Monday, September 12, 2011
Feedback and Motivation
Respond to this scenario: You have completed a project for a teacher that has taken you almost a month to complete. It was handed in on time, and you have waited more than three weeks to receive a grade on it. You have inquired about the grade, but have not received a response. What role does feedback play in student motivation?
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I believe that feedback plays a vital role in student motivation. Teachers need to provide feedback that is both timely and meaningful. Feedback communicates to students that you care about them and their academic performance. If a student puts forth a tremendous amount of energy into an assignment often times the final grade works as an extrinsic motivator. So, if a teacher fails to provide feedback in a timely fashion what message is that student receiving. This may cause the student to think, why should I put so much effort into my work if the teacher is not going to put the same amount of effort into reviewing my work? Consequently, delayed feedback will decrease a student’s academic motivation while also damaging the student-teacher relationship. That is why it is so crucial that teachers provide encouraging feedback to their students. By doing so, teachers are able to support student learning and form deeper connections with their students which creates a positive learning environment.
ReplyDeleteFeedback plays such a huge role in student motivation. Speaking from experience, students are much more likely to perform better and have a stronger urge to learn. Also, students need to know how their work is and if improvements or even modifications need to be made. Without this important feedback, students may never progress in their work. If they don't get the work back that they spent so much time and effort on, they will certainly not put the same amount of effort and hard work in. Feedback also effects students motivation if it is not given correctly. If students only receive negative feedback and criticism, they will be less motivated to do work because they will be embarrassed and ashamed and possibly feel like they are stupid. Giving them constructive criticism is sometimes necessary, but also positive enforcement needs to be present. This will make the students work harder on the next assignment or project, and not feel discouraged. This is why feedback for students is so important for their motivation.
ReplyDeleteFeedback in a student environment plays an important role. When a student hands in a project, they are most likely proud of their work, especially if a lot of time is spent on it. If the teacher takes three weeks to report what their grade was, the student may feel discouraged. They may feel the teacher doesn't care about the work they did which can bring down their self esteem and motivation. Another disadvantage of giving grades back late is students will not know how the teacher grades. When grades are given promptly, the student may find out what they did wrong and how to improve their work in the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comment made by Stephanie L. regarding when grades are delayed, students are not able to make the necessary adjustments to improve their work. It is unfair for teachers to delay feedback, because the student is left guessing whether or not they are doing acceptable work. It is important that teachers provide prompt feedback that focuses on both the student’s strengths and weaknesses. Feedback is so much more than a grade, because it communicates to the student that you truly care.
ReplyDeleteI believe that feedback is very important to student motivation. Many projects and assignments are completed knowing that they will account for a grade and will be a part of the ending grade. I think that students want to see what others think of their work because they seek approval especially when a lot of time and work has been put into the project. If students do not see feedback of any kind from a teacher they may think why should they do a good job on the next one if it clearly isn’t important to the teacher. On the other hand I think we put too much emphasis on the actual grade and assessment. Many times what people do now is done to add points to a grade book and to do well on a final project to turn it in and get an A on it. When in reality it process and learning that goes into the project is the real reason behind the project and the formalized turned-in project is to show the learning process to the teacher. While I agree the student should receive feedback within a reasonable time I think they should also already feel accomplished if they learned from the project and put their best effort into it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Callie said in regard to keeping grades positive. I think it is very important to pair a negative comment with a suggestion so the student isn’t just receiving negative feedback but how to change it for the future. I also believe that positive reinforcement is very necessary in all grades but even more so in the younger grade levels. Younger children can associate constructive criticism with not liking their work and therefore not liking them, which can be something to keep in mind while grading because they are so sensitive. I also think that most negative comments can be turned into a positive suggestion and that way the student sees it wasn’t quite what the teacher wanted but can look at how to improve.
ReplyDeleteFeeback plays a very important role in students academic acheivement. I think if a teacher gives accurate and prompt feedback it shows the student that their teacher is truly interested in what they are doing. With feedback given in a timely mannor it also can help the student look at what needs to be corrected or worked on and the student can then go in and fix, or work on any problems they may have been struggling with. I also think that feedback can play a role in motivating the students to continue to work hard so they can see the positive remarks on their work.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Stephanie M. mentioned about the student-teacher relationship being damaged if feedback isn't delived in a timely fashion, or it doesn't show meaning. Students need to know that their teacher does care about their work, and progress they are making in class. If the teacher is always just saying "Good Job" to the students it seems kind of vague. Students may need constructive criticism, and positive feedback, so they can go back and look and their work and fix any problems, and get a better idea of how to complete an assignment next time. By doing so it also shows the student that their teacher really looked at their assignment.
ReplyDeleteI believe that feedback and student motivation for most students go hand in hand. It is our role as teachers to teach our students. If we do not give feedback on the assessments that we give to our students then they are left wondering if they did it right or how they can improve for future material in the classroom. Teacher are very busy but there is never a time where they are you too busy to communicate with the student by letting them know they received the students inquire, they are working on it, and can answer any questions up front they may have. I know that when a teacher didn’t get back to me about a project or test I always picture my work just sitting away in a closet collecting dust which didn’t leave a lot of room for respect or future motivation with that teacher. By communicating with your students where you are at with grading the students are a lot more likely to respect you and be driven to continue to perform to their best abilities on assessments to come. It is crucial for teachers to provide encouraging feedback to students because no matter what the grade the students do look up to their teacher and value what they have to say especially when it comes to what they have put their time and energy into.
ReplyDeleteI think Erin made a great point in saying that teachers are busy but they should still have time to give feedback. Feedback is important because it can determine if the student will do better work or not on their next assessment. When Erin mentioned work just sitting away in the closet, it brought back memories that I had of wondering if the teacher actually cared. I also agree with Erin when she stated that communicating with your students will help earn their respect. This is a great way to say teachers care and this matters to students because they look up to teachers.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with the statement from Carly that students need detailed feedback. Getting just a "Good Job!" or "Work Harder Next Time" is not beneficial to students. They need constructive criticism. Giving such a vague answer is not going to help them and motivate them to improve on the next project or assignment. Also, with such a negative vague answer will not help them to know what they did wrong or need to improve upon. This is why the feedback and the level and amount of feedback is so important for children.
ReplyDeleteFeedback is major part of a student's learning. Students want to know how they are doing and enjoy teachers telling them how they are doing. Students also like to know what they need to improve on.
ReplyDeleteStudents also like to know that what they are doing is being looked at and the things they do for class are important. If the assignments don't feel important then they will not want to do it.
I agree with Hattie's statement about students wanting the approval of others. Students like to show off the things they know and can do. It makes them feel smart and proud. They really like showing off to adults and getting their attention. As teachers, we need to identify their strengths and use it to help them with the things they have troubles with. By explaining these things in positive ways we can help them better themselves and show them more things that they can do.
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