Intrinsic Motivation (IM) & Progressive Education
I recently posted How Progressive is Your School? to highlight our school’s effort to measure just how progressive we are. The discussion centered upon the article by Alfie Cohen and the 8 values (Intrinsic Motivation, Social Justice, Collaboration, Whole Child, Community, Deep Understanding, Active Learning & Taking Kids Seriously) that encompass being more progressive in how we “do” school. I am now doing a series of posts about our learning community’s ideas about each value. We are now discussing one value per month and looking at ways to follow through in making the value even more a part of our culture at HIS.
- How do you build IM when students are not passionate about the subject?
- What does it really feel like to KNOW something?
- How do we build connections to expand lateral thinking?
- How do we enrich students’ lives to give them more interests to get excited about? (Field trips real & virtual, telecollaboration, reading content in classes, current events, blogging)
- Where are most of our students on the “dependent” to “independent” learning continuum?
- How to move them along the continuum?
- How many students are motivated by learning knowledge as opposed to ideas/skills?
- How to develop risk taking?
- Is project-based instruction the only (main) way to develop IM?
- How to develop the skills to be learners today and in future?
- How do 1:1 computers help or hinder IM?
