Intrinsic Motivation?

Today I was among a group of educators who discussed the following question:

What kinds of classroom practices tend to extinguish intrinsic motivation? What kinds of problems might you encounter if you tried to eliminate such practices?

Educators know that intrinsic motivation is the inner desire or motivation to accomplish a task or fulfill an expected behavior. Its role in the learning process is vital because kids come to us with a spark of desire to learn and part of our job as we pass those minds from one classroom to the next is to fan that flame. The greatest teachers are able to pour gasoline on it.

Our supreme desire is to have a room full of students who are eager to be there and gobble up whatever crumbs of wisdom you throw their way. To be frank, it doesn’t happen. Ever. The interesting question there is why? What is it that we do to kids over time that takes away their yearnin’ for learnin’? Some thought that perhaps it was all of the paper-and-pencil activities that we require of students. Lower-level thinking lessons encourage kids to be low-level thinkers. I agree with that. I also think that we reward children for every little thing they do, and that takes away from wanting to do something just because it’s a good thing to do.
“Lawanda brought her permission slip back for the field trip signed. Here’s a piece of candy.”

“Gabe raised his hand to answer a question. Pick something from the treasure chest.”

“Hannah won the review game for our quiz tomorrow. 5 bonus points to Hannah!”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not demonizing rewards, because they do play an important role in motivating students. But too many students today, when asked to complete a task, ask the question “Well, what do I get?” That is when a person’s intrinsic motivation has been tainted and extrinsic motivation supercedes.

Intrinsic Motivation?

Memoirs of a Geisha

Being a firm believer in experiencing a story in the form of its original intent (i.e. if it was first written as a book, I want to read the book), Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden has been on my must-read list for quite some time. Finally I was able to check it off!

I’ll admit, I loved the book because it was so, well, different. At the same time, it’s difficult to blog about because there are so many different topics one could tackle. Gender roles, economics, culture, love, and war are only a few different elements that are vital to this story.

The book is unique in that there is nothing in our American culture with which to compare the geisha of Japan. They aren’t really prostitutes, yet their virginity is given to the highest bidder. This description of a successful geisha’s life was filled to the brim with irony. The girls who are “lucky” enough to become geisha are trapped by their profession while simultaneously are grateful for a means to some degree of independence.

What was incredibly bothersome was that in addition to this being a recounting of the life of a geisha, it was also intended as a love story. Yet, the entire story (including the sprinklings of sexual encounters) had nothing whatsoever to do with love. There was no talk of love, no mention of the word. Chiyo/Sayuri (the main character) never mentions love at all, neither in relation to her family nor to the men for whom she grows to have strong feelings.

It makes me wonder whether people are taught to love or whether they have the ability to do so inherently. In our culture people talk of love from the time our babies are newborns. By the age of 5, kids know even that there are different types of love. Would they know these things without our lavishing it upon them? Something to think about…


*April 7, 2006 addition: I finally watched the movie! While the theatrical presentation deviated from the original manuscript, it was still a pretty good represention. It actually helped me understand the life of a geisha a little more. I will concede this: the movie version does a better job of contrasting the Japanese and American cultures in the 1930's. I found myself wishing the people of our country were as graceful and dignified as the Japanese people. Still, I maintain that you should definitely read the book before watching the movie!

Memoirs of a Geisha

How and Why

Being involved in an intricate web of book-lovers, the best of what we encounter is always passed on to another who will appreciate it. Recently a pal sent me A Child Called It by David Pelzer as one of these note-worthy books.

On second thought, “note-worthy” does not even begin to describe this childlike description of what turned out to be one of the worst child abuse cases in California history. Thankfully, Pelzer begins the book by revealing that there was indeed a happy ending. Otherwise, the heart-wrenching experience of reading about what happened to this poor innocent human being would have been even more frightful. Pelzer describes, in horrific detail, the abuse he experienced growing up. My knowledge of child abuse is limited (though assuredly existent-have I ever mentioned I teach in a public school?!), but what really got to me was how in the world Pelzer’s mother came up with the tortures she inflicted upon her son… her son, for crying out loud!

I discovered that there are 2 additional parts that make up Dave Pelzer’s trilogy, and they have just been bumped to the top of my “To Read” list! While I was content knowing that Pelzer survived and was eventually removed from his home, there are unanswered questions burning in my mind.

-Out of 5 sons, why did his mother abuse him alone?

-Where is the mother now? Does he have a relationship with her? What about his father and all his brothers, the ones who were hateful to him as well?

-Has he ever gone back to tell Shirley (his mother’s friend that was apparently the only person to confront her about her treatment of David) what happened?

-What kind of therapy does one have to undergo to get past such experience?

-How has this affected him in his adult life, specifically in his role as father.

-This may seem off the subject, but I noticed that in the author profile at the end of the book, Pelzer names his son and even their pets, but mentions his wife only as “my wife.” Why? Is that significant at all?


I am sure that most or all of these concerns will be answered when I read the other 2 books, but for the time being I am left with absolute disgust and wonder over how in the world someone could do this to their child.

How and Why

Crossed

In the news recently, there has been a great deal of coverage concerning the ACLU’s desire for a ban against crosses on federal property per the “establishment of religion” clause in the Constitution of the United States. No matter which side you take on the issue, consider this implication of the ban: supporters feel that librarians who are serving in any public capacity (including school librarians, state-funded academic librarians, public librarians, etc.) should not be permitted to wear crosses or any other religious symbols as personal jewelry.

At face value, this seems to be an absurd demand. How in the world could this group of radicals even begin to think that they have the authority to dictate to me what I can and cannot wear to work?!

However, when you stop to consider that religion does not necessarily equate Christianity (Now, stick with me here.) and that the ban would prevent “advertisement” for every religion, the line between black and white suddenly turns a little gray. Let’s break this down into a situation with an actual individual. Mrs. Paige Turner is an elementary school librarian who is also very devoted worshiper of Buddha. She has a shelf in her office that she bought with her personal money, and on that shelf she has a complete shrine to her god. While students do not frequently visit Mrs. Turner’s office, there are some occasions on which they do so for the purposes of running errands, using the computer and printer, etc.

What Mrs. Paige Turner is doing is (in the eyes of the law) no different from what I am doing every day when I wear my tanzanite cross around my neck. We are both using personal property to bring symbols of our religion into a federal building. Who is right and who is wrong? Can you really say that, legally speaking, I am wrong just because you don’t agree with my beliefs? Can Christians say the same about the Buddhist?

Fortunately, this ban has not come to fruition. However, it just might happen in our lifetimes, and it would be beneficial for us to at least consider the outcome.

Crossed

Teacher Man

I recently finished Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. McCourt is apparently also the author of Pulitzer Prize winner Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis. I don’t know much about those two, but I found Teacher Man to be a compelling autobiography of one random man’s struggle to make a difference in the lives of American teenagers (gasp).

A little slow at times, McCourt takes great liberty with weaving memoirs of his “miserable childhood in Ireland” with absolutely show-stopping classroom moments of brilliance. Aside from the fact that he spent 30 years of his life in public high schools of New York, I find him most admirable for crafting one of the most honest autobiographies I have ever read. Usually the absence of proper punctuation is a source of contention for me, but McCourt’s frank and unapologetic punctuation-free recollections of his experiences ease the reader away from the importance of what is “proper” to content that is meaningful.

Having said that, this book is not really a must-read for every teacher. The use of profanity and occasional graphic descriptions of sexual encounters (McCourt’s position is that teachers do it, too.) will be enough to scare away the classic ultra-conservative educator. Peer through those few oddly inappropriate excerpts and discover McCourt’s secrets of accomplishing the impossible task of catching the attention of teenagers.

As a matter of fact, regardless of your profession, I would highly recommend this to anyone. If and when you read it, chime in with your thoughts!

Teacher Man

Celebrity or Author?

It seems as though one of the hottest new trends in Hollywood at the present moment is celebrities writing children’s books. You haven’t “arrived” until you have written a book. A few stars who have published books include Jason Alexander, Billy Crystal, Michael Jordan, LeAnn Rhimes, Jamie Lee Curtis, Katie Couric, Jerry Seinfeld, Julie Andrews, John Lithgow, Lynne Cheney, Ed Koch (former mayor of New York), Madonna, and Will Smith.

This new fashion statement offends me for a few reasons. First and foremost, for “common people” (i.e. the rest of the world), there is a certain standard of quality that a work of literature must meet before a publisher will even consider it. Sadly, celebrities are not held to the same standards. There are few precious books whose authors appeared to have taken the writing role seriously, but for the most part, celebrity books are uninteresting and poorly crafted. Curiously, the content of the book isn’t even what is publicized, but rather the name of the author.

Still, celebrity works are hot sellers, not because they are well written, but because (and this is the second characteristic of this trend that is bothersome to me) of the name on the cover. Parents who have an attachment to the celebrity purchase the book, but for their children who have no connection whatsoever to these people, the book is not worth the paper on which it is printed. This sends a message to children and adults alike that anyone who is famous can also write books. The opposite is true. Authors are gifted the same way actors or actors are gifted.

The bottom line is: Celebrities, don’t quit your day job.

Celebrity or Author?

Teachers and Technology

In the education profession, I believe that one of our primary responsibilities is to produce people who can make valuable contributions to society. To do this, we have to quip them with skills and knowledge they can use. Reading, writing, history, science, and mathematics are necessary subjects, but there are other important areas that tend to be overlooked.

Technology is one of these areas. In a world driven by technological advances (did you know that- in our society- technology DOUBLES every 17 months?) it would seem as though it would be priority to teach our kids how to use them. There are many standards set that dictate the importance of technology-based instruction, but the problem lies with implementation.

In every school in every state, there are too many teachers who have the attitude that they will never learn how to use these new-fangled tech toys like laptop computers, digital cameras, and PDA’s (palm pilots, etc.), and therefore refuse. Others who are “unable” to install a new printer to their computer or run a simple scan for viruses, so they wait for weeks until someone else will do it for them. Their students also adopt this helpless attitude. Some complain that technology is for younger people, but personally speaking, some of the most technologically-literate individuals I know are middle aged. They had the same opportunities to learn as others, and chose to take advantage of those opportunities. When teachers learn to accept and value the technology that is available to them, and use it, their students will follow suit. In the words of one football player to another in the Disney movie Remember the Titans, “Attitude reflects leadership.”

The bottom line is that, despite the wishes of those who lag behind in technology developments, it isn’t going anywhere. More and more aspects of our daily lives are relying on computer technology, and the failure of these educators to pass along the importance of embracing these advances puts their students at a distinct disadvantage.

Teachers and Technology

The Offensive Third

While in graduate school, I once saw a movie (based on a book, of course!) called The Name of the Rose starring Christian Slater and Sean Connery. Set in Europe in the 14th century, it is the story of two Benedictine monks during the Inquisition who are sent to a monastery to investigate a series of deaths. They discover that the murders are a result of the protection of the monastery’s famous library, which contained a wealth of information on a plethora of subjects.

The collection was guarded at all costs, and the freedom to view the books was limited only to the highest-ranking monk. By controlling access to information, he wielded great power and control.

Cut to present day…

With regard to collection development in libraries, the rule of thumb is that at least a third of your collection should offend you. It is said that if you don’t have a problem with at least 30% of the materials in the library you are managing, you aren’t doing your job. For example, librarians who are card-carrying members of the ACLU should include books about Focus on the Family, an organization notorious for supporting the pro-life movement.

In theory, this seems unquestionable; however, putting theory to practice can be quite difficult when the librarian whose spouse committed suicide struggles with ordering Fixin' To Die: A Compassionate Guide to Committing Suicide or Staying Alive by David Lester. (See review at www.amazon.com.)

Librarians do possess a certain level of power and control because we are gatekeepers of the information to which people have access. When we refrain from selecting certain materials (i.e., those that could be used by readers to harm themselves or others), are we abusing our positions, or are we being responsible citizens?

Another question: should you be the parents of young children in whom you are seeking to instill certain faith-based ideals, would you object to your child having access to books about the practice of witchcraft? (Harry Potter fans, lay off…I’m one of you! Not talking about works of fiction here.)

The Offensive Third

Why Jessie’s Girl? (original name of my blog...many moons ago!)

Apart from mi esposo, the person who has had the most significant impact on my life is my grandmother. She has lived a life of amazing grace and inspiring morality, even as her mind was taken hostage by a disease worse than death itself. As irony would have it, the most cherished gift she has given me is the very same as that which has been taken from her…memories. My recollections of her are filled with, and largely centered upon books. Our special story times created a reader at age three, and took us all over the world together in the adventures of Hoppy, the curious kangaroo and the girls in the Primrose Day crowd. In short, she impressed a respect for the value of the printed word. Any blogs posted on this site will center upon book and education-related themes. I would think that, should she be able, Jessie would have posted messages much like these herself. I would like to think that she would be proud.

Why Jessie’s Girl? (original name of my blog...many moons ago!)