Ever wish your students were more motivated? If you’re like most of us, you have tried an array of rewards and punishments to motivate kids. There’s only one problem: it doesn’t work. At least it doesn't work well enough. People (yes, even students) aren’t motivated from the outside so rewards and punishments only work to a point. We are internally motivated. That’s why it's essential to engage and inspire students to be motivated to succeed in school (and life.)

If you’re ready to move beyond the reward/punishment model and embrace a whole new way to understand motivation, I encourage you to come back regularly. It’s time to challenge the status quo and create schools and classrooms based on what really motivates behavior.


Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Giving "Tickets" for Appropriate Behavior

Giving kids "tickets" for acting appropriately is part of the "catch them being good" mania that can be found in many schools. Ever wonder what such practices teach our students? Read "Giving 'Tickets' for Appropriate Behavior" to find out what harm I think we are doing.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Focus on School Success

You've heard all the criticism of schools and teachers. Turns out, there are a lot of exemplary schools out there. Read all about it in my post "Focus on School Success."

Saturday, August 13, 2011

If You Think Teachers Are Overpaid.....Just Wait!!!

If you believe Arne Duncan, teachers should earn more money that graduates of Harvey Mudd, whose graduates are ranked as the highest paid! If you believe Arne Duncan, I have some property you might be interested in buying. Read Duncan's disingenuous comments at "If You Think Teachers Are Overpaid....Just Wait!!!"