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ellenv's picture

Motivation

It seems that the idea of motivation is really important in the context of education. Teachers/educators/administrators are all motivated to get into the field of education for various reasons (money included). Differing motivations can lead to a variety of outcomes in the classroom, but not all of the success of the classroom can be placed in the hands of the teachers and educators in schools. Every single student enters the classroom with different motivations and these motivations change constantly. I remember a while back some DC public schools started a program where students were paid for getting As. I think this program shifted the idea of motivation in the classroom completely. Success in the classroom is now tied to immediate monetary rewards rather than the possibility of monetary stability in the future job market. If both teachers and students are only motivated in the classroom because of money, I think it will shift the goal of education completely.

 

It would also be interesting to see how such programs would affect the process of judging a teacher's abilities. It might not be that a teacher is incredibly interesting, their students may simply be getting better grades because they are now monetarily motivated to do well in class their overall perception of/motivations in education shift as well.

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