Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation [Review]

Dan Pink brought up some important facts about motivation in his speech “on the surprising science of motivation.” While Pink is speaking from a business perspective, this information is important to keep in mind in a school setting as well. Teachers are known for using extrinsic rewards as motivation for students. Unfortunately, these incentives may not be very effective.

Pink talks about Karl Duncker’s candle problem. He explains how Sam Glucksberg uses this problem to perform an experiment using incentives. The group who was offered rewards for finishing fastest took three and a half minutes longer to finish than the group who was offered no rewards. The incentives did not work. When performing the experiment a second time, but by arrange the experiment slightly different, the incentives worked. Why? Because the task was easier. Pink explains that when “there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to” rewards work. So as teachers we can use rewards to encourage students to do simple, straightforward tasks. But as teachers it is also our job to get students to think independently.

As teachers we need to motivate students intrinsically. Intrinsic motivation is about “the desire to do things because they matter, because we like it, because they’re interesting, because they are part of something important.” We should motivate students to do things because they want to do it. Students who are intrinsically motivated will get more out of school than students who are simply completing tasks to get a gold star or a good grade. Students who are intrinsically motivated get the most out of their education. This is what we as teachers should strive for.

The difficulty in this scenario though is how to motivate students intrinsically. How do we convince them that what they are doing is important and is something they should care about? It is also difficult for some teachers to move away from extrinsic rewards. As much as research says otherwise, teachers continue to use gold stars, stickers, and other rewards to motivate students. It has become part of a tradition and for many teachers it is hard to avoid. And really all teachers use extrinsic motivation, by giving students grades. Still, I think what Pink said is very valuable. I think as teachers we can use less extrinsic rewards and start by encouraging students to become intrinsically motivated. One way to start is by explaining to students how each lesson you teach is relevant and connected to the real world. This will help students see that what they are learning is important. Hopefully the more we encourage students to become more intrinsically motivated, the more they will start learning for themselves.