I love this Ted Talk and have probably watched it 20 times! The thing I don’t like about it though is that he tells us about what we need in schools, that “creativity is as important as literacy and should be treated with the same status”, but he doesn’t give any examples as to how teachers can do that. I have an idea though– start with Genius Hour and go from there!
If you love the talk then you should also check out his book, The Element-a great read!
Daniel Pink’s book Drive is a fantastic read! I definitely recommend reading it. I think that the information he presents on what really motivates people is super helpful for thinking about motivation in our classrooms too. I also really like his RSA animate–a great video to watch before reading the book! I love what he says about autonomy as a motivator–this is why Genius Hour works–because our students have the autonomy to pick their own inquiry questions!
I am so happy that I was able to find an Alfie Kohn clip of when he was on Oprah!! I think Alfie’s research is really helpful and…I love Oprah–so a double win for me (and you)! Anyway, watch this clip to hear a bit about Kohn’s book Punished by Rewards. I totally agree with his point about finding authentic ways to encourage kids to learn, read, etc instead of relying on rewards. In my opinion, Genius Hour, is indeed one of those student-centred, authentic ways!
Her “You Matter” Tedx Talk is fantastic! I love what she says about the power of noticing and sharing that with your students. A must-watch for teachers. This is where we got the brilliant quote “You are a genius and the world needs your contribution”–a quote that is posted in classrooms all over inspiring kids to find their passions and share with the world. And her book The Passion Based Learning is also very inspiring! We discussed her book during our #GeniusHour chat in May, 2013. You can check out the archive here.
Also, I would love to know–what would you add? Perhaps post the link in the comments so that the rest of us can check it out!