The more I read up on Dan Pink's (2011) Drive, the more I am inundated with simply, easy to understand processes for how to cultivate motivation within a wide range of atmospheres. Despite the fact that this book was written for primarily a business audience, many of the offerings present a parallel approach within education. I would like to take a moment to update you on a couple examples of how this might be accomplished.
"What's more, graduates with profit goals showed increases in anxiety, depression, and other negative indicators—again, even though they were attaining their goals."
Money can't buy happiness, as the saying goes, and Pink would have to agree. This motivator is not necessarily prevalent in middle, or even high schools, where I currently work. Students are still dreaming big: professional baseball player, musical artist, heck, even celebrity. Obviously, these professions revolve around high volumes of cash flow, but I would have to argue that it does not explain why kids would want to enroll in these professions. They dream about these things because they feel it would be fun, something they would enjoy. It is only after students run into the wall known as "the real world" that profit goals become a sudden must. The result? As Pink mentions, "anxiety, depression," and so on.
But if we look at things from another angle, we can still see a form of profit goals in the classroom: grades. Students crave good grades and many rate their success and proficiency within their lives according to the number of As present on their report cards. The result? The same as post-graduates: anxiety, stress, depression, and beyond.
What can we learn from this? Don't hold kids back in their creativity. The more one focuses on a grade, the less one focuses on creative, unique thinking. If you create a singular expectation, expect singular results. I have yet to handle the reins of a classroom all my own, but I know that when I do, there is going to be a minimal focus on grading. I want kids to explore their potential. Pink has pointed out to what many has become obvious: profit goals completely shatter one's ability to get creative.
"Many entrepreneurs, executives, and investors are realizing that the best performing companies stand for something and contribute to the world."
For many kids, school is not a place one expands upon their skills and learning. Quite the opposite: it is a place where they sit in a series of classrooms for approximately an hour each until they are excused to go to the next room. Sure, they may learn some interesting things along the way, but once they get home, they go about their lives dreading the moment they wake up and do it all over again in the morning. So how do they respond? They play video games, go to the park and play with their friends, annoy their siblings; anything to get their minds off of school. Students have been indoctrinated into this way of thinking, and it may be some time before we can ever shake them from it.
There is some light, however. Imagine a school environment where students were not held accountable to a certain set of standards, state or federal. Imagine a place where students could learn not only on their own terms, but help make a difference in the world. Don't get all bah humbug on me just yet. Think about all of the parts of high school you wish could have been different. Me, for example, I came to school with a predisposition for learning. My desire to learn was cut short whenever I was told, "you're wrong." Then, I wasn't as keen on the learning anymore. Instead of telling me what was right or wrong, I wish my teachers would have allowed me scuff my knees and learn from my errors. More importantly, I wish that I could have taken my learning and combined them into something much more meaningful. I wanted to contribute my ideas but they were constantly restricted within the boundaries of my classroom walls.
Will we see the emergence of a totally autonomous classroom? Maybe, maybe not. Even as a teacher, I cannot say that I would be totally comfortable with that sort of environment. Just fun to think about the what ifs, that's all.
Almost done with this great reading from Dan Pink!
"What's more, graduates with profit goals showed increases in anxiety, depression, and other negative indicators—again, even though they were attaining their goals."
Money can't buy happiness, as the saying goes, and Pink would have to agree. This motivator is not necessarily prevalent in middle, or even high schools, where I currently work. Students are still dreaming big: professional baseball player, musical artist, heck, even celebrity. Obviously, these professions revolve around high volumes of cash flow, but I would have to argue that it does not explain why kids would want to enroll in these professions. They dream about these things because they feel it would be fun, something they would enjoy. It is only after students run into the wall known as "the real world" that profit goals become a sudden must. The result? As Pink mentions, "anxiety, depression," and so on.
But if we look at things from another angle, we can still see a form of profit goals in the classroom: grades. Students crave good grades and many rate their success and proficiency within their lives according to the number of As present on their report cards. The result? The same as post-graduates: anxiety, stress, depression, and beyond.
What can we learn from this? Don't hold kids back in their creativity. The more one focuses on a grade, the less one focuses on creative, unique thinking. If you create a singular expectation, expect singular results. I have yet to handle the reins of a classroom all my own, but I know that when I do, there is going to be a minimal focus on grading. I want kids to explore their potential. Pink has pointed out to what many has become obvious: profit goals completely shatter one's ability to get creative.
"Many entrepreneurs, executives, and investors are realizing that the best performing companies stand for something and contribute to the world."
For many kids, school is not a place one expands upon their skills and learning. Quite the opposite: it is a place where they sit in a series of classrooms for approximately an hour each until they are excused to go to the next room. Sure, they may learn some interesting things along the way, but once they get home, they go about their lives dreading the moment they wake up and do it all over again in the morning. So how do they respond? They play video games, go to the park and play with their friends, annoy their siblings; anything to get their minds off of school. Students have been indoctrinated into this way of thinking, and it may be some time before we can ever shake them from it.
There is some light, however. Imagine a school environment where students were not held accountable to a certain set of standards, state or federal. Imagine a place where students could learn not only on their own terms, but help make a difference in the world. Don't get all bah humbug on me just yet. Think about all of the parts of high school you wish could have been different. Me, for example, I came to school with a predisposition for learning. My desire to learn was cut short whenever I was told, "you're wrong." Then, I wasn't as keen on the learning anymore. Instead of telling me what was right or wrong, I wish my teachers would have allowed me scuff my knees and learn from my errors. More importantly, I wish that I could have taken my learning and combined them into something much more meaningful. I wanted to contribute my ideas but they were constantly restricted within the boundaries of my classroom walls.
Will we see the emergence of a totally autonomous classroom? Maybe, maybe not. Even as a teacher, I cannot say that I would be totally comfortable with that sort of environment. Just fun to think about the what ifs, that's all.
Almost done with this great reading from Dan Pink!