Week 3: Motivation Exploration

Here's a great short interview I stumbled upon on NPR last year while driving to work. In it, Daniel Pink (author of A Whole New Mind, as well as other books) discusses motivation and what he learned while writing Drive, a book about, of course, motivation.

Before you can tackle this week's assignment, you'll have to listen to the 4-minute interview.

This week you have two options for your "assignment." Choose whichever one suits you. (NOTE: You may think that this week's post isn't really about a new technology tool, but you'd be wrong! :) NPR and our very easy access to the wealth of material there is a wonderful way to bring outside voices into your classroom. When you get a chance, do some exploring.)

Option A
Play the interview for your students and conduct a discussion around a question like this, "It seems like Daniel Pink is suggesting that providing external motivation like pay (or, perhaps points/grades) decreases rather than increases motivation. Do you think this is true in school? Do points motivate or de-motivate you? What would happen if I didn't give you points?"

Report back here some of the insights students share.

Option B
Reflect on Pink's ideas in relation to the way you motivate students in your classroom. What issues does he raise for you?