Student Motivation
I enter the class and one of the students says that they have not received their assessment. I was guilty in hearts of hearts of not marking the assignment. Another student prompted, “When will we get our assessment so that we can know what we did correctly and what went wrong”. I did not know what to reply. Here, I am writing this blog post and at the back of my mind, I am wondering what would be my score in the assignment that I submitted, how will I score, what could I have done better and many more similar thoughts regarding the feedback on my assignment are going on. I am still planning my time to mark the assignments of the students. I am realizing the importance of timely feedback on the motivation of the student.
Motivating Factors
Timely, constructive feedback: The curiosity of the student dies when they have to wait for long to hear from the instructor regarding the assessment and feedback on their assignments. The assessment must be done after the deadline of assignment submission at the earliest so that the students get their feedback while it is fresh in their mind what they did. Their mind is still thinking in the lines of the assignment and a feedback will bring better clarity. A constructive feedback where their achievements are appreciated and rewarded, and providing resources and steps for improving that guides the student to learn is a vital factor that motivates the student to take the initiative to learn.
Focused goals and achievements: It is easy to reach and aim a goal when you can see the target in front of you. The focus and the steps taken to achieve the goal can be defined once you know where you have to reach. Walking aimlessly, leading nowhere can be adventurous for few. However, you can still have the adventure when you know the destination. Setting focused goals for the students will make it an enjoyable learning experience for the students and they can evaluate themselves as to what they have learnt. Small, clear, achievable goals can be an important factor in motivating the students, foster learning and in alleviating the student self-efficacy.
References
Hour glass picture from Pixabay.com Website Retrieved on April 8, 2016 from https://pixabay.com/en/hourglass-clock-sand-desert-1221382/ under license CC0 Public domain rotated with artistic effects












