Eric,
Knowing this valuable information does steer them in the direction they need. We may also use that time to encourage, give support and advice, and suggestions on succesfuly completing the course.
Barry Westling
That is a great idea! Also quickly grading assignments so students know where they stand and where they need to work harder!
It allows them to understand how there efforts in the class are paying off. If they are doing well it will fill them with the confidence to finish the class strong. If they are not doing well, it will inform them of how hard they need to work to improve their grade before the end of the term.
Kelly,
Like any journey, there needs to be a destination, and sharing student progress is necessary as a benchmark to arriving at the desired destination. Less than that may result in arriving somewhere undesirable.
Barry Westling
I think it will first calm any anxiety on the class, second help to develop an understanding on if their study habits are working or not, third it allows the teacher to evaluate on how well his/her class is doing.
Teresa,
Yes, friendly advice, encouragement, and caring comments that suggest the teacher is concerned for student success elevate the relationship between teacher and student, and perhaps motivates students to try harder too.
Barry Westling
Ralph,
Good point. We're interested in student learning. So are they. Knowing their status contributes to the whole process.
Barry Westling
Shawn,
A students motivation to do well may be related to many factors. Identifying good performance and offering suggestions and encouragement can go a long ways to motivating students in areas they where they to improve.
Barry Westling
Francine,
Good point. There is nothing more encouageing than positive comments coming from the instructor. Early on and frequent is best!
Barry Westling
It respects their efforts in the course and gives everyone involved the maximum opportunity to reach the goal of every decent student and instructor -- the best grade possible that reflects the best work assigned and completed.
Students have a right to know about their ongoing progress. Providing them this information in a timely manner keeps them motivated, as well as helps them to know where they need spend time improving their academic success (i.e preparing for tests or professionalism).
Keeping students informed on their status is imperative for many reasons. It keeps students motivated to stay and work consistently well, or gives them an incentive to work harder, or utilize a different studying method. Also, it shows your professionalism and respect as an Instructor.
Rose,
Yep, students will perform based on their knowledge of their grades.
Barry Westling
Timothy,
I believe it is paramount to good instruction to provide as much information about performance as possible. Students will adjust (good or bad) based on what they know about their grade.
Barry Westling
Yvette,
It is amazing what can occur when we provide encouragement, advice, and support to students - even the struggling ones (like your transformed "A" student).
Barry Westling
Students need to know that their hard work is 'paying off' if they are indeed putting forth effort in the course. Likewise, if a student is not motivated and is not working, they need to recognize that they are not doing well in the class (while there is still time to turn it around).
Student will feel more abreast of the course and their progress
Students are always asking me how they are doing in the course. Students have a personal goal they want to achieve in each class. Students need to know that they are performing to the level they need to meet their goal.
I like informing my students because it gives them a sense on what to focus on. I had a student that had very low self confidence. After several exams and quizzes and reaching her goal this student turned out to be the staight A sudent that she never thought she would be.
Their uptodate knowledge of their status allows them to correct deficiencies early rather than allowing them to stack up to a point where the student is overwelmed and gets discouraged.
