I find it sad that the only way we can motivate students to learn is by assigning them a letter or number that compares them with everyone else. Now I do not blame the students for this. No, actually, I blame the educational system currently in place. Students are trained from a young age to put forth exactly as much effort as is necessary to get that elusive A/E/100 (whatever system you use). Putting forth more effort is 'commendable' but they come to realize pretty soon that there is a cap on our expectations of their behavior/competence/effort/knowledge and that going beyond that rarely if ever actually impacts them positivity. We have trained them to rely so heavily on extrinsic motivations (points for good behavior, good grades for achievement...) that they cease to be motivated intrinsically.
That's about as long as I can focus on one topic today (another rant topic maybe)...
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