the paul hollywood handshake: a lesson in positive reinforcement

[Angela Ellis]

I’ve shared this moment in class and in a previous blog post, but it just stand out to me so much. It happened for the first time within my first two weeks at Northfield Middle School.

Mrs. Talbot asked the students during the warm-up, “What is a variable?” They had been introduced to this concept last year and had been told the definition during the previous class. However, the students’ answers weren’t quite what Mrs. Talbot was expecting. “Not quite,” she would say as she responded to a few of the students’ answers, “but so close.” Then one student raised his hand and said, “A variable is the solution that makes the equation true and balanced.”

Immediately, Mrs. Talbot started pounding on this little bell with this crazy amount of energy that came out of nowhere. Then, she grabbed this little fairy wand with a star on the end and literally ran over to where the student was sitting. She waved it over his head and yelled, “That’s a superstar answer!”

A few things stand out to me in this story. Most significantly, this was not a one-time event. If you watch The Greatest British Baking Show, then this Superstar announcement is a pretty close equivalent to the Paul Hollywood handshake in terms of its frequency and, more importantly, significance.

When I told this story in our educational psychology class, some noted that this celebration may be a bit age-inappropriate for middle schoolers. I strongly disagree. I believe anyone observing in the classroom would see how much it impacts the students’ spirits. The student who is receiving the praise is so happy to be recognized for their correct answer (that no one else in the class knew). The other students in the classroom are excited to see Mrs. Talbot get excited. Not only does this event get students enthusiastic and ready to pay attention, but it also teaches them what is important in the class. The definition of a variable will continue coming up again and again, so Mrs. Talbot really wants them to remember it. When she makes a big deal about it, the students are more likely to pay attention to it. Also, there is a very high participation rate among students in her classroom. They aren’t afraid to give wrong answers, and the majority are eager to share when they know the answer. I can’t help but suppose that this enthusiasm to participate is fueled by the chance they may be called a superstar by Mrs. Talbot. I know I wanted her to call me a superstar!

I believe this image is representative of my tutoring experience as a whole because it accurately portrays Mrs. Talbot’s love for her students. Not only does she want every one of her students to succeed, but she also works to make it happen. She does so much more than what is required of her. She purchased algebra tiles with her own money (around $200) to help students visualize expressions. She teaches with so much enthusiasm, even at the end of the day. Observers can also tell she is an effective teacher by the way the students respond to her. They want to do well because they value her opinion. They aim for her approval. A funny, somewhat tangential story is that during her prep period before 7th period, Mrs. Talbot cut herself pretty badly trying to fix a stapler. She had to go to the school nurse to get it taped up. When she got to class, she explained what happened to her 7th-hour students. (Note, this class is quite rambunctious.) She held her hand above her head the whole time she taught the lesson to keep the blood flow down. I had never seen the class so well-behaved. Mrs. Talbot noticed this too, and we talked about it after class. The students recognized that she was having a hard time and had empathy for her. They didn’t want to make her life more difficult, so they paid attention during the lesson, didn’t have side conversations, and stayed on task during their independent work time. This day was so precious and such a beautiful example of how much they care for her!

One thing this image taught me is that all students want to do well. No want actually wants to fail a class. They may not want to work hard or pay attention in class or complete the assignments, but they still want to succeed. When Mrs. Talbot does her Superstar praise, all the students are engaged. This showed me that they all want to be told that they are smart and that they are doing well. I had gone into this class and this tutoring experience believing that the students with their heads on their desks, turning in incomplete assignments or nothing at all, and skipping class are mad at the teacher for making them have to do school. I took their behavior very personally. I would have responded to these students by giving them their space, scared to upset them even more. However, Mrs. Talbot had the opposite approach. These are the students who need a bit more TLC.

[Chris O’Mara]

Angela, I keep thinking about the example you shared in class and in this post of Mrs. Talbot giving her students the superstar treatment! I have been thinking about the question of whether her reaction and methods are age appropriate, and how while maybe in our eyes her students may be aging out of them a little bit, they seem to be working great. Something I’ve noticed in my class is that I think very students would identify themselves as superstars or tell you that they are “good” at what we’re learning in class. I don’t have concrete evidence of this, and I know that most of the students I have been working with are those who need the most help in the class, but I would guess that very few of these students have ever been told that they are superstars in the world of school. I can only imagine what kind of effect it would have if their teachers at younger ages had told them that they were superstar Language Arts students, even if they would no longer be receiving that exact same treatment. I really like how your example captures the power to engage that can come from teacher enthusiasm and positive feedback – helping students to feel special is so important!

[Trina Eichel]

Angela,

I love that you compared the superstar celebration to the Paul Hollywood Handshake (I love the Great British Baking Show!) I was definitely one of the skeptics that would have said that this strategy of reinforcement would do more to shame a middle school student than bring the kind of excitement that it does in Mrs. Talbot’s classroom. It is clear that Mrs. Talbot has gained the respect and admiration of her students and has cemented that this is a prize to be gained rather than a chance to be ridiculed in front of the class. Since the students respond so positively to this reinforcement, I am inclined to believe that they do see it as a positive experience rather than embarrassing. It is refreshing to hear stories of middle schoolers behaving their age rather than like teenagers already!

[Author]

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