Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose

I'm reading Dan Pink's Drive for the second time. I chose this as a summer read for our key administrators because he makes a great case for how motivation works in the 21st century. Many researchers and writers like Pink ranging from  Carol Dweck, Mihaly Csikszentmaihalyi, Howard Gardner, Chip and Dan Heath, Tony Wagner, Malcolm Gladwell, and many others have begun to formulate what I think is an interesting and useful framework of ideas that will help us move forward with educational reform. Central among their ideas is that we must stop thinking about learning and the School in an Industrial Revolution context.

The way motivation is structured, according to Pink, is that we need to have Autonomy (enough freedom to do what needs to be done), Mastery (the skills to do the work), and Purpose (a compelling reason to do it) in order to produce at a high level and to innovate and improve our world. Teachers need all three in place to do great work with kids and it's our responsibility to frame the mission of the School in such a way as to provide the environment where all three can be achieved. 

My greatest hope is that if our teachers have the tools and the drive to pursue excellence relentlessly, they will, in turn, create the same environment for their students. Roland Barth, at a conference I attended years ago,  said that when the flight attendants go through their pre-flight safety instructions they always remind us to put the oxygen masks on ourselves first, and our children second. We, the adults, have to be healthy and mindful so that when our kids need our help we will be ready and able to give it. 

Things to keep in mind.

On another note, I continue my odyssey toward good health (workout number 4 today!). I'm beginning to feel tighter, my pants are a bit looser, and my head is clearer. Becoming less of who I was is feeling very good. 

Less IS more.