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By Dr. Harry Tennant

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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Pass It On Education Content: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

EdConnections Posted by Dan S. Martin
So it is the new year!  A time we are all seemingly especially motivated to do something different from the year prior in an effort to somehow improve ourselves. 

What motivates humans?  While the answer to this question is simply too broad and deep for a full explanation here...or perhaps anywhere, RSA Animate illustrates in 10 minutes Dan Pink's longer talk on the subject, entitled "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us."

If you enjoy the presentation style, check out other RSA Animate pieces listed in the keywords index to the left of this screen!


Posted at 12:38 PM Keywords: Pass It On Education Content , RSA Animate , Motivation 2 Comments

 
Harry Tennant said...
So, how does a teacher, administrator or manager apply this? What do you think of these ideas?
o Emphasize the value of the end product to others
o Make it real with feedback from others about how the end product is useful
o Encourage improving personal performance
o Measure personal performance so improvement can be seen
o Allow individuals to get recognition for their contributions among their peers and their customers (artists want to sign their work)
o Recognize that, unlike the hierarchical model, good ideas don't flow from the top-down, but tend to bubble bottom-up
o But also recognize that large projects require coordinated effort from lots of people implying that individuals take on group goals as their personal goals.

Monday, January 3, 2011 11:10 AM

   
Harry Tennant said...
In Daniel Pink's book, Drive, on which this talk is based, he has a chapter on how educators can rely more on intrinsic motivation rather than the more commonly used extrinsic motivation.

o The homework test: Am I offering students autonomy over how and when to do this work? Does this assignment promote mastery by offering a novel, engaging task? Do students understand the purpose of this assignment?

o Try DIY report cards: ask students their top learning goals and later ask them for one or two paragraph reviews of their progress.

o Praise: for effort, not intelligence; be specific; praise in private; offer praise only when there's a good reason.

o Big picture: whatever kids are learning, make sure they can answer: Why am I learning this? and How is it relevant to the world I live in now?

o Give students an opportunity to teach something they've learned. Also, ask students about their individual passions and areas of expertise, then call on your experts when needed throughout the term.

Monday, January 3, 2011 12:33 PM

   

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