Bridging the Gap!
I think one of the most important things that this section touched on was the combination of both types of motivation. You use a reward (extrinsic) to bridge the gap to real high quality motivation (intrinsic).
One of the most important things I see people over look, in and out of the classroom, is planning their rewards around the transition into intrinsic motivation. Too often people see the constant extrinsic rewards and modify the way they do things to only meet the minimum requirements to obtain the rewards.
Give a reward to teams that complete activities that enabling socialization and building a solid team environment, this will (hopefully) lead to the intrinsic reward of a great group experience.
Wesley, I agree 100% and love how you bring the two concepts together. I would also add there is value in taking time to explain both types of motivation to students. Give them a sense of how each type of motivation works and share with them that the highest level performers are intrinsically motivated. Research has shown in a number of studies that money and other extrinsic motivators are not as influential on performance as intrinsic motivators.
Regards,
James Jackson
Melissa, I like how you related extrinsic motivation as a means to reach a more intrinsic focus. This is part of the scaffolding that takes place when an instructor brings their students to a better understanding of their own feelings and their true motivations. Not always an easy transition to make but a critical one none the less.
Regards,
James Jackson
I do feel that extrinsic motivation has helped some of my students to become more intrinsic in what they are doing. I do stress to my students that the love and passion of what you choose to take on in school motivates you to push even harder to make it through the course. Letting students reap the benefits of their goals makes them to strive more to achieve and accomplish their goal.
Wesley,
Well Said!!
If you have ever watched Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture", he had each member of a group rate each other based on interactional and progressional perceptions which than transcended into a "Collage" of data points in which a student could verifiably view their progress.
Utilizing such a chart as Randy did, may accomplish the intrinsic reward you speak of!!!
GREAT POST!!!
Giovanni Guiseppe Antonio Sealey
Great comments Wesley. To expand upon your well stated comment, this is yet another reason instructors today need to ensure they focus on understanding multiple cultures and multiple age groups. We live in such diverse times and we as instructors need to understand the root cause of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators of our students. The more we know about our students and how their belief systems are established, the better we can understand them and help them to arrive to a level of self awareness that allows them to make better choices.
Regards,
James Jackson
