“Don’t ever give up.
Don’t ever give in.
Don’t ever stop trying.
Don’t ever sell out.
And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment,
pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a prayer, and start where you left off.
But never, ever, ever give up.”-Richelle E. Goodrich
Daniel H. Pink, in his book, Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, describes three different motivations that people have for their behavior: Motivation 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. That all sounds like a lot of gibberish computer talk, but it turns out, he is discussing some genuinely interesting motivations – especially when it comes to the world of education.
Motivation 1.0: This is the most basic. It is a biological drive for food, drink and bodily needs. Our first drive is to ensure that we have enough food when we are hungry, enough water when we are thirsty, and a warm bed to sleep in at night. Once these needs are met, Motivation 2.0 comes in.
Motivation 2.0: These are external motivations – rewards and punishments. Or, as Pink terms it in his book, Motivation 2.0 is the “carrot and stick” motivation. You are motivated to do something because you will either get a reward upon completion or because you will be punished if you do not. Sometimes Motivation 2.0 comes to combat Motivation1.0 when that drive is immoral or illegal (stealing a piece of bread from another person when we are hungry).
Motivation 3.0: This, Pink argues, came with the advances of the latter half of the twentieth century. Rather than working at a rote task that requires little creativity and flexibility and being rewarded with a paycheck, many people are being asked to do more complex and dynamic work. And, what scientists have found is that the motivation to complete this work successfully comes not from the “carrot and stick” motivation, but instead from a desire for autonomy, mastery, and purpose (more on those three later).
This idea was first discussed in scientific literature by the psychologist Harry Harlow. Harlow put a fairly complex puzzle into a monkey’s cage without any reward system in place. The monkeys played with the puzzle on their own, ultimately learning how to put it together and take it apart. Later, when given rewards (raisins) for the puzzle making, the monkeys completed it more slowly and less frequently.
Later, Edward Deci, a psychologist at the University of Rochester, found the same phenomenon with college students. He gave some a puzzle to solve with no rewards. Another group was first given no rewards for solving the puzzle, then a small monetary reward, and then no reward again. What Deci found is that the first group continually solved the puzzle and got better over time, even without a reward. However, the second group did slightly better with a reward and then did very poorly without one. Deci later wrote, “When money is used as an external reward for some activity, the subject loses intrinsic interest for the activity… Rewards can deliver a short-term boost – just as a jolt of caffeine can keep you cranking for a few more hours. But the effect wears off – and, worse, can reduce a person’s longer-term motivation to continue the project.”
Deci explains that people have an “inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise their capacities, to explore, and to learn.” Rather than offer external rewards (Motivation 2.0), we need to engage their drive to explore and learn (Motivation 3.0).
How do we do this in the classroom? How do we ensure that our students aren’t studying for the grade or the end-of-the-year pizza party? How can we get them to truly want to learn for learning’s sake?
That’s where autonomy, mastery, and purpose come in. Let me explain what Pink means by these terms that make up Motivation 3.0:
Autonomy: the desire to direct our own lives instead of having others do things for us. Mastery: the desire to continually improve at something that matters, or the need to be the best at what we are doing simply because we would like to do things well.
Purpose: the desire to do things in the service of something larger than ourselves. This includes the feeling and intention that we can make a difference in the world.
We need to figure out a way to incorporate Motivation 3.0 into our school systems. Right now, most of our schools function in a way that motivates students through rewards and punishments, rather than engaging them through autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Here are some tips for school to engage students:
Differentiated instruction. When instruction is individualized, so that each child is taught at his level, there will be a greater sense of mastery. If a child feels that he can master the material (and is not bored or overwhelmed), he will be willing to push himself harder to excel.
Individualized curricula. This is a very difficult thing to do, especially in yeshivos, but there are some schools that are getting great results through specialized curricula directed toward student interest.
What Pink feels is most important to understand about students today is that they are not necessarily always looking for reward. Sometimes they are simply looking to do something, do it well, and do it to benefit the world around them. If we think about Motivation 2.0 (rewards and punishments), we generally look at people and want to know “what they get out of this.” Pink’s research forces us to question that assumption. Perhaps the reward is not always the point. And, maybe our school systems need to change to meet the new demands of motivation.