By Paul Mulvihill
No, this isn’t the name of cartoon characters from the early 90s. I was recently introduced to a concept called PIP (Praise in public) and RIP (Remind in private) at a Pastoral Leaders steering group that I am a part of the networking platform We Are in Beta.
Praise in public - whenever I visit lessons at WA one thing we are extremely good at is positive reinforcement. I always see lots of names displayed for the whole class to see. Celebrating student efforts, progress and engagement is an amazing way to develop and foster positive relationships.
Remind in private - I am a huge advocate of not putting reminders/warnings/lack of equipment/homework on display. How can we expect students to be motivated if (potentially) 5 times a day their names are on a whiteboard for the peers to see under a sad face? We have busy jobs and have to remember a lot, but consider how you could keep track of reminders you've given out without sharing it publically, such as using a mini whiteboard or note on your chromebook. Instead of “First warning for calling out!” in front of the whole class, could you instead calmly speak to the student one-on-one whilst students are completing a task independently e.g. “You have just called out so it’s your first reminder”?
After reading the article here it made me really reflect upon my own practice, the strategies I use, and how important it is to understand each of our students' preferences. We know that public praise might not be suitable for all our students and that praising actions rather than individual character traits or skills is far more effective.
Student voice
The amazing PSW team spoke to a few students about how they felt when their misbehaviour is addressed in front of their peers and there were some very interesting perspectives that might be worth taking into consideration.
Adam P (Y8): Doesn’t bother me if my name is on the board but would prefer the teacher to keep a mental note of my strikes.
Soufian L (Y11): Makes me feel angry and makes me talk back. Having a conversation or 1 to 1 maybe outside the classroom, I would maybe still be annoyed but I would be more understanding of their reasoning.
Hya A (Y8): Makes me feel annoyed and quite embarrassed. This can result in me letting out my anger and all depends on the tone of the teacher. I would prefer the teacher to come up to me directly in a quiet tone rather than the entire class hearing.
Questions to think about:
- How do you give reminders in your classroom? How do students respond?
- How could you try using PIP and RIP in your lessons? What are your reflections afterwards?
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