Motivational Mistakes That Will Affect Every Student by Susan HIgley

#1 The conditions in which I am most likely to make one of the motivational mistakes written about in this lesson are present this year in my classroom. The second big motivational mistake is inflexibility, and currently I feel as though my classroom practice is quite rigid. I have had classes several times throughout my career that nearly ran themselves. I simply played the role of the guide in an autonomous setting where creativity, exploration, and risk were everyday occurrences in the classroom. I've also had classes that were on the other end of the spectrum and the classroom appeared to be more the structured stand and deliver environment. I have always tried to let classroom dynamics dictate the environment throughout the year. This year negative behavior and general student apathy is prevalent and I have found myself in the rigid, structured mode because the students showed early and often that this was what was necessary at the time. The good news is that we are only 1/4 of the way through the year and there is time to change. The students do seem to be shaping up as a whole and I hope to begin to be more flexible in the classroom, put more learning into their hands, and back off on the rigid structure, but as always, I will let the class dictate those decisions, yet keep the door open for opportunity and be flexible as often as possible.

2016-11-04 18:02:19 UTC

Amy Belosky

2016-11-07 15:54:55 UTC

#2 Special feedback gives students something to work on and correct. I always tell the students when I conference with them at Writing that even the best writers can still find a way to improve. Giving them something specific to focus on will help them grow. I do not feel they take offense to the criticism as long as you explain how it will help them improve and offer a compliment as well.

Shawna Klinger - I am answering the “with content” question about specific feedback. I think specific feedback would be more motivating because a student would definitely know what they are doing well in order to continue doing those things and what they can improve on to keep growing and making a weakness a strength. When reading this, I thought about writing and Collin’s writing in particular and adding comments in the margins. I also thought about finding just one main criticism. That way the student is not overwhelmed by what they need to improve and there is a focus on what they should do the next time.

2016-11-08 17:31:43 UTC

kmullen6 — 2016-11-08 18:55:13 UTC

#2
I agree that feedback is a teacher's most motivating strategy. Even the most challenging students, that pretend they don't care, will thrive off feedback specifically focused on them. The pamphlet says that it is a mistake to give vague or little feedback. I can see where comments such as "Great!" would be those that students eventually don't feel motivated by. It takes quite a bit of time to write specific comments on each student's paper when you already have so many to grade; however, I do feel it is much more beneficial. I definitely try my best to make comments on students' assignments specific to what they did well or what they need to improve on; however, I am also definitely guilty of writing quick comments that are not very thought provoking. I feel that students value their teachers' opinions and that specific comments are helpful, especially when it is not possible to meet with each student individually. This is something I need to be more conscious of next time I am grading, especially writing assignments.

2016-11-08 21:05:57 UTC

Ann Smith
#1 I'm most likely to diminish the importance of attendance when face-to-face with a parent.
The bottom line is, we can't teacher them if they are not in our classrooms. I definitely don't downplay the value of being in school by saying such things as, "we didn't do anything important" as the article suggests. However, I fall short of contacting parents or telling them their child needs to miss fewer days; I find it confrontational and I worry about parent/teacher relationship suffering. I never miss a chance to speak to the student who misses school, but at the same time I am mindful that it is not always their fault. I use an encouraging tone and explain the importance of being in school, cover/summarize what was missed, and lastly, impress upon them that I missed them. To end my discussion I share with you a fabulous poem about missing school. :) Enjoy friends!
DID I MISS ANYTHING?

Nothing. When we realized you weren’t here
we sat with our hands folded on our desks
in silence, for the full two hours

     Everything. I gave an exam worth
     40 percent of the grade for this term
     and assigned some reading due today
     on which I’m about to hand out a quiz
     worth 50 percent

Nothing. None of the content of this course
has value or meaning
Take as many days off as you like:
any activities we undertake as a class
I assure you will not matter either to you or me
and are without purpose

     Everything. A few minutes after we began last time
     a shaft of light suddenly descended and an angel
     or other heavenly being appeared
     and revealed to us what each woman or man must do
     to attain divine wisdom in this life and
     the hereafter
     This is the last time the class will meet
     before we disperse to bring the good news to all people  on earth.

Nothing. When you are not present
how could something significant occur?

     Everything. Contained in this classroom
     is a microcosm of human experience
     assembled for you to query and examine and ponder
     This is not the only place such an opportunity has been gathered
     but it was one place
     And you weren’t here

—Tom Wayman

#2 with Content

m_alteri — 2016-11-09 03:15:32 UTC

Admittedly, we are in a society where "some" students are not intrinsically motivated to succeed. The desire to do well does not necessarily come within, however, comes from the reward they get for doing well. There needs to be a shift and focus on how to get students to be more motivated in the classroom. Maybe giving quality feedback in the classroom is a start?

Giving feedback to students that is more specific and direct may help motivate students or push them to do better. If a teacher consistently gives feedback such as "great job", etc. and not more specific feedback, students will not strive to do better.

I like in the article when it says, "Nor will they have a realistic or accurate perspective about their work." Conferencing with students can help paint a picture for students about their performance in the classroom. This can be in the form of praise or criticism. Either way, in general, students want to "learn, grow, and feel valued and appreciated."

Innocenzo Feedback is the teacher’s most motivating strategy. I disagree that “good job” and “nice work” doesn’t qualify as feedback. It certainly expresses to the student that the product/response given is one that the teacher wants to see repeated. However, the teacher’s ability to motivate the student to own their work and be reflective of their work should be the final result of the teacher’s feedback. Supporting the students’ learning through consistent verbal/written feedback will encourage engagement every day in the classroom. Getting students to engage in classroom activities can be realized when the teacher consistently focuses on the purpose of learning. The overall goal of feedback should be to inspire the student to produce a quality product. The student needs to learn to take responsibility for what they learn, a learning that goes beyond teacher expectations and requirements. Students need to realize that they are working primarily for themselves, not for their teachers or anybody else.

2016-11-09 12:39:54 UTC

2016-11-09 21:09:09 UTC

Madeline Bailey
In Context: Including our students in their own learning is so important! So many times I make the assumption that my students have certain background knowledge before I teach the lesson, but the reality is that not all of my students do! As the article states, “the goals need to be the individual learner’s goal,” therefore I really need to start guiding my students to create a leaning path that is specific to their skill set and background. One way I could do this would be to support my students when setting their own goals for each unit. I’ll share with them the topics that need to be covered, we’ll talk about what we already know and what connections they can make to a topic or skill, then we can build a personalized learning map/guide for each student to use throughout the unit. Not all of our students come to class with the background knowledge or experience needed in order to participate meaningfully in the lesson. Allowing students to develop an individualized learning plan could help the lesson become more meaningful and create that shift from a passive learning process to an active one. This could increase student learning by creating an environment where students are able to connect to prior learning and explore ways to deepen their understanding of any given topic.

Treena Miller

2016-11-10 20:37:16 UTC

#2 with content

Providing students with specific feedback is so important for student reflection, but needs to be done carefully according to each student. How I give feedback highly depends on student’s needs, behavior, and how the student is responding to the activity. Careful specific ffeedback sends a message to the student that the teacher cares about the learning taking place. When given correctly, feedback should guide the student in their learning and give them direction they need to reach the goal of the lesson. It allows the student to become more engaged and involved in the classroom. Specific feedback is individualized, relevant, and appropriate for where the student currently is in their learning. Feedback should not be overwhelming to the student. It needs to be valuable and provide direction for the student.

2016-11-10 20:37:41 UTC

Tiffanie Jayne
#2 - Specific feedback is so important if we want it to be relevant to the student. I am guilty of doing vague responses sometimes in a variety of ways, and that vagueness is not helpful at all except to either inflate someone's ego indiscriminately or cause them to feel worse for no specific reason. If I can tailor my feedback to the students individually, I will be giving them direct information on how they can become or continue to be successful. I myself like to know areas where I need more work or areas where I excel. One feeds my self-esteem while the other gives me a direction to put my efforts toward. The same is true to our students. If we can celebrate their individual achievements they are encouraged to keep working that way. If we pinpoint areas that they could work on constructively, then they have a goal setting opportunity and focus for their efforts going forward.

Mary Smith

2016-11-10 21:27:14 UTC

A condition that a teacher is most likely to make that will result in lessening the motivation of students is inflexibility. Not all students learn in the same
modality, therefore lessons should have an amount of differentiation built in, to meet the needs of all learning modalities. Some students might require a longer amount of time, and to set stringent parameters by which a lesson must be completed, might lessen a students motivation to put fourth a good effort or even complete the activity. This also can apply to classroom procedures that require flexibility by the teacher. Some students might have difficulty conforming to the set time frame for class changes, or class routine and procedures, and therefore might require extended preparation time, or a different procedure from others. This especially holds true for students with IEP's or 504 plans. Flexibility can also help to motivate students when students are completing projects or labs. Remembering that there are many ways to arrive at a correct answer or desired outcome. What success looks like for one, might look different for another. Be flexible.

Cathy Orshal

2016-11-10 21:27:26 UTC

#1 Motivational mistakes are easy to make. This card pointed out 4 of them. We need to be flexible and adaptable daily. Some things never go as planned. We need to be able to remember to put our students first. We all learn differently and we need to be able to try different things. Even if it makes us uncomfortable. We need to remember to be fair to each student we need to do different for each student. We all come from different places and have different needs.

Paula Eckroth

2016-11-11 19:40:28 UTC

Vague or Little Feedback

It is always important for students to receive specific feedback about their work or classroom behavior. They need to know if they are doing the right thing when acquiring a new skill. They will not know unless you give detailed responses. Feedback should also be given frequently and immediately. It should be tactfully given and students should be encouraged to revise.

Tammy Jones--#1

2016-11-12 15:23:07 UTC

A motivational challenge of being a "cycle teacher" is to avoid downplaying the importance of our classroom work. Our content is not as crucial as reading and math. When minutes need to be cut, ours tend to be the classes that are cancelled. I think most of us understand our role and are OK with this. However, we cannot let the students see it. Our classes do have value on many levels, and we need to be sure that students are motivated to bring their best efforts and attention to cycle, just as they do in core classes. As the article states, if anyone tells students that the work we are doing in cycle is less important, it will only "be demotivating... and affect student intent and performance."

#2 Leo Schultz

2016-11-14 20:18:57 UTC

Providing specific feedback will allow students to focus on areas that need improvement. It has to be done respectfully and without judgment. Feedback, that involves criticism, must be done in private. Furthermore, the student needs to hear what he/she has done well. Positive feedback is a must, or the student will shutdown. Not only does this motivate children but adults as well.

#2 - With Content (Maurer)

2016-11-15 01:38:31 UTC

I believe that providing students with specific feedback is one of the many crucial factors to a student’s success within our classroom. I agree with the article that “vague or little feedback” can be demotivating to some students. I am guilty of writing a “good job” on the top of a student’s paper sometimes, as I am sure many of us are, and the problem with this is it does not tell the students enough about what they’ve done that is “good.” I feel as though I sometimes provide more feedback to the students who didn’t do well, and do not put as much of a focus on the students who completed the assignment correctly. It’s important for us to remember that both ends need that direct, specific feedback. By providing our students with more specific feedback, we are showing them how to be successful as well as where we would like them to continue placing their efforts. By providing more specific feedback, we are showing our students that we care, we’re taking the time to get to know them, and we are here to help and provide guidance. Even if our feedback provides criticism, it still shows our students that we are taking the time to care about their learning and success, which means far more.X

Debbie Ferguson

2016-11-15 20:50:56 UTC

#1 Most educators are aware of the importance of consistency in the classroom. I agree with the text that consistency is the key to a student's security. I also agree that consistency is necessary if students are going to take risks.
Because of the need to stay constant, it is sometimes difficult to determine how long is too long to continue a practice or procedure that isn't immediately showing positive results. It is not always easy to stay the course when initial outcomes fall short. It is difficult to decide whether it would be better to continue with a practice in
the hope that time and consistency will improve results, or to replace the procedure with something that may be more effective. Hopefully, when the decision is made, it is in the best interest of the students.

Amy SchultzQuestion 2 Giving feedback is important, even if it involves criticism because otherwise students have no idea what they did well or poorly. As it states in the article, “without feedback, many students won’t know what is required to be successful or where to place their efforts.” If no feedback, or very general feedback, is given, students are just guessing about what they did to earn their grade. Feedback also needs to be given as soon as possible in order for students to apply it to their next assignment.

2016-11-16 18:31:38 UTC

Joel Spinney

2016-11-16 23:59:22 UTC

#2 - Content

Giving specific feedback is motivational, if it is given in the right context and spirit. The goal of feedback is for growth and improvement. Even though it might involve criticism, the teacher needs to keep in mind that the ultimate goal is improvement. The author notes that, when counseling a student, the teacher should "include ideas in resolve an issue - or specific ideas for solutions" (DeBruyn, 2016). Therefore, when giving feedback, the teacher should suggest steps/solutions for improvement. This can be motivational, as it gives the student a goal to strive for.

Duane Smith

2016-11-17 01:48:28 UTC

Specific feedback gives students and attainable goal to work towards. We all need and thrive on goals. Simply saying the work is no good tells the student they are stupid and hopeless. Why should they try harder. I remember putting a lot of time into a term paper in HS and getting it back with a B at the top and no other comments. I never put any effort into any writing assignment the rest of HS.

#2 Susan Persun

2016-11-17 01:52:34 UTC

I feel that giving very specific feedback would be more motivational to students because they know exactly what to expect from you. Children are learning, therefore, need to know very specifically what they are expected to do and not do. I feel that specific feedback gives the students something to focus on and therefore will help them progress. The article states that "good job" or "nice work" don't qualify as specific feedback. I disagree with this statement because in my experience students thrive on these words and it helps them become more motivated.

MV

2016-11-17 20:53:07 UTC

Student Relationships:
The students must know when they can see you - and they should never fret about choosing " the right time or worry about how you will respond to them. Just seeing the students once a week during schedule class time is not enough time to build a superb relationship.
Art is entwined with a child's creative and mental growth. There is no pretext that the function of art in the school is to make artist out of children. The
aim of the program is a confident, creative child who is to express thoughts, who is sensitive to people and nature, who is responsive, productive individual. To develop these human characteristics of each student takes time.

#2 With Content: How would giving very specific feedback be more motivational to students, even if it involves criticism?It is important for students to receive very specific feedback for several reasons. One reason is that students need to know that their work and effort is valued by the teacher. The student needs to know that the teacher is taking note of their work and that they are trying to assist the student in further developing their skills. I agree with the article when it says that a “good job” isn’t specific enough for a student to know that their work is important. This is especially true if a teacher is telling most or all students “good job”. This type of feedback loses its value when it is given to most or all students. Feedback should be student specific and the student should be able to understand and have the opportunity to discuss the teacher feedback. Students need to know that the teacher is available to discuss the feedback so that they know what to do with the teacher’s help. I also agree with the article in that it is important to have feedback specific for every student. In my perspective, a student is more apt to accept constructive criticism if they know that the teacher has their best interest in mind. Criticism should also be accompanied by one or more praises so that the student doesn’t feel defeated. Feedback should be specific and direct. Feedback shouldn’t be excessive, otherwise the student won’t know where to focus their efforts.

2016-11-18 01:36:55 UTC

--Kacie Tuttle

#3 Amy Owen

2016-11-18 01:45:47 UTC

While completing my office duty during parent conferences I had the opportunity to have a very interesting discussion with a fellow cycle teacher. We started talking about our classes and our concerns. One topic that was brought up was student motivation, or lack of. Things that us cycle teachers might do that would cause students to lose motivation is to down-play or minimize the importance of our classes. We understand that reading, math, and science are always more important (at least for the PSSAs), but our subjects should thought of as just as important. Students who struggle in the classroom might thrive in technology, gym, or the arts. Students get to explore these areas once every five days… if they are lucky. We need to make sure we are using our 40 min. class time wisely. Also, as stated in the article, we need to make sure we acknowledge those students who work hard and complete the required work.

I'm reflecting on Points to Ponder #2

mvail1 — 2016-11-18 14:04:45 UTC

When a teacher gives specific feedback it will motivate students. Students want feedback even when it involves some criticism. They strive for the attention that the feedback offers. Students like to interact with their teachers. The students will have a feeling of self-worth and will be motivated.

With Content:

2016-11-18 19:42:12 UTC

(Larson)
How would giving very specific feedback be more motivational to students, even if it involves criticism?
I think giving specific feedback is extremely important to motivate students. Oftentimes, we think giving any feedback is motivating, but being specific is what makes the feedback more motivational and beneficial. Giving comments like "Great" or "Good Job" might make it hard for students to realize what it was that was so great. Students will feel more support and value if the feedback given to them is specific to what they were doing well or what they need to work on. Even feedback in areas of weaknesses can be motivational, since students will feel the importance you have on put on their work by taking the time to give them specific feedback to help them improve in the area of weakness. If they feel supported and valued, they will want to, in turn, show how they can take what you have offered to improve, grow and learn.

This has helped remind me to be more specific in my feedback to students and not doing the typical "great job" or "super", but target skills to give feedback on with details that let students know exactly what they are doing or not doing.