Some of what I got from “Drive” …

As an art teacher I can really appreciate the notion of intrinsic motivation, as it is an important aspect of art. You have to have a certain type of drive (motivation 3.0) to achieve the types of results you are looking for. While production artists may be able to work for extrinsic rewards, true art for art’s sake artist require the fulfillment, which comes from self-motivated and self-directed creativity. The direction of autonomy, mastery and purpose are already key motivators in this field and it is very interesting to see how these aspects are influencing and becoming more involved with other job types. This sense of intrinsic motivation is sparked at a young age being told we can do anything we put our minds to. It is then often lost as we become products of our society and turn to extrinsic motivators to help us achieve the notion of money equals happiness. It is a system set in place but there is a beginning of change. Motivation as it turns out is a key aspect to productivity. The development of intrinsic motivators, are being shown to create even more productivity. It is certainly a drastic change to what we are used to in our current society. This is an overwhelming change that Pink has suggested is beginning to happen. I really liked where he said (paraphrasing) the possibility of this change would seem impossible except for the fact he has the feeling in his stomach that this is part of our nature and something we should want to except to have a more fulfilled and purpose driven life.

Another aspect of the book I thought was enlightening was Pink’s description of flow as a form of mastery. There is something to be said for doing what you love to do to the best of your ability. Doing what you are meant to do. I think often there is some miscommunication with this though. We tell people “do what you love to do and you will never have to work”. While you will enjoy your job, I liked the quote used from Dr. J. “Being a professional, is doing the things you love to do, on the day’s you don’t feel like doing them”. I think this really accentuates the idea of mastery. Achieving mastery requires work, hard work and a lot of it. It is however, very self-rewarding, and because of that is creates fulfillment as described in flow. I think instilling the sense of mastery in students is one of the first steps towards flow in the work of students. Once they can appreciate the intrinsic value of working towards mastery it will result in motivation. This is where giving students more freedom in choosing direction of study comes into play. They can then take control of their education just as mastery describes. They strive to achieve certain results even if they are impossible as described in the example of an asymptote. As a teacher, I get a sense of the flow when I have created or recreated a lesson, which I feel is very educational, and convey it in a way students understand and are excited about. That’s what made me want to become a teacher, and that’s the intrinsic motivation that makes me want to go to work and improve my work as a teacher.

Something else that stood out to me was the removing of extrinsic rewards to achieve better production. Because they are so much of the way business has approached employees for so long, it can be hard to imagine some jobs with out it. I think the most important part of it is where you take money off the table as described in the “Zen of compensation”. Once there is a baseline of adequate compensation, money no longer needs to be used as motivation. This is very interesting to see in the examples given by Pink. The next step is to then create the intrinsic motivation. I think this can really be used in the education realm. I think some things still require extrinsic rewards as discussed in routine activities. However, I think there is a lot of opportunity for creating the type I learner by using alternative methods. I think this really describes several of the ideas of curriculum we have been discussing. Having students who are self directed in “non-routine” school outlines, helps to create the value if intrinsic motivation and therefore the increase of academic production. Also, if students are recognized for their achievement in their school, community, or even broader audiences through given technologies, their motivation to succeed becomes much higher than the grade driven student.

I also really liked the use of the FedEx days and 20% time as a way to create intrinsic motivation. I think this idea would work well in school, as students would have this time to do whatever they are interested in. This is also part of students having more control over their educational direction. By giving them time to work on what they are really interested in it not only engages them in that activity which can be tied into subjects they are learning, but also helps them appreciate and maybe if they really can’t stand it even tolerate the things they may not be interested in or not feel is useful at this point in their lives. I certainly think it would help.