Wow!!! I really didn't expect to like Dan Pink's video, Puzzle of Motivation. When I started watching it, I was tired, ready to go to bed and zero motivated to continue with my masters homework. Boy was I surprised. I started watching it lying in bed, but as minutes went by I sat down and really started paying more and more attention. Dan is so right. I grew up always being offered a reward in exchange of my best performance and I guess I was that kind of kid that wanted to get the reward rather than the satisfaction of accomplishing something greater. This TED talk took me back about 9 years, when I was working at a Starbucks coffee. I was 21 and working day and night to get myself through college. Mornings at the store where always hectic but there always was a time of the month were all baristas went all the way in our performance. SNAP SHOTS!!! It meant that for a whole week we would have undercover costumers visit us and grade our stores, skills, cleanness, attitude, performance, costumer service, etc. It was a life and death situation because a bad grade would automatically give a warning to all staff members, but a set of three 100% would give a BONUS!!! $3000 MX each!!! OMG we would work our a**es off during that week, most of us really needed the money but I remember thinking how sad that after that week, most of us would go back to our same old routine (not being as aware of every detail). We just worked very hard during that week because we knew that our gratification was worthy, but thinking about it, it was our obligation, written in our job description, to perform our best all the time. That is a trademark as a Starbucks barista. OK OK, know that being said, and going forward 9 years, I find myself in a kindergarten classroom rewarding kids behavior many times a day. Shoking but true. If they behave their best during morning meeting and calendar, I add 2 minutes to their recess. If they line up correctly and quietly I give them an extra minute, and if they clean up the classroom and make sure everything is tidy I give them another 2 minutes. So I see how they try their hardest everyday to earn those extra 5 minutes and I also have to admit that behavior that is contrary to the expected will take minutes away from their recess. As Daniel was saying at the beginning of his TED talk, rewarding people on their tasks, will dull thinking and block creativity. Of course this has not been my intention but I have not been very creative myself and I have allow them to believe that what is an expectation from them in the class will always receive a reward. I believe that as a teacher, working with children in a International School I should work hard on motivating them to be creative, to be critical thinkers and also problem solvers. I need to teach them to reward themselves by feeling proud of their accomplishments, to always have the desire to do something because it is important to them and whatever is the result (could be a positive or negative outcome) is their reward. They reward themselves by feeling proud of their work, their own accomplishments. I hope to be able to learn how to change my primitive thinking on always expecting to receive or give something in exchange and teach my student to feel proud of their work without anyone giving them any gratification, only a big smile!
#PA3a
I leave this video for you guys to enjoy. It makes me laugh so hard, and it has a little bit of reward in it!
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