Over the summer I read three books by Daniel Pink about the importance of the right brain, career advice, and motivation theory. I'll be trying to incorporate what I've learned into the Grade 10 Business course as a part of the curriculum. But I've been giving some thought as to how I can use the ideas to improve how I teach.
One aspect of motivation theory I find especially compelling is the idea that autonomy is very important for motivation. Last year, this blog was forced upon my Grade 11s as a part of their grade. This lack of autonomy, for the students who had to write comments and for me who felt compelled to write regularly, greatly reduced the possible enjoyment and intrinsic motivation to participate in the blog.
This year, we'll do things differently. I'll still be blogging, but I'm removing the blog from the grading structure of the class. It's voluntary. I'd like to hear from you and hope that you will be motivated enough by your own interest in the course to visit every so often and post a comment when you feel like it.
Let's see what happens!
I think the restructuring of the blog is a fantastic idea and I agree that autonomy is very important for motivation. Hopefully the blog will still be rich on argument and discussion without the old grading structure. It’s good to see that Ms Brandsberg is gaining so much inspiration by Daniel Pink and his books. I’m sure that this will help us through our final year of school and improve the overall class environment.
ReplyDeletePs: Ms Brandsberg are you planning to read any other books by Daniel Pink? If yes which ones?
By Leonard Gorbach