Business thinker Daniel Pink, author of Drive (2009) and A Whole New Mind (2006), has looked at four decades of scientific research on human motivation and found a mismatch between what science tells us and what organizations actually do. In this interview with Educational Leadership, Pink shares his insights on how schools can create more optimal conditions for learning–and how they can dial up students' own motivation to learn. He highlights the three elements of true motivation–autonomy, mastery, and purpose–and shares his thoughts on traditional reward systems, the difference between compliance and engagement, and the need to pair rigor and playfulness. He also points to an intriguing technique for getting students to surface their own reasons for doing something.

Amy M. Azzam

Teacher engagement and motivation

Student engagement and motivation

Instructional strategies

Assessment and grading

Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink

Overcoming a difficult childhood and extraordinary obstacles–poverty and racial prejudice among them–Maya Angelou went on to make important contributions to literature, the arts, civil rights, and women's rights. In this interview with Educational Leadership, Dr. Angelou shares some thoughts about resilience–how it develops, and how we can instill it in others.

Poverty

Education policy

Diverse classrooms and schools

Whole Child: Healthy

Handle with Care: A Conversation with Maya Angelou

In this interview, David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, explains why so many people overeat. Changing lifestyles promote the constant availability of food and around-the-clock eating. In today's highly processed foods, food companies are able to dial in the exact amount of fat, sugar, and salt that will make people come back for more. We're no longer eating for nutrition or fuel—we're eating for reward. Schools can help rectify this situation by teaching students about good nutrition so they will want to eat foods that will sustain, satisfy, and nourish them.

Finding Our Way Back to Healthy Eating: A Conversation with David A. Kessler

School climate and culture

Achievement gap

Content area:  Language arts

English language learners

Book Review / The Globe's Emigrating Children: Teaching in a Second Language by Kathleen A. Stark (Peter Lang, 2008)

Equity

Author

Amy M. Azzam

About

Expertise

Articles by Amy M.

Motivated to Learn: A Conversation with Daniel Pink

Handle with Care: A Conversation with Maya Angelou

Finding Our Way Back to Healthy Eating: A Conversation with David A. Kessler

Book Review / The Globe's Emigrating Children: Teaching in a Second Language by Kathleen A. Stark (Peter Lang, 2008)

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