Reflections: RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

Video: RSA-Animate: The Surprising Truths about what motivates us 

Screenshot

This video posits some interesting views about motivation that I think challenges my perception about what motivates people. In secondary school, my teachers used to “encourage” class participation and affirm individual effort by rewarding us with a plethora of different candies. Some even went to the extent of “bribing” the class with MacDonald meals.

The video summarizes studies done in MIT and by other institutions and professionals and debunks the myth of the effectiveness of traditional management tactics, which involves rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. It describes a social experiment done by MIT, where individuals were given different amounts of monetary rewards for their ability to accomplish low to high conceptual thinking tasks. The result of which is summed up in this sentence: “Once you get above rudimentary cognitive skill, rewards don’t work that way (produce better results)”. Studies quoted by the video states that the research done in America and in countries, such as India, shows a strange similarities. The people receiving the medium (monetary) reward did no better than those who received low rewards. Higher incentives actually led to worse performance. All in all, the “dangling of the carrot” approach worked for simple, straightforward, algorithmic tasks. But when accomplishing tasks that required conceptual, creative thinking, monetary motivators did not work, thus proving that money is not the single most important motivator for effectiveness at the workplace.

The video then suggests 3 factors that will help motivate individuals to achieve better results at work, in terms of their performance and personal sense of satisfaction. The three factors are as follows:

 Research shows that self –directedness results in deeper engagement in the workforce, which produces better results than what traditional human resource management can accomplish. In the software company, Atlassian, employees are given a certain time every week to work on whatever they wanted, with whoever they wanted. After which they had to share the ideas they came up with at a fun meeting. The pure, undiluted autonomy given to the employees of this company resulted in more new product ideas and software fixes than could ever be imagined in the stifling work cubicles.

       Humans have the urge to get better at stuff through practice. It is highly irrational that people spend their work-free weekends practicing musical instruments which do not add to their income. However, people are willing to do it because it is fun and satisfying to them. The video lists out several business who started by people who were willing to do things for free, putting their high level thinking skills to produce services and products that will earn them nothing. The narrator discusses how this strange economic behavior exemplifies how the desire for mastery is part of human desire. When profit motive gets unmoored from the purpose motive (desire for mastery) then the workplace become uninspiring – producing bad services, lame products and may even cause people to do morally compromising things. On the other hand, successful companies are animated by purpose; individuals who are adequately challenged by a desire for mastery.

Implications for the Classroom:

- Self-directedness as an essential skill developed in the classroom.

- Students need to find their purpose and meaning in what they do in class, with the help of the teacher.

- Students can and desire to master content knowledge and skills, but how to help them to achieve mastery? By understanding how educational techniques and issues of psychology such as Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development is integral to the processes of mastery.

- If money is not the most important motivating factor in the workplace, and superficial rewards like sweets in the classroom, then what alternative forms of reward and affirmation should be used to encourage students to learn? Note to self: food for thought.

TED talks: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html?qtwh=true&utm_expid=166907-14&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com.sg%2F

Food for thought: Some points made by Sir Ken Robinson

• His main contention: Creativity is as important as literacy!
• "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original"
• Mistakes are constantly stigmatized in school and this form of teaching seems to be educating children end their creative instincts instead of developing them.
• All over the world, the humanities (e.g. dance, arts etc) are not emphasized. As children grow, they are increasingly educated from the waist up, then to the head, and then one side of their heads.
• The purpose of public education, judging from its output, seems to be to produce university professors. Though they are not the high watermark of human achievement, the education system, predicated on the idea of academic ability seems to be driven towards creating disembodied individuals who live within their brains. 
• Public education only came about formally in the 19th century to meet the needs of industrialization. The main objective was to produce the most useful subjects for work. And so children are given benign advice from a young age to stage away from things that they like that will not get them a job in the future (i.e. dance and art). 
• The current education system advocates a protracted process of university entry and emphasizes only on academic ability, which makes highly talented and creative people think they are not, for what they do well is stigmatized.
• Based on UNESCO research, there will be more people graduating with university degrees in this century than in any other century. Degrees are not worth anything now. Jobs that used to require a B.A. now requires and M.A. etc. This is the process of academic inflation.
• 1)There is a need to recognize diverse intelligence
• 2) There is a need to recognize intelligence as dynamic
• 3) There is a need to recognize intelligence as distinct
• Example of Gillian Lynne, now successful choreographer of musicals like Cats and Phantom of the Opera: She used to be mediocre in school. Teachers could not stand her  constant fidgeting and lack of focus. It was when her mother brought her to the doctor's that they realized that Gillian Lynne was a dancer, that she responded to music very well. After enrolling her into dance school, Gillian Lynne went on to be extremely successful as she found herself with like-minded people, people who thought while they moved.
• There is a need to stop mining students' mind like how we mine the earth for commodities, stripping them from creativity. There is a need to reconstruct our understanding of the richness of human capacity. Fundamental principles for education needs to change in order for us to prepare our children to face an uncertain future we probably will never see.

Movie: "Front of the Class"

I used to tutor a kid who had a whole bunch of neurological issues which ranged from bleeding through his nose regularly to Tourette's Syndrome. He struggled very much in school because of low self-esteem and the lack of acceptance and understanding from his peers. When I watched this movie recently, it brought to mind   the struggles that he had and class discussions about differentiated learning for students who excel in different areas and how different forms of assessment can help students realize their fullest academic (and otherwise!) potential.

"Front of the Class" is a based on the book "Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had" by Bard Cohen with Lisa Wysocky. The movie presents the true story of Brad Cohen, who had to overcome the frustrating effects of Tourette's Syndrome and bias judgments of others to become a teacher. Tourette's is characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. It was much harder for him then because no one knew what his condition war; they thought that he was making weird noises all day because he wanted to. His teachers' ignorance created an oppressive environment in which he was constantly punished for not behaving or conforming to the standard behaviour. Distanced from his father, Brad had only his mother and younger brother to depend on. The former never gave up in searching for the scientific reasons behind Brad's behaviour and the latter would stand up physically for him to fight other kids who bullied Brad.

Brad's school life took a different turn when his high-school principal brought him out in front of the whole school and gave him a chance to present his struggles with TS and his desire to be treated with respect and acceptance. This incident changed Brad's life and gave him the vision and determination to become the teacher he never had.

I know that when I eventually go into the classroom, I will encounter students who may have various medical issues. Whether it is ADHD, OCD, TS, anorexia, bulimia, students will come in various forms and sizes and bring along with them a plethora of issues that they are struggling with. Their conditions may make it difficult to focus on their studies, or put them at a disadvantage. How will I manage my own expectations and prejudices and focus on their strengths? How can I provide a safe learning environment where they will be accepted by their peers and teachers? I believe, just like Brad Cohen,  as a teacher, I can be an advocate for my students, to show empathy to those with special needs and appeal to other students and teachers to do the same. Before making any judgments about one student, I need to fully understand their backgrounds and the root of their issues. Brad Cohen had the determination to pull through despite some of the very harsh, unkind comments that his teachers gave and being humiliated in class by his teachers. I pray that I will not be the stumbling block to my students but instead, will help them grow and shine!

QCR523 Posting 1: Purpose of Assessment

From your readings and your classroom discussions and activities, what is one principle of effective assessment that you would define for yourself as a classroom teacher?

As many of my classmates have mentioned, thoughtful assessment is integral to effective instruction in class and vice versa. Teachers should be conscious of the ways in which they and their students develop understandings and assess progress. It is critical to adapt our modes of assessment to target specific knowledge, skills and understandings identified by the curriculum; assessment is an organic component of classroom instruction and the way it is crafted to test for understanding must change to help students develop mastery in any discipline. 

If the purpose of teaching Literature is to produce critical thinkers who can interpret and evaluate language, engaging with texts rationally and affectively, then the assessment of the teaching of Literature should challenge our students in these areas. One personal principle of effective assessment that I would define for myself is to be creative yet realistic in the way I assess students’ understanding of not only literature, but the discipline as a whole. Purves points out that many teachers who craft assessment questions that do not help students tap into the "imaginative power of literary works” (20). Instead, they only require students to memorize facts about plot and character which students can easily acquire by reading online plot summaries or simplified study guides like Sparknotes. He provides a rather comprehensive overarching framework of how literature can be taught and assessed in schools, dividing it into three sub-domains, namely knowledge, practice and preference. What interests me about his framework is his emphasis on teaching and assessing students on their understanding of the literary “aesthetic”. Personally, I agree that it is important for students to develop their personal aesthetic judgement of texts and be able to differentiate, or at least consider the differences between “good” and “bad” literature. However, it is rather difficult to accomplish this in Singapore due to the general lack of a solid reading culture or background, especially in neighbourhood schools. Though schools try to implement Reading periods within the timetable, students often use these time slots to complete homework or read the same novel that they have been reading all along because they cannot be bothered to bring any new books to school! However, I believe if more emphasis and structures are put in place to encourage students to read (perhaps by giving each primary level a list of recommended books), even at the primary school level, it will help students to be more well-read, which will allow teachers at the Secondary school level to do a lot more to expand and test students’ aesthetic judgment and preferences for different texts.


One practical way in which I think I will be able to assess my students’ understanding of Literature is the use portfolios. Not only does it help students take greater ownership of their learning through the management and organisation of their own work. Students can collect all reading , writing or performing assessments that they accomplished throughout the school year. They must not only collect the final pieces of work they submit, but also attach the drafts of all their work so that they can track their own learning and development. Other test data from literature quizzes, short-answer questions can be included in the portfolio, along with the students’ reading records and even their own self-reflections about their growth as a reader, writer and appreciator of the literary arts. The portfolio will be a good tool to also show parents how their children have learnt and for teachers to assess their success in communicating the necessary skills and knowledge required for the students to obtain certain levels of mastery in Literature.

Communication skills E-learning Assignment 2

I think the course has help to create in me an awareness of the intentionality required on my part if I desire to communicate effectively and efficiently in my professional capacity as a teacher. The management of the self is an extremely important in developing the necessary qualities and skills that will help me to succeed in the office as well as in the classroom.

The face-to-face session that I have had thus far is in Spoken Communication. For this module, I have learnt the practicality and relevance of phonetics and acquired a basic understanding of how they operate and how I can use them to learn and correct my own pronunciation, should I ever be in doubt. Thinking back on my secondary school days when I used to giggle and laugh at teachers who mispronounce their words makes me feel rather apprehensive about making the same mistakes myself. But at least the module has armed me when the relevant information I need to prevent myself from making such mistakes in the future and thus in that aspect, the module has been very useful.

This session has also given me the opportunity to practice public speaking. By practicing for the oral presentation, it became apparent to me how much skill is needed if one wants to become a good speaker. While it seems to come easy and even natural for some, for most people, practice really does help one to perfect speech in terms of succinctness and accuracy. The oral presentation has helped me become more confident in speaking publicly before an audience. It has also humbled me as the process of recording my own oral presentation revealed both my strengths and flaws. More importantly, the assessment component has forced me to become aware of my own speaking habits which are essential to my improvement in this area.

The online modules, Written Communication and Vocal Health, have been very useful as well. The content for these two modules are extremely relevant in the working context. As I will have to communicate with various individuals in my course of work, it is essential that I acquire skills to help me communicate well with others. Unlike spoken communication where the tone and body language will help minimize misunderstandings, written communication delivers messages in a less dynamic and immediate way. As such, the various practices, such as writing emails and formal letters, have help me become more aware of the different conventions required in writing the different forms and the importance of abiding by them to prevent misunderstandings.

The Vocal health module is also relevant as it has direct effect on my personal health. In my course of study, I have seen teachers who overstretched themselves physically, especially vocally, and how that impacts their teaching careers. The module has provided very practical tips on how to avoid overstretching one’s voice, the maintenance and preservation of one’s voice and how to control the environment of the classroom to facilitate voice projection, which are extremely important if I want to pursue a long, fruitful and healthy professional career as a teacher.

I look forward to completing the other components in this Communications module and apply the theories and practices in my capacity as a teacher in the near future.

Totto-Chan: A reflection

My family went to Genting over a weekend some time ago. I was extremely excited to leave the country, even if it was just to Malaysia. Sitting on the luxury coach, reading Life of Pi, blasting Korean pop songs in my ears was extremely relaxing. On the way there, I was observing how 3 mothers (who seemed to be sisters) were handling their young children in the bus. The fathers were relatively quiet through the trip as they were resting. But the mothers kept on repeating the same phrase over and over again in response to their children’s behavior. “SIT DOWN!,” they kept screaming.

When we arrived at the base of the hill on which the resort was on, one of the little boys, probably 4 years old, looked out the bus windows and made an extremely astute observance. He said, “Mummy, look! There’s smoke in the air. There’s smoke on the mountain.” The mother looked at him nonchalantly and said, “SIT DOWN!” For a moment there, I was quite amused and stunned. If my son (if I should ever have one in the future), makes such an astute scientific observation, I will probably respond to him by affirming him for making a good observation, then find some way to guide him to understanding that the white clouds are not smoke, but fog.

It seems to me that education has been mostly confined in the classroom. Whatever happened to the knowledge and skills impartation that should be done in the home? Perhaps the mother’s response is a manifestation of what sterile education can do to a person’s ability to respond with interest and excitement to what he or she observes in the daily routines of life.

Just as I started NIE, I started to re-read Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window and have discovered new joy and passion from devouring its pages. It is beautiful how the parents of Totto-chan were so supportive of her growth, never condemning her for what she could not do, but rather found her a place where she could blossom and grow into her own. The school is an amazing place. If I should ever get the chance to see it, I probably would not be able to forget it. Tomoe Gakuen develops each child into his or her unique potential. The headmaster, Sosaku Kobayashi, ensures that there is a luxury of time and space to allowing every child, regardless of their perceived disabilities, to develop at his or her own pace. He understands the different needs of the children, their unique personalities, dreams and ambitions, family background, strengths and weaknesses, and finds a way to cater to their needs and at the same time, challenge them. The children revel in the joy of learning through exploration, whether it is through fieldtrips, sowing rice, climbing trees or playing in the brook.

What is most appealing to me is that even though the school represents an ideal model that perhaps can no longer be completely replicated in our modern world today, there is so much to be learnt from the style in which Tomoe Gakuen was run. The headmaster’s style of teaching is extremely simple yet methodical and thoughtful. Sosaku Kobayashi adopts an unconventional approach to education and is consistently innovative in the way he responds to the children.

Some thoughts that I had after reading the book:

Can we accept that our students are different, unique? Can we plan our lesson to meet the students at the physically, emotional, mentally, social and moral level at which they are at without labeling or shortchanging them just because we think that their abilities are limited? Can we remain calm in the face of the various unexpected and unpredictable challenges our students will give us? Some students like Totto-chan will dig out (pardon the language) s*** when they attempt to test boundaries, try new things and new ways of doing things. As teachers, will we remain calm and creative, allowing and guiding the student to, eventually, put all the s*** back into the manhole from which it came? (That episode is too funny to be erased from my memory) Can we help students to understand their social and civic responsibilities through creative ways and not forcefeeding them values which we ourselves, as teachers, cannot model (Students of Tomoe Gakuen do not vandalize because they are given the curriculum time to draw on the wooden floors of their hall. Afterwhich the difficult cleaning process makes them aware of how vandalism can create great problems for others).  Even though Tomoe Gakuen is an ideal, and not everyone can be a Sosaku Kobayashi, can we be brilliant in our own ways through innovation and practice?

My Reading Biography (16th September 2012)

Andrea's Reading Biography

 

I enjoyed reading as a young child and my mother always credited herself for that. Because I am the oldest child, she had the luxury of time to read to me and that, perhaps, helped inculcate a love for reading in me. On top of that, my older cousin was a voracious reader and thankfully, I inherited many of his books which definitely helped expand the scope of my reading.

In my primary school days, I would spend time after school reading and re-reading many of my favorites, such as The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Esio Trot, The Twits and The BFGby Roald Dahl, as well as the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The Little House series was, and is, and will always be one of my all-time favorite; after reading each book, I would revel in my own fantasies of running free on the prairie as Laura did, or chasing gophers, or helping Pa build the log cabin or Ma do chores around the house. I also enjoyed reading Enid Blyton, though I was largely unconscious of the many racist representations in characterization, the Bookworm Club series, as well as a couple of stories by Great Illustrated Classics, such as the The Time Machine, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Fall of the House of Usher, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Three Musketeers, Oliver Twist, Little Woman and Secret Garden. The strangeness of stories such as The Time Machine really affected me though I was too young to articulate or understand why I felt the way that I did; I was enthralled yet disturbed by the utopian/dystopian/ Gothic themes. Perhaps that is why I felt so “enlightened” when I studied Paper 4: Imagining Other Worlds in Junior College where I finally understood the significance of those texts and their thematic concerns. Apart from fiction, I really enjoyed reading encyclopedias or collections of factual knowledge about anything and everything! The love for facts and history is probably influenced by my father, who used to work onboard a ship where he did mechanical and engineering work. Because he traveled the world and experienced so many cultures, my father always got amazing stories to tell of people, history, culture and even food! Even though my parents were not conscious of influencing my reading interests and are not really aware of the English literary canon, I am thankful that in their small ways, they helped to develop a positive perspective in me towards the act of reading and learning. (Other books read during this period include books based on popular TV series such as Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed etc.)

In secondary school, I began reading more comics such as The Archie comic series and some popular Japanese manga.  More serious reading would include The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah etc. Self-help books also became one of my favorites because secondary school days were a period where I was struggling to fit in, to cope with my studies, make friends and keep them.

It was only in Junior College where I really enjoyed and understood the mechanics behind reading. We studied poetry and prose by Edgar Allen Poe, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and a whole range of other authors and works. Studying literature in university further expanded the scope of my reading across genres and time periods. My overseas exchange experience also allowed me to come into contact with Canadian literature. Overall, my reading journey is still expanding bit by bit as I grow in understanding of the intricacies of learning and reading literature.