There is no denying the fact that feedback is an important part of effective learning and instruction. According to research, effective feedback improves student confidence and enhances learning motivation. Ultimately, this translates to better academic performance. Feedback is also what most people want, with 65% of students in a recent survey indicating that they prefer immediate feedback. It is important to note that feedback comes in many forms and shapes and can be delivered in isolated instances episodically or continuously. This article examines the importance of feedback and strategies for motivating students to learn.
The Issue of Motivation
Evidence shows that motivation is among the most important factors in success and learning. Here, motivation implies the degree to which someone is willing to commit to achieving specific goals. Your goal could be improving your grades, finishing projects on time, or completing an academic program. Learning new things in college and finding new ways of doing things requires a degree of vulnerability among students.
The learners must be willing to take risks, fail, and learn from mistakes. There are also many challenges to overcome and hectic schedules to cope with. Getting students comfortable with failure is no simple task. It requires individualized mentoring and encouragement. In other words, instructors have a role in influencing student motivation and learning. Creating a timely and individualized feedback culture allows students to focus on learning and achieving their goals. You can easily know whether your student is becoming an impeccable essay writer or needs more training.
How to Create a Culture of Effective Feedback
Enough evidence shows that feedback has an important role to play in parking or dampening a student’s motivation to pursue specific goals. Feedback is important for effective communication as it helps senders confirm that their messages have been understood and received as intended. In addition, it allows students to gauge their progress and modify their strategies as appropriate. Here are some strategies to aid you in improving your feedback culture.
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Align Feedback to Learning Goals
New students often have much to learn in the classroom and the general college environment. Taking a firehose approach with your feedback while trying to cover as many improvement areas as possible can overwhelm learners and reduce motivation. A better approach is to settle on two or three learning objectives for the class and align your feedback to them. The goals can be cognitive, affective, or psychomotor.
Once you have decided on the learning goals for the class, share them with the students. Make the goals transparent and part of daily conversations with learners. Include the goals in your syllabus description. Also, give progress updates to learners, sharing assessment updates with individual students to let them know how they are progressing concerning the goals. Create appropriate learning assessments and target your feedback as appropriate.
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Use Feedback to Coach
Effective feedback is used to coach rather than judge. Unlike a judge who sees mistakes to correct, a coach sees potential and encourages room for improvement. A coach values and invests time in the development process. As an instructor, your intention should be to help students navigate the processes of training, drafting, and experimentation. Evaluating the final product should not be your primary goal.
Remember that grades and test scores can be demotivating to learners. The more you delay grading and judging student performance and abilities, the more you create an environment conducive to learning. Rather than judging, create space for coaching and timely feedback. Students who need help can work with do my paper services online.
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Make Feedback Specific and Positive
Evidence shows that praise is an important element of effective feedback, especially when students face monumental challenges in their personal and academic lives. The praise works better when it is process-based rather than person based. This way, you help to encourage a growth mindset. Feedback should also be specific and must offer options. Recommend at least two ways the students can approach a situation and improve outcomes.
This article offers a few insights on how to provide effective, precise, and timely feedback. Providing high-quality and specific feedback motivates students to adapt, adjust, and make changes. This skill requires time and practice to master and effectively execute. It requires people to operate in the highest cognitive and affective domains. As a teacher, it helps students develop their own feedback-giving skills. Offer opportunities for peer review and train students to remain positive and insightful. Since students have considerable experience getting feedback, they should also be trained to be on the other end of the spectrum.
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