Stephanie Rafanelli’s recent advice over on the Challenge Success blog was directed at parents with (and teachers of) younger children. But I thought this tip was applicable for parents of teens:

“Praise wisely. As you work with your learner, notice when she or he is persisting or trying a different approach. Small, appropriate amounts of praise or even attention can reap the most benefits. ‘Wow, it looks like you really worked hard’ or ‘That is an interesting way to start – tell me what your idea is’ or ‘I like how you tried to solve that two different ways’ are examples of growth mindset praise focused on effort or strategy. Effusive praise for skill or intelligence may reinforce a fixed mindset and result in your child attributing failure to being not smart.”

Here’s a past post of mine on praising efforts over outcomes, and one sharing advice from Dan Pink.