I thought I knew where I stood on motivation, but I was wrong

A week that's opened my eyes

There is no question that, in virtually all circumstances in which people are doing things in order to get rewards, extrinsic tangible rewards undermine intrinsic motivation – Albert Einstein

He really is the gift that keeps on giving Einstein, isn’t he?

And – as usual – I agree with him.

I think.

Maybe.

Growth – Mr. Motivator

No, not the exercise guy (who, conincidentally, I once joined in a failed Guinness World Record attempt at collective Gangnam Style dancing, but that’s for another time).

The use of rewards and motivation in school settings is a hot topic for debate and, in my fourth year of teaching, I still don’t know exactly where I stand.

Whatever the object of your ideologies, developing an ethos takes time. This can be accelerated by increasing your exposure to other schools, children, teachers, leaders, teaching assistants and even countries, languages and cultures.

And the extent of my exposure?

Two schools at either end of my hometown. I’ve hardly scoured the world of motivation theory.

How, then, can I be expected to have made my mind up?

Well, this week, I think I took a step closer.

Opportunities abound

I’ve been chosen by my headteacher this year to take up a National Professional Qualification (NPQ) in Leading Culture and Behaviour. Go me.

The first step took place this week – a visit to another school to learn about the behaviour plans implemented by others.

A key aspect of the day involved us exploring rewards and motivation. And, interestingly, we were given two very different takes on the matter.

One school favoured extrinsic rewards of all levels – near-instant rewards for small examples of positive behaviour to, quite frankly, extraordinary rewards that may require months of exemplary behaviour to achieve. I’m talking days out to the cinema with ten chosen chums and trips to the local aquarium. I’d never forget a school day like that.

The other offers almost no extrinsic rewards at all. The strength of their behaviour plan is in praise; the preciseness and consistency of the language around this has been the key to their success.

But who has the better system?

Context is everything

Who indeed.

Well, there’s a reason the schools have two very different behaviour plans.

It’s because they’re two very different schools.

One has a far greater need for quickfire celebrations of small moments of positive behaviour. For many of their children, this helps divert them away from more disruptive or distracting behaviours with immediate effect. At the same time, their far grander rewards – days out, movie afternoons, experiences outside school – encourage delayed gratification, forward planning and consistently high standards as well as, above all else, a magical experience.

The other has no such need. Instead, praise is enough to maintain their behaviour standards. Well, they do have a bronze/silver/gold badge on offer for those who keep it up but that’s all.

Originally, I thought I sided with the latter – even after this day out – but I’ve stewed on it through the week and realised there’s no correct answer. The challenges are different so, inevitably, the solutions need to be as well.

Where I feel the first school has won me over more is in the delivery of those ‘bigger’ rewards.

If I was offered the chance to take my friends out of school for a day of fun, I wouldn’t think ‘get in, that’s ten quid saved for each of us’. I wouldn’t hang onto the tickets or a popcorn bag or a squishy toy from the gift shop as the most important part of the day.

I would savour a cherished memory. I’d feel the exhilaration of an exciting, well-earned experience and the joy of sharing it with my closest pals.

This, in my eyes, makes a tangible reward an intrinsic one.  

The more quickfire, extrinsic rewards are useful in helping to manage smaller, more short-term behavioural challenges in a school that benefits greatly from this system. Their purpose is more to help teach the correct behaviours and show the children what these look and feel like.

But, at the top of the tree, they have more intrinsic fulfilment on offer.

In speaking to a member of their team, I learned that this plan has coincided with a dramatic upturn in both behaviour and academic performance over the past 3 years. In fact, for any school, their grades would be considered incredible.

It’s clearly an impactful system for their school.

My aim this year is to help the school I work at develop our behaviour curriculum.

Will I copy this system? No – we aren’t the same school. We have different challenges, different aims and a far fewer staff to help us achieve this. What we develop won’t look the same.

However, this experience has made me think differently about the line between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Do I completely agree with Einstein there?

I think.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Giggles

I baked a sticky ginger cake this week and shared it with my year team. Vitally, it was egg-free as my TA is allergic to the things.

I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. It wasn’t as sticky or gingery as I’d hoped.

She didn’t mind.

In fact, she asked me to marry her afterwards.

She really does make me chuckle. What a joy to share that with such a close colleague. I’m very lucky to have that and I know it.

Gratitude

I think I’m most grateful this week for the opportunity I have to participate in an NPQ. If nothing else, it shows some real faith in me to even be a part of this schoolwide behaviour plan. I’ve heard some people grumble about NPQs but I’m very excited about it. So there.

Shameless plug

Remember, I’m building a copywriting business and blogs/newsletters are such a wonderful way to connect with clients and customers.

Fancy taking advantage of my sweet style? Click here to visit my website.

Here’s a picture of me looking very pleased with myself.