In his Ted Talk, Daniel Pink, a career analyst, examines the puzzle of motivation. He discusses topics such as incentives and work ethic, facing problems, and maybe, a way forward in the workplace. Pink’s discussion on motivation is not just a scenario for the workplace. The ideas he discusses could be the solution to student and teacher motivation and reform in education. Three ideas Daniel Pink discusses in his presentation which can be applied to school leadership are the candlestick problem, incentives, and intrinsic motivation.
The first idea Daniel Pink discusses in his Ted Talk is the “candlestick problem.” Pink shows the audience a picture of a candle, a box of tacks, and a sleeve of matches. Pink then discusses how different people …show more content…
Pink states, “Workers don’t work harder or better even if there is an incentive; they actually work less and the outcome is less favorable” (Ted Talk, 2009). Unfortunately, this idea was the case for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school reform. “The law stipulated that schools must show improving student achievement on standardized tests until not a single student failed to demonstrate proficiency, and it outlined a series of increasingly punitive penalties and sanctions for schools that were unable to do so” (Dufour and Marzano, pg. 12). Keeping Pink’s idea of incentives in mind, it is no surprise that “NCLB had not only failed to improve schools but had damaged them” (Dufour and Marzano, pg. 12). For a positive school reform to take place, it is perhaps a better idea to leave the penalties and sanctions out of the reform. Better yet, a school reform plan should be placed in the hands of educators (and certain politicians) who are not simply creating a reform based on incentives. Also, it is certainly beneficial for each individual school leadership team to consider what is best for their particular school, and student success, and do these things because they matter. To add to his idea of incentives, Daniel Pink discusses the idea of intrinsic motivation as he ends his …show more content…
Educators and politicians are faced with “improving student success.” However, student success and school reform have been viewed in the same manor for the last few generations and nothing has changed. Educators and politicians need to look at the problem from a different angle; perhaps school reform will have a positive outcome. A problem with the planning and implementation of school reform are the incentives and punishments often associated with reform. Educators and politicians need to take incentives out of the equation and make changes because they are needed and because these changes
The first idea Daniel Pink discusses in his Ted Talk is the “candlestick problem.” Pink shows the audience a picture of a candle, a box of tacks, and a sleeve of matches. Pink then discusses how different people …show more content…
Pink states, “Workers don’t work harder or better even if there is an incentive; they actually work less and the outcome is less favorable” (Ted Talk, 2009). Unfortunately, this idea was the case for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) school reform. “The law stipulated that schools must show improving student achievement on standardized tests until not a single student failed to demonstrate proficiency, and it outlined a series of increasingly punitive penalties and sanctions for schools that were unable to do so” (Dufour and Marzano, pg. 12). Keeping Pink’s idea of incentives in mind, it is no surprise that “NCLB had not only failed to improve schools but had damaged them” (Dufour and Marzano, pg. 12). For a positive school reform to take place, it is perhaps a better idea to leave the penalties and sanctions out of the reform. Better yet, a school reform plan should be placed in the hands of educators (and certain politicians) who are not simply creating a reform based on incentives. Also, it is certainly beneficial for each individual school leadership team to consider what is best for their particular school, and student success, and do these things because they matter. To add to his idea of incentives, Daniel Pink discusses the idea of intrinsic motivation as he ends his …show more content…
Educators and politicians are faced with “improving student success.” However, student success and school reform have been viewed in the same manor for the last few generations and nothing has changed. Educators and politicians need to look at the problem from a different angle; perhaps school reform will have a positive outcome. A problem with the planning and implementation of school reform are the incentives and punishments often associated with reform. Educators and politicians need to take incentives out of the equation and make changes because they are needed and because these changes