Thoughts on Student Motivation
Dan Pink delivered an interesting talk on motivation and the problems associated with extrinsic motivation. According to Pink, research has shown that certain sorts of extrinsic incentives or what Pink refers to as “contingent motivators” actually dull thinking and stifle creativity. Even though the scientific research conducted over the past forty years seems to support this theory, much of the business world, on the other hand, is unwilling to incorporate these findings into the structures it uses to manage people. According to Pink, “What’s alarming is that our...
Read MoreCritical Thinking and Social Media Technology
With the emergence of social media technology in the classroom, teachers are finding innovative ways to promote student learning. As educators become more sophisticated in terms of utilizing Internet and mobile-based technologies to share information, they are taking advantage of new and exciting opportunities to improve their teaching practice. One particular area of interest to me is the way in which this sort of technology might improve the critical thinking skills of high school students. Perhaps the most difficult task for a high school teacher is promoting critical thinking in the...
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