I rarely recommend video lectures because I prefer to read than to watch most presenters, but I found this TED lecture by Daniel Pink to be well worth my time. While he is addressing his points to business, they are also relevant to education.
He says: “There is a mismatch between what science knows and what business does.” Research shows that if a problem may be solved mechanically, by following instructions, rewards motivate workers to better performance, but when a problem requires creativity, rewards instead degrade performance.
To apply this to education, if we believe that students learn mechanically and by following instructions, then rewards may motivate them. If not, if we believe that that learning is a creative act, then we must take serious note of this research and change our pedagogical processes accordingly.
