this ability themselves. Rather than rely on their intrinsic motivation to learn, learning or “performing” is done in order to please others. Children lose the interest and ability to work and learn on their own. By contrast, children who can evaluate their own performance with encouraging feedback from interested adults remain involved. Moreover, they are self-correcting, that is, they can ask questions of themselves and work to solve problems on their own. Learning is inherently satisfying. Furthermore, “praise” implies judgment. Preschoolers know that if you can judge them favorably, you can also judge them unfavorably. Exploring or trying something new might result in “failure” from the adult’s perspective, so children stick with what is safe and has earned them praise before.”

In the context of Mother Goose on the Loose, this would mean that when children hit “STOP” on the drum, rather than responding with positive words (“fantastic, wonderful, marvelous, etc.”) a better response would be something that acknowledges their achievement by describing it rather than judging it, i.e. “You hit the drum!” (said enthusiastically with a smile), “You hit loudly!”, or even simply, “Bang!”

What do you think about this?  I am going to do some research to find out more about this intriguing concept, but I would love to have an online discussion with comments from those who are familiar with the theory and have used it, to those people who have had experiences with praise. Since it is difficult to post comments on this blog due to the large amount of spam that is consistently being filtered out, please add your comments to Mother Goose on the Loose’s Facebook fan page.

I’m always happy to learn new things and am very curious to find out more about this. So, please join in the discussion and share your comments!

Thanks!

Betsy

We hold Mother Goose on the Loose once a week.  It is a drop-in program usually attended by ten to fifteen babies and at least one parent/caregiver per child. The purpose is to increase early literacy and social skills in a relaxed, fun environment and to model and teach methods, activities, songs, and rhymes for parents/caregivers.” (Nemec 2011, 20)

Check it out at: Nemec, Jenna. “It’s (Still) Never Too Early to Start!” Children and Libraries 9:3, Winter 2011, 15-21.

When I was in Oakland, California presenting a training workshop, one of the participants spoke about this. She said that she worked with teen moms and many of them were surprised that she was doing knee bounces because they heard all about “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and were afraid to bounce their babies and cause permanent damage. The woman at my workshop said that these women were missing out on important physical contact with their babies because of their unfounded worries. She spoke with them about the importance of a steady beat, of positive physical contact, and of the delight that children feel when being bounced on their parents knees.

According the Website of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (http://www.dontshake.org/sbs.php?topNavID=3&subNavID=24)

“…Parents usually call after a well-meaning relative or friend has cautioned them regarding such activities as using an infant swing, tossing a child in the air or bouncing a baby on the caregiver’s knee. These callers are reassured once a staff member from the National Center explains SBS/AHT and the violence necessary to cause it.

The National Center and its International Advisory Board issues this position statement on the relationship between shaken baby syndrome and normal affectionate handling or innocent play activities:

Shaken baby syndrome, which may result in severe brain trauma, is caused when a child is violently shaken such that the head is subjected to back and forth motion in one or more directions resulting in rapid repeated severe acceleration and deceleration of the head. The medical literature and ongoing research around the world have characterized shaken baby syndrome as well as other forms of accidental and non-accidental injury. Activities involving an infant or a child such as tossing in the air, bouncing on the knee, placing a child in an infant swing or jogging with them in a back pack, do not cause the brain, bone, and eye injuries characteristic of shaken baby syndrome. 
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome recognizes and supports positions offered by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) in reference to the mechanisms that cause shaken baby syndrome. The forces required are distinctly different than those sustained by children in the activities described above or in short falls.”

In addition to not being harmful, knee bounces provide a way for the child to have positive physical interaction with his or her caregiver. Knee bouncing is fun, joyous. Plus, children feel the steady beat with their entire body; they are learning through hearing the rhymes and feeling the bounce at the same time. The beat reminds them of their mother’s heartbeat when they were still in the womb and is generally comforting. The combination of feeling the beat, hearing the beat, and experiencing physical closeness in a fun way with a person they love helps to reinforce positive emotions.

When running a lapsit program for toddlers, it is often obvious that as soon as the knee bounces start, the kids who were all over the room exploring will return to their adult in order to enjoy the knee bouncing activities.

Here is one explanation of the benefits of knee bouncing from the “Introduction to the Kodály Philosophy website:

“The interaction between adult and child in these games is irreplaceable. In this modern world however, life moves at a very fast pace and there is a temptation for carers to sit children in bouncy chairs and swings and surround them with colourful toys or the television. Of course the bright colours and fast movements will keep the child’s attention but there is no substitute for INTERACTION. Time spent in these early stages is an investment in the future.”

I held my first weekly Mother Goose on the Loose program last week.  I had 6 kids and their grownups, and received unsolicited hugs from 5 out of 6 kids.  Not a bad rate of return!  It was lots of fun, and I think it will grow quickly via word of mouth.

When I asked Rhonda if I could post her comments, she added more:

I would be delighted it you posted my comments on your blog!  I’m having a wonderful time doing the MGOL program…it’s incredibly easy from a program planning perspective, and the children are responding well.  I love to see the delight on their faces when we’re doing knee bounces and tickles!

I love hearing from MGOL presenters.  Please keep your emails coming!

Betsy

I am about to begin my first MGOL session at my library in Connecticut.  I am unable to remember what I am supposed to do with the two identical monkey puppets from folkmanis.  I remember that they are used to kiss the kids but I don’t remember where this fits into the program.  I need your  help !

Betsy

http://ubaltmagazine.com/2011/08/01/librarian-on-the-loose-betsy-diamant-cohen-d-c-d-%E2%80%9905/

In the meantime, I have been training staff at Port Discovery to present Mother Goose on the Loose programs, and they are doing a terrific job. I love watching the way presenters become more and more comfortable with the formal and the material in such a short period of time!

“I attended the mgol workshop at the Library of Virginia in September of 2010 and am doing the 10 part program a tmy Public Library.  It is going very well.  I have one question: Do you circle around the room giving everyone a stuffed animal kiss?  If so, at what point in the program do you do that?  I seem to remember that from the workshop, but couldn’f find it in the workshop materials.”

The answer:  You are right, the puppet gives the kiss towards the beginning of the program but not at the very start. If  we sing “The Eency Weency Spider” followed by”The Great Big Spider”, then the spider puppet will give everyone a kiss for singing his song. If we sing “Good morning, Mrs. Perky Bird,” then Mrs. Perky Bird will go around giving the kiss.  It’s best if the puppet kiss is somewhat related to an activity, and that it occurs sometime during the Rhymes and Reads section to set a nice tone for the rest of the program.

Also, don’t forget to stop by the Mother Goose on the Loose booth at ALA to say hi, or to attend “The Power of Play” program on Saturday, June 25, 2011 – 4:00pm – 5:30pm, in room 344 of the conference center. For more information, click on this link! http://connect.ala.org/node/137403

This program is sponsored by ALSC. The description reads: “Play is a powerful learning tool, yet today’s children get significantly less play time than their parents had. Although research supports the value of play, schools have been cutting recess from their schedules and parents seem to prefer programmed time rather than free time for their children. Hear about research that supports therapeutic and developmental opportunities offered through play and learn ways to integrate play into library programs for children of all ages. In addition, hear about the value of inclusive play for children with and without disabilities.”

The presenters are:

Carrie Banks, Director, The Child’s Place for Children with Special Needs at the Brooklyn Public Library
Christy Burgess Estrovitz, Early Literacy Specialist, San Francisco Public Library
Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen, Library Programming Consultant, Mother Goose on the Loose, LLC
Tess Prendergast, Children’s Librarian, Early Years Community Program, Vancouver Public Library

Please join us for this program!
Betsy

If you’d like to book a workshop, either Mother Goose on the Loose, Playing Around with Books, Storytelling, or on other topics, please contact me!