Introduction to Blended and Online Teaching: Post #3

For this portion of my assignment, I was asked to write a response to Dan Pink's YouTube video: The Puzzle of Motivation.  In this video, he is adamant that business does not listen to what science knows.  Research has shown that providing incentives and punishment for good/bad work results in less productivity.  More freedom in the business world has resulted in greater productivity and worker satisfaction.  He states that the three biggest principles include: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  

Although his video particularly targeted the business world, this could easily be applied to education. When he talks about the "candle experiment,"  he relays the information that giving monetary incentives diminishes the creativity that flows when individuals are not put on on a time restraint, pitting them against others.   In the experiment, the group that was given no incentives solved the problem faster than the incentive group.  I feel that this could become a problem in education.  When schools are told that they can only reward a certain percentage of the most highly effective teachers, teachers are less likely to collaborate and share resources - and the students suffer.  

We should focus on purposeful planning.  With each activity, we should ask, "What is my purpose in teaching my lesson?  How will my students show mastery?  Is this meaningful for them?".  Teacher autonomy is important.  Textbooks can be utilized as a tool for the teacher's toolbox, but should not be the only method from which they gather lessons.  The world has too many creative educators and terrific resources for boring instruction!