Professor Sharon

100 Day Project – Day 42 – 8:16 p.m.   (If you’re paying attention I skipped Days 40 and 41 over the weekend.)

An interesting internet road happened today:   First my usual email newsletter blast from Child Care Exchange about Creativity.   From there I decided to follow their link to  The 99% website that seems to be about good ideas in the world of business.  But, I really went there because I was fascinated by the article recommended by Child Care Exchange having to do with “Why you can’t buy creativity.”

The article looks at the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the business world.   This is fascinating in my teaching for two reasons: one having to do with beginning college students that I work with in my Study Skills course, and the other with the career those in my early childhood education courses are choosing to pursue.

With Study Skills students, I have to support, teach and figure out a way to help students understand the intrinsic rewards for working hard in college to get to their goals (whatever their career choice will be).  In early childhood, if children are taught only the value of extrinsic rewards: the sticker, the lollypop, the smile from teacher or parent, it’s a bit challenging to think they are going to figure out intrinsic rewards in the blink of an eye once they get to college.

With early childhood students, the reward has more to do with the fact that they won’t get paid what they are worth – at least not in the US.  So, they absolutely need to work with young children for the intrinsic reward and value of that work.

I have to spend my day prepping classes for students who need support sorting out the motivations for their choice of career.   How odd.  I never quite thought of it this way before.   And, so it verifies for me why the struggle to help students see these differences can be so challenging.  Today I’m thinking about motivation.