• Mindset,  Motivation

    Mindset

    Carol Dweck is the principle figure behind mindset theory and in my opinion is one of the giants in the science of learning. To understand where Dweck is coming from, we need to go back decades. In the early 1980’s Dweck started looking into the perplexing question of why females consistently score…

  • Basic Motivation,  Motivation

    Internalization of Motivation

    We can reinforce intrinsic motivation in learners, but it takes effort to do it right. With reinforcement for learners, we can maintain intrinsic motivation in learners, in spite of the opposition from the system (system – I hate that word because it means no one is responsible, and everyone is helpless to…

  • Basic Motivation,  Motivation

    Extrinsic Motivation in Education

    After talking about both extrinsic and extrinsic motivation, how does this apply to education? I’ll start by touching on some of the extrinsic motivators in education that get us and our students to play our part. In formal education, the further along you progress, the more extrinsic the motivators become. By the…

  • Basic Motivation,  Motivation

    Intrinsic Motivation

    When I was growing up, I was a Yankees baseball fan. They were winning, my third-grade teacher read us a story about Mickey Mantle, and my dad loved the Dodgers – so I picked the Yankees. I listened to an interview on the radio with Reggie Jackson one day – Mr. October…

  • Basic Motivation,  Motivation

    Extrinsic Motivation

    Ryan and Deci are the two principle researchers in this field, and they tell us that intrinsic motivation is the self-desire to seek out new things and new challenges, to analyze one’s capacity, to observe and to gain knowledge. It is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the task itself, and…