Are Grades and Effective Means of Motivation? Essay

BelievingGrades are often seen to be virtuoso of, if non the most sound method of motivating a schoolchild to work to their fullest potential. For example, a student who receives an A- variant is going to be encouraged by the grade, as they see it to be an affirmation of their academic efforts. An A-student views their grade with pride, and go a mode work really hard to maintain said grade, once achieved. An example of this is as follows. pot recently received an A on his Math test. He then goes home with a smell out of pride, bragging about it to all of his friends.John now realizes that he must keep up the in force(p) work and continue to work hard for school, in order to continue to feel as commodity as he does today. Conversely, a failing student will regard his/her grades with shame, and will be more than motivated to raise their grade from the gutter as a result. An example of this is as follows. John receives an F for failing to complete an assignment on time. As a re action to this, John decides that he will turn his life around completely and alter his studying habits so that he turns in his assignments on time in the future. In conclusion, grades are by all means the most effective way of motivating a student to excel.DoubtingGrades are the least effective way of motivating a student. This washbasin be said with such certainty due to the very nature of grades themselves. They serve to locate students against each other. Personally, when I feel as though somebody is putting me up against a friend, I feel much less willing to work harder for the class than if they were to plain tell me what I infallible to change in order to excel. The Whitehall Study, performed in England 1967, has shown us with certainty that humans placed in a competitive hierarchical situation over prolonged periods of time will increase their chances of gaining cardiovascular malady by 40%.This shows us that students placed under similar conditions (as they are with th e grade system) are not only less motivated to work, but are also at risk of dying. Another all important(p) factor to consider when discussing high-school students and their academic achievements is that many of us are apathetic. This means that when we see a grade, we simply just dont care about it and it doesnt serve to motivate us single way or the other. This leads me to conclude that grades, when seriously considered by the student, are not only the least effective way of motivating students to do their best work, but are also a serious wellness concern.ReflectionThis piece of writing activity was unlike anything I had seen before. It challenged me to write from two entirely different perspectives, which is something very new to me. The main difficulty I faced with this assignment was the assignment itself. While it may front redundant to say so, the assignment asked us to write about something from two polarized perspectives, and that was what challenged me the most. I fo und it flabby enough to write the quizzical response, as it is what I can most easily associate with. When it came to writing the believing response, I felt as though I was stuck. I stared blankly at my scalawag for several minutes until I finally decided to ask an A-student what their perspective on the matter was.Doing so helped me greatly, as it broadened my mind and aided me in writing about something from an entirely foreign perspective. After complementary this assignment I can honestly say that I am a more well-rounded person, as I find it easier to relate to what others are saying, even if it goes against every fiber of my existence. Believing and doubting helps me wallow in complexity by reminding me not to forget that there is a flip-side to what I am arguing at any given time, and Ive caught myself thinking about a few of my foundational beliefs and how they can be contradicted by somebody with a different outlook on life. In conclusion, I deliberate that this assign ment has helped me to understand that there are several other points of view to consider.