In 2008, I found
myself reflecting on the concept of motivation in learning as I took on the
challenge of creating a 1 minute video to submit to Google as part of my GoogleTeachers Academy Application.
I started
to think back about those times in my classroom where students were immersed in
the flow of learning - times when I had
to kick them out to attend their next class; times when they came in after
school and on weekends to finish projects;
times when they asked to take classroom tools home so they could keep
working on their projects. What did those times have in common?
In his book, Drive, Dan Pink
identifies Autonomy, Mastery, and
Purpose as the keys to motivation.
Reflecting back on the project based learning environment I had
designed in my classroom, I’d say that Pink’s research is spot on.
According to Pink
- People want to be self directed
- People want to get better at stuff - they seek the challenge of mastery (especially if it accompanies making a contribution)
- People want to be parts of ‘teams’ or “organizations” with a purpose.
As educators our challenge is to create learning
environments that give our students the opportunity to latch on to a sense of
purpose, so they can seek the mastery of skills
necessary to contribute to that purpose and give them the autonomy to
contribute to that purpose in a way that honors their skills and passion. This is not an easy tasks. It takes a masterful educator who is
purposeful in his/her instructional design to achieve this. And there will be false starts; there will be
recalibration; there will be projects that plainly don’t come together. There is no easy recipe. But one reoccurring element that I found in
the most motivating learning designs was “authentic audience. Thus was born the inspiration for my one
minute video on motivation.
With so many examples of students being motivated by authentic audience, the tricky part was editing it down to one minute. I managed
to squeeze in examples of students
- blogging as part of Students 2.0
- creating podcast and newscast
- producing videos such as the 802 You Tube video that went viral and was featured in the New York Times
- composing music that was being mentored by professional composers as part of the Vermont Midi Project online community
Yet, despite the research and the increased availability of
tools and opportunities that the digital age culture provides us to learn with
an authentic audience, schools and organizations continue to design
motivational schemes based on carrots and sticks.
People don’t want to be treated like a horse. Get rid of carrots and sticks and bring on
autonomy, mastery, and purpose as you design a learning environment that yields
high performance in your students.
To learn more about Pink’s theories of motivation check out Vermont
principal, Larry Fliegelman’s blog post ‘19 Top Ideas for Education in ‘Drive’ or
RSA short video animation summarizing key concepts from Drive.
Think about experiences where you as a learner or your students' motivation lead to amazing
learning. Share what this experience looked
like. What elements contributed to the
motivation? When you think about these successful experiences, do you see Maslow, Herzberg, Vroom, Alfie Kohn, or Dan Pink’s theories at play?
I have watched Pink's video before and agree with what he has to say. Motivation is set by doing things and being successful. Students today use more technology that ever before. I feel it is very important for them to explore and experiment with technology. For one, I think they enjoy making videos and would love to have to make one in place of a research paper. I am hoping other classroom teachers will see this as an opportunity for differentiation for those students who struggle with paper pencil, 'old school" assignments. My question is, how do I help my students make videos? I do not know how to do this. I would like information on making videos and incorporating them on a blog.
ReplyDeleteTerra
DeleteYour iPod Touch allows you to shoot really great video. If you don't need to do any editing, it's a simple matter of emailing yourself the video, or connecting to a computer to copy them. We can discuss movie-making solutions at a later date. At the very least, if you get the chance these next few weeks, try to get comfortable using the camera and memo features of the iPod so you can use it as a documentation tool for you or your kids. And, as an added bonus, Quicktime videos (those created with the iPod) can be uploaded and played right in your Google Drive without having to reformat or jump through extra hoops. But I've said too much--we'll cover that in a few weeks, too. ;)
Terra -
DeleteAt the school we have Flip video cameras. They are fairly basic, but have been used often by various students and classes. The "flip" part is a USB connector that flips out from the side of the camera so the video can be downloaded straight to a computer, where they can then play with it even more. I know how to use them & download (upload?) the videos to the computer, but also need help with what to do with them once they're there - editing, etc. These cameras can be checked out by students.
Kim Hamel
My students in health classes created some awesome inspirational videos this year. Flip videos with live windows movie maker works well. You can put an SD card directly into a laptop or use the USB cord that comes with the flip video. imovie in the Ipod touch or Ipad are also awesome. My motto with technology - "When in doubt, ask your students." Most everything I've learned about video making I learned from my students.
DeleteI would love to make this available for my students that struggle with the paper and pencil like Terra said. I really need more guidance in how to do that. The funny thing is that I'm sure half of my class knows how to do that using an Ipod. I really need to work on my tech skills! I can see so many benefits to this with so many of my students. I love teaching outside the box and making learning more interesting. I'm looking forward to hopefully doing some of this when we come back for our week of classes.
DeleteMy kids in 3rd grade produced a short video using flip cameras for a weather unit. It was very basic with the kids drawing their graphics with paper and markers and then projecting them on the wall while the presented their topic. They researched Vermont's weather on the net. They had a blast and learned alot!
DeleteThank you all for the suggestions. I guess I needed to reframe my question. I know how to make videos with my camera, on my computer, ipod, but do not know what program to use to upload and edit. I will need to explore this further.
DeleteI would like to know the same thing (uploading video to blogs or youtubeforschools and simple editing as needed). I have to say I hated making videos myself, but many of my students do not have access to digital materials outside of school and I know that it is becoming a social justice issue when schools are asking for more work outside of school to be done digitally. Luckily I can let the students take the lead in video creation and rely on my colleagues for suggestions as well, but I would like to be more comfortable helping them to analyse their work and recognize the elements of an effective video. I have three flip cameras and some digital cameras that take video, but I am not savvy in the upload for presentation. Terra, I wonder if we could also look at having students make instructional videos using screen shots and audio as an alternative to the more traditional video - something like voicethread or jing for screencasts for students less interested in appearing on camera themselves and to protect student privacy if they are posted on sites or blogs. I would love to investigate that and those screencasts I have tried meant students were very invested in rehearsing and presenting their ideas.
DeleteI also have concerns that there are so many different programs out their that when my students to "psa" or videos I can't view them at school, cause they did at home, for example, on moviemaker, or a mac which is not compatible to watch or view in the classroom. Then I get frustrated because we as educators are blocked for "facebook" or "youtube" which I understand the safety issue, but think collaboration needs to happen in education across the board....to enhance our experience!!!
DeleteI haven't used videos with documents that kids have created, however from Tony's directions it sounds like something I might be able to attempt. I did use Glogsters with students this year as they created projects about various body systems. It seemed to be a great success. Kids were engaged and created some wonderful projects.
ReplyDeleteWhat age group did you do this with? I am teaching 3rd grade this year and would love to have them work on activities similar to this. I am thinking about a Vermont unit where they would need to create a timeline using the flip videos. Not sure how it will work yet but going to give it a try.
DeleteMy students often use their computers to record 'interviews' with characters from the novels they have read. These projects are a lot of fun for them and give them the chance to creatively explore and demonstrate their understanding of both plot and character.
ReplyDeleteWhen they have technical difficulties they go to each other for assistance. This empowers them to become the 'experts' and to lead as well as work collaboratively. I love that they do this.
That said, I need to become more familiar with the technology so that I can be a resource too.
That's what I love about technology, the help the students give to each other! Plus, you can learn from the students, when they discover some new tools to use, etc.
DeleteI went to a workshop of Dan Pink's a few years back. The factors of Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose really resonates with the concepts related to project based learning in which students decide the essential question and then create a project that addresses the essential question. I experimented with this in health class by having the students create their own small groups, identified a real life issue generated from the youth risk behavior survey, created a way to influence their peers on how to reduce the identified health risk. The projects ranged from inspirational videos to reduce dating abuse to a six week "Avenger Challenge" to tackle teenage obesity. Clearly the students had a lot of autonomy with this project. Many students truly felt they were making a contribution (purpose) towards their peers. I had more than one group email me over the weekend to share their projects for my advanced viewing. One student said "Mrs. Norton I have attached the video link for our project. We have put a lot of work into this project and are VERY PROUD OF IT. Let us know what you think." It was viewing this student's words that I knew I was moving in the right direction with assessments. Some students but not all really attempted to stretch out of their comfort zone and expand on their knowledge - mastery. I think mastery is tough to model because I tend to believe it's an intrinsic factor. I will attempt to include a couple of these projects on my BFA Health Education Blog
ReplyDeleteAs a school nurse, I compliment you on your ways to to foster student engagement. Our MS health educator did something similar with students creating their own public service announcements. When I went into the classroom, they were so involved working on was their net books, they did not even notice I was there.
DeleteFor the past several years, I have collaborated with a 6th grade language arts teacher to plan, and facilitate literature groups during the year. The teacher and I would determine the genre or theme, form the groups, assign the reading, come up with the questions to be responded to on a wiki, and offer several final project choices. In March of this year, many students asked if they could choose their groups, and what to read. Not only did they do so, but they also facilitated the structure and operations of the book groups, formulated the response questions for the wiki and came up with their own final projects. I see Pink's theory in play here. Not only were they self directed, but we noticed the quality of their responses on the wiki was much better. They felt more of a sense of purpose - they were in charge, and everyone was accountable not only to the teacher but their peers as well - they were definitely more invested and engaged. This has changed how we will conduct literature groups in the future
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the school year, I was co-teaching a writing class with another 4th grade teacher around a "Heros" unit. Here, students had to discuss and read about what it means to be a hero, who famous heros are, and then they had to interview a local hero from their town. Students interview fire men, their parents, members of the National Guard, students who raised money for cancer, teachers who won awards for teacher of the year, EMTs, police men etc. Because these were people in their community, they were incredibly motivated. The students had to create interview questions and record the interview either on paper, with a digital voice recorder, with an iPad, or with a Flip Camera. All students created a Glogster page dedicated to their local hero. They added pictures, songs, videos, interview questions, quotes, and many other exciting and interesting things they thought would be informative and exciting to see. Students worked on this every day for almost 3 weeks, and the second to last day of school, students presented their Glogster to their class, parents, and heros in a wonderful group setting. Students were so proud of their work and projects. They worked extremely hard, even the students who generally were not motivated to do much during writing class. Students went home and worked on their page at night, even though it was not homework. This fun end of the the year project definitely incorporated Pink's 3 theories of motivation. They were given a choice of what they wanted to do as long as they interviewed someone from their town and presented their findings. That class has definitely mastered using the Glogster page, as well as interview skills and recording skills with a video camera. They learned that you have to speak a certain way and make eye contact with the person you interview. They had a purpose on what they were doing by relaying information to their peers about the hero they chose to interview. This was an incredibly time-consuming project, but it was worth every second of it. All students were engaged, motivated, and eager to present their information and their cool page! This is an example of one of the glogs we differentiated and adapted for a student in the classroom:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.glogster.com/flowersclass/gabe-s-hero-project/g-6lh4jv8onqb1b20l12ef2a0
I was able to watch some of the students work on this project. They were truly motivated. It was also fun to see their pride in the sharing of these projects.
DeleteThis sounds like an amazing project. I am a reading teacher and would love to team with my colleagues on a few themes a year. It is clear that the more open-ended projects are more motivating and allow for much more self direction. In the fourth grade, I usually begin with project that is more limited in scope. This year we will be working on the Vermont project that Toni C. and I created for this course. We will be adding to our unit as we discover which types of technology are most suited to research and presentations. I would love to do a much broader and open-ended project toward the end of the year when they have had more experience with various tools. They will have to mentor each other in the use of technology as well as helping me.
DeleteMy answer is tangental. First I want to say what hasn't worked, where I got mediocre work rather than inspired learning. Then I will attempt to explain what I learned from this. Understand I teach middle school English.
ReplyDeleteLast year I made significant advancements in use of technology in the classroom. I had photos posted for commenting, taught some podcasting, and gave the chance for kids to use photos on line as part of telling their personal story.
And I had kids extent of work being to walk out the classroom door and take a picture of the basketball court on the playground from 100 yards away. "I like basketball" was their defense. I had kids "borrow" pictures from other kids to post for their assignment on their back yard. When asked they could only shrug and answer, "No" when I asked if technology was the barrier. They had a digital camera.
The problem was motivation. They didn't care enough because the assignments weren't authentic enough for them to really latch onto and put REAL effort into doing the work.
On the other hand I had kids inspired by commenting allowed on electronic documents that they really turned their own writing up a couple of notches.
The work needs to be real and relevant to them. They need to feel intrinsically motivated somehow so it matters, which means the assignment needs to matter. I need help in coming up with intrinsically motivating assignments.
Andrew I agree that motivation is at the heart of learning. No matter what the age if a student isn't motivated or invested he/she will not be successful with the project.
DeleteHowever I do wonder about your comment about needing to create more "authentic" assignments. I teach grades 1-3 math and this past year our math team created a project based learning unit around conserving paper. The 3rd grade students had identified this as an issue in our school. The teachers focus was to teach subtraction strategies embedded in their work to save paper. Together we created a Google site "The Great Paper Chase" shared only with the 3rd grade classes, the principal, administrative staff and the custodian as a social network for reporting and sharing their work. At the start of the project the math team felt confident that this was an "authentic" assignment that would engage all of students. Students would be motivated to count and compare paper usage as a way to improve our school.
Let's just say that the project went in many directions- just as you commented above with your students. One 3rd grade class was super motivated, in fact the class created a public service announcement about saving paper that was shown at our in-service to get teachers to use power school based on what students had counted and compared for paper usage for attendance. Another class however completely checked out. The teacher really struggled because the students really didn't care about how much paper our school was using! She felt discouraged and frustrated that the students really did not want any part in the project.
This leads me back to your comment. Is this OK? Is this life- some projects motivate and others don't. I wonder if we need to have students take more time to reflect on what they learned from the experience and push students to challenge each other and us as teachers in this process. It is often in the reflection that the next project begins.
Jennifer I agree with your comment about that we need to take more time and have students reflect on what they learned from the experience as this may allow the student that was not as motivated to gain a little more learning from the project. I find personally as I take this class and another one I am currently taking when I am forced to read and reflect I gain more learning as a teacher and with my students. Too often I find myself ready to go on to the next unit when by reflecting on the current unit I learn more information that drives the next unit. My goal next school year is too have students reflect more on everything we do in class not just an occasional assignment here or there.
DeleteAndrew, I agree. It seems very difficult to think of or create motivating assignments, lessons, or activities. I work in fourth grade,and some days (ha, well most) it's like pulling teeth to get kids motivated or to care about doing anything. Even with the technology everything is boring. As I have been reading and watching videos, the biggest thing I've been thinking is how do we find the motivation?
DeleteMary, I plan to use google docs to help students reflect on their learning. They will be asked to write one question or clarifying question, answer one question, so they will be originating learning and responding to someone else, after each of our 10 modules. Last year we worked on What's the Big Idea" on poster board. I am anxious to to see how it works out online. I think we will get good participation and be able to track student contributions to make sure hey are getting it and see what we need to revisit.
DeleteReflection is certainly a key player here. I agree that reflecting on their learning will allow students to really hone in on what went well and what didn't...and why? What can be difficult with reflecting is that you are going to have some students who are really thoughtful in their reflections and honest. Then you are going to have those that aren't as motivated to do the same (back to motivation, ugh!). I also think that we, as educators, need to do the same. Modeling just how to do this, starting in the primary grades, will certainly help. I like the idea of videoing students' reflections and sharing them on our website/blog (Jennifer?).
DeleteI work with fourth graders as well and I find that they are just beginning to be able to take another's point of view long enough to consider it and still hold their own idea. The mantra of the first half of the year is MASTERY and often autonomy(in their minds more than mine - they are so afraid to be "wrong" or (heaven-forbid)flexible with more than one way of doing things. Later in the year, as fifth grade starts to loom, they are motivated by group collaboration of almost any kind and the autonomy of the group, but they are still sometimes shy about publicly presenting work (which technology can really help individualize). These collaboration skills often become the most important thing to them rather than the content, but it still keeps them engaged in content in order to work with the group. It's the purpose I find it-or-miss. I am rarely able to make every curricular area have a purpose that directly relates to every student. I have had mixed results planning and adjusting integrated investigations that I have attempted in the past. I think sometimes knowing that classmates are the audience raises the stakes and motivates students to improve. It also allows students to help each other using their strengths which can be experienced as a purpose by many. I think that perhaps the biggest part of reflection is that it is not final - it is a snapshot which can be as simple as "what?" (did I do well and what did I wish I did?) "so what?" (how did those actions affect me as a learner or my ability to complete the tasks)and "now what?" (given what I learned, what would be my next manageable goal in learning habits or skills I will focus on in the next assignment). Having a model of this has helped me work with my special education students as well because it is specific and looking only for short term, actionable goals. The habit of reflection and action is what is most important.
DeletePurpose.....mastery..... autonomy .....even our youngest students excel within this constructivist theory. But I get stuck when I wonder at what age can I blog and create video with students? Can I develop a unit around report writing where students determine which country to study,research it,and share the information through blogs and videos with classmates as authentic learning and audience. GLE's connecting a social studies unit with language arts is where I am headed....what do people think?
ReplyDeleteSince I co-teach wondering about developing a generic unit teachers in 2-3 and 4 can implement.
Dawn, I agree - I get stuck in the mud with the little ones as well. They are engaged by technology and can do many complex tasks independently...but they also need to be able to type, spell, and pull details together to really be independent. And there's always the worry of being "big" enough to hand the tool without breaking it! I guess with young students it is a mixture of partially and totally guided discovery with technology tools. I think it's important to choose a tool that is easy to master so use of the tool doesn't overshadow the actual desired learning outcomes.
DeleteUpon reflecting on the successful experiences for myself and my students as a learner, I do see Pink’s theory come into play. If you are self-directed and see the purpose for what you are trying to accomplish, this drives you to master the learning and to complete the project.
ReplyDeleteStudents in my Career Exploration Class research their career and then present it to the rest of the class. They are given general guidelines for the project and can use any means of technology to display their work and to teach others in the room about their career interest. Some have created PowerPoint’s, Prezi’s, videos, video games, wrote a song, created brochures, Glogs, used Google docs etc. The students were motivated to try new technology and wanted to learn more about the career they are interested in and also learned more technology and ways to present their ideas to an audience.
The problem I have is keeping up with all the technology. I now learn with the students and if there are experts in the room I rely on their skills to help each other. What are ways that teachers keep up with all the technology out there?
When I started to reflect on successful experiences with project based learning and Pink's theories of autonomy, mastery, and purpose a key project comes to mind in my U.S. History classes. The project is entitled, "My Journey" and I have the students research their own families, a person of interest, or an ethnic groups immigration story. They can use any mean to showcase their project, yet many use PhotoStory 3 or Movie Maker. Now they do try to "out do the other" and get the rest project (Mastery) and many want to show and/give their project to a family member. As for Purpose, that is the hard one, because they still receive a grade, which can be seen as money like, refering to Pink's lecture.
ReplyDeleteOne of our basic human needs is to find where we fit into our world. What is it that makes us special somewhere to someone. Your unit allows students to scratch that itch and come up with answers that may provide meaning and purpose to their lives. Kudos to you for finding such an effective vehicle to motivate your students and have them embed learning around our immigration history at the same time.
DeleteI plan to use tools to help students direct their own learning. The spring semester was full of students who were so accustomer to the horse and carrot or carrot and stick method of information gathering that they were very hesitant with self directed learning. Parents also expect their children to be fed knowledge without going out to gather it. I also found an article from Canada where parents were complaining about not being able to understand the terminology on report cards. We will be able to make technology a normal part of education, but we have a ways to go and weed need to remain flexible so learning is accessible for all. When the change is more of an adaptation, than it is like throwing people into boiling water, more people will be able to use the tools without jumping out of the system.
ReplyDeleteAs a second grade teacher autonomy is always at the heart of my teaching and preparation. I am always considering what the students will do on your own and how it will lead them to mastery. With this in mind, we have to remember the importance of transparency in our teaching along with motivation. Yes, I agree with the motivation factors discussed above, but equally valuable is the student's ability to understand and see the purpose in the task at hand. Autonomy and mastery comes with clear expectations, explicit outcomes for learning, time for reflection and specific and immediate feedback throughout the process.
ReplyDeleteOne teaching method I have found very successful is Student Notebooks. The principles behind my use of notebooks stemmed from professional development in the area of science instruction, however; intrigued and surprised by the benefits of the notebook in terms of autonomy they afforded students I have adopted them throughout my teaching. Notebooks (either digital or hard copy) allow students autonomy in their learning by clearly outlining expectations, steps in the learning process and outcomes along the way. Students can use their notebooks to reflect on their initial thinking and the steps toward mastery throughout the unit. Coupled with Notebooks and this idea of transparency I utilize student centered essential questions in order to make learning more visible throughout the learning process. I share this mantra with students, everything we do should help us answer the essential question. I always tell students to reflect on the question to help inform the purpose of an investigation or in case we start an investigation and they do not see the connection to the question it helps to create a means for ongoing reflection and questioning.
In application, each year the students I work with create a business through our social studies unit of study on community. The purpose of the business is to create a product (using recycled materials) to sell in order to raise money for a community based organization. The students self select into a department and work within them to develop the business and the products. We use a variety of tools to promote and advertise the business as well as tools to evaluate how the business is doing. Every year I have done this project the students have almost always said it was what they remembered most from second grade. When asked why they always talk first about how they got to help other people and make a difference in their community and then I get a variety of responses about working in departments, getting to make important decisions and learning about goods and services. This project always reiterates that with a clear authentic purpose comes greater personal reward, intrinsic motivation (and mastery of GE’s).
After student discussion finds What's the Big Idea; our next question is "Who Cares" later we move to "So What" I find this format really motivates the students to care and they all provide answers that fit their learning needs. When they are asked to do research and present their findings they will also be summarizing, providing their opinion and making some conclusions. Some students also create videos to present the information that is authentic and relevant to them. They have done interviews and they have acted out different scenarios and filmed themselves. I would really like a mimeo cameras so students can draw and watch their ideas take shape on the wall. I need to do some work to get my school laptop to recognize streaming video, The ipod may also plug into the projector. The possibilities are endless and sometimes overwhelming. I am also cognisant of the need to not overwhelm students and parents. Allowing them to do what works for them will allow us all to learn.
ReplyDeleteI was recently going through some resources I have seen in the past, and came across this Teacher Tube link. In thinking about the work we will do next week with Google Tools and technology in my own classroom, clips like this one validate the work I am already doing and inspire me to think about how to engage students and motivate them as I grow and change as their teacher. What motivates you as an educator to incorporate technology in the school community? Changing my perspective and lens has made a difference for me!
ReplyDeleteBrave New World Wide Web Link: http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=51441
Jenn, The Brave New World link is great and very motivational. It alone reminds me why I need to take classes like this and MUST keep current if I intend to remain an engaging teacher. Small steps, however. I can't do it all, but need to slowly add to my repertoire. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteAs much as I am a forward thinking, open minded, tech maven, I think my attempts at getting students personally invested and motivated, in retrospect, were failures. They were not allowing student investment, they were jazzing up the same old same old with a little glitter and a few more product options. Many times I've sat with a teacher and we're brainstorming "cool new project ideas" for the same content that is always taught. Or the teacher and I are talking about what WE think is important for the students to learn...never once asking a student what HE or SHE might want to learn. For classroom teachers, this is tough as their is curriculum that HAS to be taught regardless. But it is more than just saying study _______ blank period and then choose from one of _______ online tools to tell us what you learned. That is NOT what Pink is talking about in personal investment, free time to create and think and do whatever one wants. I'm going to try to put this thought in my mind when I next meet with a teacher to collaborate. What would REAL student motivation look like to learn the content? And then how do we let them get invested in a some project to show their learning?
ReplyDeleteThe example that I can use for this is a unit called the "Reality Check" and this asked students to figure out how they were going to financially survive the first 365 days out of high school. Each student had a uni2ue situation (autonomy), a real need to figure this out (purpose), and a strong need and desire to get it right (Mastery). Several students have returned over the years to tell me that it was one of the most powerful and motivational learning experiences of their high school career. I am constantly amazed at how powerful relevance and autonomy is in learning and how motivated students become when there is a real world personal application to their learning. All the components of this discussion are present in this type of project based learning.
ReplyDeleteOur school went through a number of changes from the top down this year, and it caused a lot of discomfort among the teachers. I wish our administrators had considered this video before going forward with these major systemic changes. As a new teacher in the school, I felt that most of the negative reactions from teachers were due to the lack of control teachers felt over the process. They didn't feel that they had a say in what was happening, therefore, they didn't buy-into the concepts. It wasn't necessarily that they didn't like the concepts. I schools, the most successful changes come from teachers because they are the ones who have to carry it out and make it work. Pink is completely correct about his assumptions about human motivation and productivity. I think this should be revisited by our administration!
ReplyDeleteWhile I watched this video I wasn't thinking about our students, I was thinking about our teachers (nation wide). I don't think that what you are experiencing in your school MaryEllen is unusual. It is a national trend although some school and administrators may be handling it better than others.
DeleteThere are more and more initiatives being pushed down from our federal and state government (NECAP, 21st Century, Common Core, etc.) Some of them I agree with and some of them I don't. I have always taken the stance that something that is good for a third grade class in one of our school is probably good for all the third grade students in our SU.
I also believe that helping consolidate some of the decisions makes the professional lives of our teachers easier as the scope of what they are responsible grows from year to year.
However, having watched this video and reflecting on the comments of teachers over the years as we have made changes, I Teachers for the most part are teachers because they have put purchase over profit. The job has some wonderful benefits but it is just really hard work. However, in the last ten years or so the autonomy of teaching is vanishing. I have seen it as a positive thing because I have thought many teachers have been way too insular in their practice. When teachers close their doors they miss the value of group sharing, reflection and problem solving.
So how do we make sure that we honor autonomy in the classroom yet provide a quality education to every student regardless which classroom they are in? How do we treat teachers like people but create an environment where there is an expectation of collaboration and group reflection? And do all of this under the gun of state and federal mandates?
It struck that these concepts are applicable no matter the age group. I used to teach Kindergarten and utilized the same philosophy with my students. I also utilized my own video productions to hook my students into a topic. They always thought it was cool that their teacher was on the screen.
ReplyDeletePurpose --> lost in stagnant "traditional" teaching?
ReplyDelete(Honestly, does anybody really know why you had to solve so many proofs in HS geometry?)
I recently attended a PBL conference and authentic audience was a major component. But the emphasis was an authentic audience that could take the information or work and do something more with it (e.g. presenting an energy saving plan to the city council or creating a piece for the local historical museum). In my experience, students definitely step up to the plate and really want to achieve for an authentic audience. This adds the sense of purpose and motivation. Students need to know and feel that what they do matters, which supports the 21st Century skill of "civic participation."
I believe he hit the nail on the head in talking about the desire for autonomy. As a high school teacher (and a mother) I see students really wanting to flap their wings and fly but they are held back by so many rules and expectations. They are tied to a traditional education when what they need is much more freedom to direct the way they learn. Sometimes as an educator I find that I need to stop talking and start listening. My students know themselves better than anyone else knows them. They know what may make them more successful and they need to have an opportunity to try it out---with appropriate guidance. Traditional is not always best. What I think is the right way is not always the right way. What I think is a great idea is not always a great idea. It is time to really allow students to unfurl their wings and to let them fly!
ReplyDeleteI agree that what we think of as a great idea or method for teaching something is not necessarily the right way. Even further, what is "right" for one set of students may not be right for another. This is where differentiation is a must. Students need to have autonomy to determine WHAT interests them and then HOW to best learn about it. This is when students become motivated to learn and truly have autonomy.
DeleteI recently reread a book entitled Local Meaning, Global Schooling which describes the similarities and differences in schooling, comparatively in the US and other countries. This book emphasizes the role that local culture and teacher choice and autonomy play in schooling around the world.
ReplyDeleteI reflect on this work in light of futurists (Daniel Pink) and technology educators (Alan November) and must conclude that digital learning and global classrooms permits great connections and has the potential to augment student learning experience beyond the local, state and national classroom which we are so often confined to, due to government-based accountability requirements.
Concerning the potential for the future of schooling in the digital age, I see a growth in the technology gap in many schools and school systems due to inadequate resources or internet accessibility at school and home. We are making steady progress to address these issues, however schools in the US often remain many years behind in equipment, availability of training and resources.
Debra
Educator and Writer
I have read this blog then reread bits and pieces of this blog, and am having an YES! moment. Reading Daniel Pink and watching the RSA animate resulted in excitement-I, as a parent, and faculty member have wondered about this for the last 10+ years. Larry Fliegelman blog made it clearer. My A-HA moment of how many rewards and awards do we give out? Are they even really a reward because they are given so often for everything? And how many students have we seen deflate when they are left out (perhaps the students who are now not engaged?)?
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe in the philosophy of autonomy, purpose and mastery as the way to engage learners-an example I would like to use is not computer technology but an example of students actively learning. The VoTech class my son was in 2 years ago-built a house as their class project--during this time they developed a strong sense of belonging, the purpose of building a house they would then sell (basically for the price of materials-so no financial gain)-and it had to be good enough to sell (mastery). They were all so proud of their accomplishment when the house was sold to a family who had lost their home during Irene.
I do believe that this can be translated in to many (if not all classes)including technology, by moving away from the reward system and encouraging autonomy, purpose and mastery. More of our students will become engaged-and if we practice the same philosophy ourselves more students will follow.
The video shows that money is not always the greatest reward in a job. In school, the money reward is good grades. However, in our current economy, getting good grades to get into college does not necessarily translate into a successful career. Our students see this in a worrisome job market. Jobs are ever changing, being eliminated and new ones being created that never existed before. Our students need to be able to handle these changes. Many of them will be the ones creating their own jobs. Encouraging self-direction and purposefulness in schools, foster the ability of flexibility, lifelong learning and general life satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteMotivation is a tough one for me. Library research work seems so irrelevant to the students, they’ll “just Google it”. I am definitely guilty of the carrot/stick approach, giving awards for finishing Dewey work. My reasoning to them: “you need to know how to do this efficiently so you can be a more efficient researcher, so you can spend more time on the fun stuff” (i.e. creating their teacher’s final product). I emphasize that I’m giving them tools for their toolbox, ways of figuring stuff out, ways to assist them in making decisions, that will help them all their life. Hmm. Even as I write this, it sounds boring.
ReplyDeleteOne unit that has been successful for me and the Grade 5/6 students is the Author PSA Unit. The students choose their own group (I limit size), they choose their own author (I make sure there’s no duplicates within the grade level, the author has written enough books for the number in the group, and we have the books in the collection), and they design their own short video. They use the Flip camera, I download them to the laptop, and the video plays on a loop for Fine Arts Night, an evening event for parents. Nominal Purpose: get the younger students reading something besides Capt. Underpants. Purpose: they get to show off to their folks. Autonomy: they choose author, write script. Mastery: we start off by showing the previous year’s video, and they see what works, what was lame, and how to get kids excited. Not in their control: yup, it’s a have-to, not a want-to. Also, see above. Differentiation: some are comfortable being filmed, others help write, or work with props. I like Kohn’s idea that “that students need to be taught how to be responsible and respectful. Once this is accomplished, all other "content" can be learned at a more "reasonable" rate, with a greater threshold of proficiency.” The students don’t want to look like dweebs on screen, and I think that’s a powerful motivator. If they’re being respectful to each other, and responsible with school equipment, they pretty much have carte blanche with the content.
I've seen Dan Pink's video a few times now, but enjoyed VT principal Larry Fliegelman's blog of "19 Top Ideas for Education in 'Drive" even better. He summarizes great ideas for how to reform education. As the start of school approaches, each is a good reminder of how important it is to design work that is relevant, purposeful, and provides autonomy. I really do think that we have watered down education by removing accountability and relevance. Students seldom know how to problem solve. They are easily frustrated when faced with a challenge. They are excellent at multi-tasking, but frequently unwilling to stop and figure out a solution.
ReplyDeleteFliegelman reminds us to avoid end goals and rewards which inadvertently lead to speedily done, sub-par work. Instead, we are reminded to attach relevance and push students master a skill set. Help students become intrinsically motivated to produce their very best work. Pink's guidelines of offering positive and written praise based on standards are needed in order to move students toward mastery. Interestingly , this is very much in line with Rick Wormeli's work on assessment (but that's another topic).
In response to Lucie's prompt about motivation, I think back to the classes for which I felt least prepared. I knew what concepts needed to be taught and what I wanted students to be able to do in the end, but couldn't come up with what felt, to me, like an appropriate means to the end. I began class with a knot in my stomach about how I would fill the time and prayed that no administrator would walk in to observe. Without fail, these were the lessons that ended up being the best. These were the classes from which students developed the best understanding or these were the labs which the students ended up designing their own investigations to answer their questions. Students were motivated by their own autonomy and participated in relevant work. A colleague reminded me that these were the lessons in with authentic learning occurred because the students were driving the instruction. This work was then easier to offer high quality praise and meaningful critiques. Students produced far better work and were willingly engaged in future topics. A win-win for both teacher and students.
What an entertaining, charming video - although I do want to point out the one issue I have with what seems like all video products these days is that they are fast paced and jazzy in order to keep the viewer's attention. In this case, however, the artist's talent and creative skills are phenomenal and an integral part of the presentation - not just added, entertaining visuals.
ReplyDeleteI am somewhat familiar with the research that Pink presented and find the principles very intriguing. In theory, it is a great concept to integrate into a productivity challenge. In reality, I think it's a bit too theoretical. Money does matter if you don't have any - all of Pink's techie examples involve people who have enough food on the table - and then some (Wikepedia, Lenovo...). I think those who struggle at the bottom of Maslow's Hierarchy are more motivated by monetary gain than those who have the luxury of living higher up. I recognize that Pink sited a study done in India, but it conflicted with his point that people do need to have their basic economic needs addressed before they are affected by his principles of motivation.
The real question is....how does this apply to education - and does motivation differ with different developmental age groups (this applies birth to death)? I'm not a teacher (I'm a nurse), but in my 25+ years of working with patients and students I have not found the 'consequences' approach at all effective either. But I'm not sure about Pink's basic principle of autonomy, mastery and self-direction. Again, I think Pink is being ethnocentric - it's more applicable to the well-educated, developed, western population.
When working with students/patients, I use a more individual approach - to assess the person's goals (and sometimes you have to dig long and deep to find one) and present the task in that framework of meeting a short term step towards that goal. For some, it may be money (my 19 yo son), for some it might be an MBA - and for others it might be to finish a coloring project and have longer recess. Motivation is a psychological function - although there may be principles that apply to basic human nature as Pink so articulately and charmingly explains, the key to harnessing it in a student (or adult) is to 'listen' to the individual and develop an Individual Learning Plan (sound familiar?).
This was a wonderful presentation - I've already passed it on to a few friends. A great example of using different tools to enhance learning - not just provide entertainment while lecturing. I'm going to watch more of his stuff when I finish my final project.....
Martha -
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your points about Maslow's Hierarchy. I agree that first you need to have your basic needs met in order to then be motivated by these higher functioning things. In the video, it was mentioned that companies should pay their employees enough so that money is no longer and issue and people don't need to worry about it or think about it. Then the factors of autonomy, mastery and purpose can come into play. I am also wondering about the parallels between the business world and elementary students. I have seen they way students respond to the ability to choose what they work on (autonomy), and I think most teachers employ that in their classroom, offering choice as a powerful motivator. I wonder how purpose could be worked out in the classroom context. I will give this more thought!
I don't have a conclusive statement after delving into this material. My brain is swimming in ideas though.
ReplyDeleteI found the idea that mechanical tasks can be motivated by reward and interesting one. Are we by using the carrot/stick motivational system encouraging rote, compliant students with a focus on those tasks that are motivated by reward. On a personal note, I find that there are numbers of disillusioned students in our secondary educational system who no longer buy into the grade thing and find little 'purpose' to motivate their engagement with the educational system. I thought Paula's reference to her son's participation in building a house a great example of what all our young people need. I think the challenges for teachers in not just 'teaching to the test' are enormous.
There are many children for whom the classroom becomes their prison - because the traditional classroom environment - no matter the strength of the teacher - just does not meet their needs.
Allowing students to succeed in a differentiated way may require a bigger 'thinking out of the box' than schools have traditionally done.
As I review the comments, I am reminded of how important it is to review/revisit how autonomy, self-direction and motivation look in my classroom, on my team and in my school for both teachers and students. At the beginning of the year, I rely heavily on Responsive Classroom principles to build community and a sense of shared purpose. I think this is especially important for our incoming fourth graders (my homeroom) who will spend three years on our team. I specifically teach "What does self direction look like?" repeatedly throughout many different situations. We revisit and reflect as a group and individually on a regular basis at the beginning of the year. I want to figure out how to have conversations with my students and my colleagues throughout the year about self-direction, motivation and autonomy and what it looks like in a variety of situations and in different academic units. I think we all get crazed as the assessment ball begins to roll (better get ready for NECAP!) and we sometimes don't allow ourselves to take the time to set the stage and reflect upon ourselves as learners as often as I would like.
ReplyDeleteI rely greatly on the self directed learner in the Principles of Engineering class that I teach. While I teach the student the principles of how things work or act they often need to explore on there own to complete projects. I allow students to design and build things that I might not know how to make or totally understand. I let them know this up front and tell them that it OK that I don't know it all. I go on to tell them that this is an opportunity for them to really learn what it is to research and design what they want to make. This was a scary process at first because ultimately the kids do expect you to know the right answer. Once I got the point that I could admit that I didn't know or made a mistake it became easier. It is amazing what a young mind can come up with for problem that is presented to them if you let them got for it with little restrictions.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the drive video helped me to realize that large rewards are not necessary for good productivity. I will keep this in mind as I set rewards or incentives for students to do well in my classes.
When I think about the greatest learning experiences both in my classroom and as a learner in anothers' classroom the common theme is success. When learners can "taste" a bit of success in their learning it is motivation in and of itself to keep going. I think we innately are driven to accomplish, thrive, and succeed. I'm thinking now about the times in my own classroom when a struggling beginning reader (I teach first grade) finally "gets it". Usually its something small like recognizing a common trick word when reading a story or when they use a strategy I've taught them and it actually works! They read for the first time --sometimes it's just a word, sometimes it's a sentence-- regardless of the length the enthusiasm that is ignited within them is the same. Perhaps the most miraculous aspect of this whole learning process is enthusiasm that is in turn ignited in me. I want to teach them more, I want to spend more time with them to get them to feel that success again and again. I want to reach out to more children in the same way and I want these students to encourage each other.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love incentives? We see them at the grocery store, gas station, the gym, everywhere. That dangling carrot is enticing and it works! I have found that the most enticing thing of all really is the intrinsic feeling of being successful.