Accountability Principles for Teachers

by Don Harkey

I am a geek. There I said it. I'm a geek and that is OK. I am a big fan of the scientific method. You establish a hypothesis and try to prove it wrong. If you can prove it wrong, you need a new hypothesis. A lot of knowledge can be pulled from this method. If the laws of gravity don't work the same in Las Vegas (because what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas), there is something about gravity that we don't quite understand yet. Studying gravity in Vegas would be very beneficial.

The same is true for behavioral theory. If a principle applies in one place but not in another, it is very beneficial to study the exception to the rule to find out why it is so.

There has been some interest in applying some of the motivational theory we have been discussing to the classroom. Its an interesting exercise! Let's see if it fits.

The basics of the theory is that motivation is driven from the fulfillment of 3 basic needs; Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness (use the acronym CAR to think of "driving" motivation). The theory also states that there are different levels of motivation. It could be said that a person is either motivated or not motivated based on whether they do something or don't do something. However, we all know that we sometimes do things for which we are barely motivated and sometimes we do things where we are very motivated. This means that we can be demotivated by something and still do it (although begrudgingly).

The "levels" of motivation can be easily understood by thinking about ways to get someone to do something. Here are some of the levels...

- Amotivation - A person does not feel like they can do something, they feel like it is outside of their control, or they feel like they don't relate to the task. Consequently, they don't do it.

- Reward/Punish - If I were to hold a gun to your head and ask for your wallet, you would likely be motivated to give me the wallet. However, would you feel good about it? What happens when I go away? The same is true if I offered you a piece of candy to wash my car. You might do it, but once the candy is gone, would you still do it? This is the lowest form of motivation because it not driven by the task itself, but by some "extrinsic" form that might be taken away. By the way, compensation (salary) falls into this category.

- Pride/Shame - A clever person can "guilt" or "pride" someone into doing something. I might ask for your help on a project because you are the "only one who can do this right" (pride). I might ask you to help me move because "I don't have any other friends who will do it and I don't know where else to go" (guilt).

- Identification - What if I can convince you that what you are doing is important? I might ask you to help volunteer for a church program after showing you all of the great things the program does for the community. You might see the value in the task and be motivated to help out.

- Integration - Sometimes you don't need anyone else to motivate you to do something. If you hear music in your head all day long, it is completely natural for you to want to learn how to play an instrument. If you feel like a task is part of your Core Purpose, you will do naturally do it.

The pattern that you might see in these increasingly effective forms of motivation is that motivation is best when it is driven internally rather than externally. This is really important because there might be multiple reasons to do something and you want people to focus on the reason that is more motivating. What do I mean?

I once lost my wallet and a neighbor found it. The neighbor called me to return the wallet and when we met, he was clearly proud that he was doing the right thing. He has a true look of satisfaction on his face until I went to hand him a $20 bill. He was completely deflated. What had happened?

The man had decided to return the wallet because it fit with a value system which he saw as important. When I tried to give him a reward, his motivation shifted from internal to external. I robbed him of his internal motivation. This happens frequently at work where you are payed to show up. When you start working for bonuses or pay increases, you will find that you won't enjoy your job nearly as much. If you were paid double, would you really do your job differently? (I know, let's try it and find out!)

Apply this to students in a classroom. The "best" students are the ones who truly see value in what they are learning. The next "best" students are the ones who see school as a means to an end. Further down the motivation line are the students who feel embarrassed or feel great pride in their grades. Still further down in the motivation spectrum are students who are threatened if they get bad grades and are rewarded if they get good grades. Finally, there are students who simply don't see the purpose of school at all and don't put any effort down.

Students in kindergarten probably don't have a lot of "vision" for the future. They might enjoy some of the things they are learning, but they often won't understand the value of everything they need to learn. They probably aren't thinking about their "permanent record" or getting into a good college. Kindergarten students are often motivated by pride/shame or by reward/punishment. Is this OK?

I think that this is OK for awhile. If we think about education as a long term process, one of the goals of educators should be to help students see the value in learning. I think any teacher would agree with this. The reason this is important is that kids who see the value in learning become adults who see the value in learning (whether it is learning a craft or learning theory). These are the adults who ask questions, get answers, and push the envelope. These are the professionals in our society who innovate and create great value.

Since many kids (and many adults) are not in the highest phases of motivation, it is OK to use the lower phases in the short term. I certainly punish my kids when they do something wrong. However, it is important for the long term to teach "why". It is also important, once a child (or adult) starts to operate in the upper levels of motivation, not to distract them with rewards or threats or pride or shame. Recognition for a developing student (or adult) is very important in that it confirms their vision of what is important. If the recognition itself becomes the driver, it becomes less motivational.

I would say that this motivational theory applies very well to students and teachers whether they are adults or children. It is important to remember that children have less feelings of competence (which can be broken up into strengths, confidence, and experience). Small victories go a long way in gaining momentum up the motivational ladder.

I hope this helps my teacher friends out there! I like to think of management and teaching as cousin professions. They both work to develop people and they both have a huge impact on people's lives!

(NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC - FEAR)