In a community where sleep deprivation is a way of life for some and stress seems unavoidable, some Choate students advocate greater positive reinforcement as a way of overcoming the negative impact of both phenomena. Positive reinforcement falls under a field of psychology that has recently gained popularity: positive psychology. This branch of psychology focuses on the positive aspects of life—on making people happier.
More positive feedback may make Choate students happier. “I would definitely be happier if I got more positive reinforcement from my teachers,” said Zana Salzman ’08.
Research studies show that happiness and positive emotions can lead to a healthier lifestyle. Martin Seligman, a University of Pennsylvania often regarded as the “father” of positive psychology, explained: “I didn't know that optimistic people lived eight to nine years longer than pessimistic people. I didn't know that optimistic presidential candidates in the United States tend to win elections of pessimistic candidates. I didn't know that if you gave people nasal viruses that will produce colds in 50% of the people the people who had a lot of positive emotion don't get the colds. The people who don't have positive emotion do get the colds. So there's a list of ten of those that the science told me about that my grandmother didn't know and my Sunday school teacher didn't know and that's what science is about.”
Students Have Mixed Opinions
Some students on campus feel that they do not receive enough positive feedback. Zana Salzman believes that some teachers give too much negative feedback. She explained the consequences of receiving too much criticism. “If a teacher gives me too much negative feedback, I feel that they have a personal issue with me and that makes me feel uncomfortable in class and so I don’t speak up and I don’t put in as much effort as I should just because I feel it is a lost cause,” she said. “I think positive feedback is good because the kids feel very comfortable in class and more inclined to speak up and participate. Some teachers have a style of teaching that is more critical and put kids on the spot.”
Conversely, Rebecca Han ’10 feels that some teachers give too much positive reinforcement. “I think teachers are quite positive and they give a lot of positive feedback, sometimes they overdo it,” she noted. One of my teachers always says ‘you are doing great’ to kids who get B minuses. I don’t think this is very helpful because he doesn’t address that there is a problem.”
While student opinion is varied, psychology teacher Ms. Smaldone said that her colleagues try their best to constructively criticize students for their own benefit. “In my experience in HPRSS I would definitely say that teachers give very positive feedback. I think my colleagues are supportive and they definitely find ways to help students improve,” she said. “I see the concern that my colleagues have for the students. When we give papers back, for example, I think it is very helpful to tell a student that these are the areas that need improvement in future work. I think we value language that doesn’t demean them or take away their dignity.”
Counselor Char Davidson, who advises many students who feel stressed as a result of negative criticism, said, “In this environment there are times when we are so good at giving criticisms that we pick apart our peers and negatively harm them. I think sometimes in our community we need to catch people doing good stuff and applaud them for it.”
Feedback Relieves Stress
Although Choate students may be extremely motivated and very intelligent, they too need positive reinforcement. Ms. Davidson supported this belief: “As young people, I don’t think just because you are especially bright you don’t need support and motivation—you do!”
Ms. Smaldone said that all students need positive feedback. “I think students who are more motivated need as much positive feedback as everyone else to sustain the motivation. If a student is positively focused and motivated we want to continually reinforce that to keep it going.”
A lack of positive reinforcement can have severe consequences for students. “The results of lacking positive encouragement can be stress and loneliness. Often this causes a young person to question what he is good at,” Ms. Davison explained.
A New Facet of Psychology
Positive psychology, a relatively new field of study, has been slowly generating interest. The University of Pennsylvania has a Positive Psychology Center, and Harvard University offers courses in positive psychology. In fact, last year’s most popular course for Harvard undergrads was Psychology 1504, “Positive Psychology,” with 842 enrolled undergrads.
Classes focusing specifically on positive psychology are not offered at Choate. According to Ms. Smaldone, however, positive psychology is briefly covered in the Intro to Psychology and AP Psychology classes. She said, “We talk about positive psychology in intro to psych, and in AP psych we actually talk about Humanistic approach to psychology—that is, Rogers and Maslow who say that every human being has the potential to become ‘self-actualized’ and is positive-reinforced throughout his life, which gives rise to the potential to become self- actualized.”
As for the actual positive reinforcement that teachers give to students, Ms. Smaldone commented, “This school is up and running and thriving. I think we do a good job positively encouraging our students, which promotes the excellence in our students.”
