Fostering Intrinsic Motivation and Agency Through Positive Classroom Culture - Episode Hero Image

Fostering Intrinsic Motivation and Agency Through Positive Classroom Culture

Music for All Podcast Network · · Listen to Original Episode →
Original Title:

TL;DR

  • Shifting from extrinsic rewards (carrots and sticks) to intrinsic motivation is crucial, as external motivators erode student relationships and agency by making interactions transactional.
  • Cultivating curiosity is paramount, as students naturally possess this trait, but educational systems can inadvertently diminish it, necessitating educators to actively stoke this innate drive.
  • Educators should foster student autonomy, mastery, and purpose, as these are the core drivers of intrinsic motivation, enabling students to take ownership of their learning.
  • The "culture before content" approach emphasizes that while content is non-negotiable, the classroom culture dictates how effectively that content is delivered and absorbed.
  • Trust and inspiration, rather than command and control, should guide educational practices, building strong student-teacher relationships through integrity and demonstrated capability.
  • Empowering students with agency and autonomy, by asking questions and facilitating their problem-solving, leads to deeper engagement and more effective learning than direct instruction.
  • Creativity is a fundamental human capacity that must be nurtured by educators, as it equips students with divergent thinking skills essential for navigating an unpredictable future.

Deep Dive

The core argument is that fostering a positive classroom culture is paramount in music education, acting as the essential foundation for student learning and engagement. This cultural focus, rather than solely on content delivery, is critical because it cultivates intrinsic motivation, curiosity, and a sense of agency in students, ultimately leading to deeper learning and more empowered individuals.

The shift from extrinsic motivators like practice charts and rewards to intrinsic drivers like autonomy, mastery, and purpose has profound second-order implications. When educators rely on external rewards, they create transactional relationships with students, eroding trust and diminishing the students' natural curiosity and desire to learn. This transactional approach can lead to students manipulating systems for rewards rather than engaging with the material for its own sake, as seen with the student who misbehaved to access an iPad. Conversely, by emphasizing intrinsic motivation, educators can foster a genuine love for learning, where students are driven by their own interest and the satisfaction of mastery. This not only improves their engagement in the classroom but also develops critical life skills such as problem-solving, divergent thinking, and empathy, which are essential for navigating an unpredictable future.

Furthermore, the concept of "culture before content" extends to how educators approach instruction and assessment. Instead of a command-and-control model, an approach built on trust and inspiration allows students to develop agency and ownership over their learning. This means asking students questions about their musical performance and allowing them to propose solutions, rather than simply dictating corrections. This participatory approach fosters a deeper understanding and investment in the material. The implication here is that traditional metrics like grades and rankings fail to capture the complexity of student growth and experience. Instead, focusing on the qualitative aspects of the learning environment--how students feel, how they interact, and their perceived improvements--is more indicative of genuine educational success. This cultural foundation allows for the effective delivery of content by creating an environment where students are not only receptive to learning but are actively engaged in the process.

The ultimate takeaway is that educators must intentionally cultivate environments where students feel empowered and trusted. This involves shifting from a teacher-centric model of instruction to one that prioritizes student agency, curiosity, and intrinsic motivation. By focusing on building a strong, positive classroom culture, educators can create the conditions for students to not only learn musical content effectively but also to develop the essential human capacities that will serve them throughout their lives, making them more resilient, creative, and engaged members of society.

Action Items

  • Create a framework for evaluating student motivation: Differentiate between intrinsic drivers (autonomy, mastery, purpose) and extrinsic rewards, and develop strategies to foster the former.
  • Design a classroom culture rubric: Define 3-5 observable behaviors that indicate student agency and ownership, and assess their prevalence across 10-15 class sessions.
  • Implement a "why bother" discussion protocol: For 3-5 core concepts, ask students "why bother" to uncover their intrinsic motivation and connect learning to purpose.
  • Audit teaching methodologies: Identify instances of command-and-control versus trust-and-inspiration approaches in personal practice and adjust for greater student autonomy.
  • Develop student-led inquiry prompts: For 2-3 units, create open-ended questions that encourage students to explore "how they might have done it differently" as composers or creators.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"You know, like, what we needed to make to make everything better so what is I know I'm just curious actually I, you know, I'm just going to start pretty hard and heavy today and that is what is music education like in Wisconsin? You know, what, what are some of the things that maybe your position does or what are some of the impacts that you make or try to make?"

Chris Gleason, in his role as Arts & Creativity Consultant, is asked to describe the state of music education in Wisconsin. This question probes the practical aspects of his position and the tangible effects he aims to achieve within the state's educational system.

"I mean, we're blessed like all the states, I mean, there are amazing teachers every day going to work in not always great conditions who are underfunded, you know, managed with time and being forced into positions where they don't have the resources they really need to meet the needs of the kids."

Chris Gleason highlights the dedication of teachers in Wisconsin despite facing challenges such as underfunding and resource limitations. He expresses pride in their work, acknowledging that they often operate under difficult conditions to serve their students effectively.

"The problem with like the whole cookie thing was now the relationship with my students was transactional. Right? Whenever we say to students, if you do this, then you get that, you're transactional. And so my relationship with those kids was, do move those chairs, wasn't because there was a relationship built, it was because they're going to get something."

Chris Gleason explains how using extrinsic rewards, like cookies, can make the teacher-student relationship transactional. He illustrates that when students perform tasks solely for a reward, the motivation stems from the exchange rather than a genuine connection or intrinsic desire.

"Part of our human capacity is to learn quickly. Like, no one sits down with their young toddler and says, now here's how we're going to talk. Like, here's the book on talking. No, they're naturally curious and they develop language because they're naturally curious."

Chris Gleason emphasizes that curiosity is an innate human trait that drives learning from a very young age. He uses the example of language acquisition in toddlers to show how natural curiosity leads to development without explicit instruction on the process itself.

"The problem is is that as students go through education they can become less curious. Right? I know that because I have two adult children and I've seen this happen with them where, you know, I remember a couple years ago looking at my daughter working and I said, Emma, what are you doing? She said, uh, I'm doing a math worksheet. I said, what's the point of doing the math worksheet? She turned around without batting an eye and said to get it done."

Chris Gleason observes that the educational system can sometimes diminish students' natural curiosity. He shares an anecdote about his daughter, who views completing a math worksheet as the sole objective, indicating a potential shift from intrinsic interest to task completion.

"The secret you said, what's the secret to intrinsic motivation? Autonomy, mastery, and purpose. That's where I was going and I was thinking about this while you were talking because I was just thinking about classrooms and, you know, as an administrator, I have been in hundreds if not, I mean, I don't even know how many classrooms I've walked through and I always thought to myself, so many times I have seen and I'm talking band specifically, so many times I've seen band rooms where the band directors are doing all the work and the kids do not have autonomy."

Chris Gleason identifies autonomy, mastery, and purpose as the key components of intrinsic motivation. He connects this to classroom dynamics, noting that in many band rooms, directors do the majority of the work, limiting students' sense of autonomy.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Trust and Inspire" by Stephen Covey - Mentioned as a source for understanding the principles of trust and inspiration in leadership.
  • "The Element" by Ken Robinson - Mentioned as a book that changed the author's perspective on understanding and interacting with children, focusing on their inherent gifts and potential.

Articles & Papers

  • "Lighting a Fire in Kids" (TED Talk) by Chris Gleason - Mentioned as a personal TED Talk that shares experiences as a teacher, focusing on intrinsic motivation, cultivating curiosity, and making connections.
  • "Creativity and the Arts in Education" (Task Force Report) - Mentioned as a document that resulted from Ken Robinson's involvement in a task force in Wisconsin discussing the value of creativity.

People

  • Chris Gleason - Arts & Creativity Consultant at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Executive Director of Beyond The Notes Music Festival, and former middle school band director.
  • David Duarte - Host of the "Music for All Podcast Network" and "Culture Before Content" podcast.
  • Mr. Greg Gustaffson - Mentioned as a listener who commented on Chris Gleason's "ungrading talk."
  • Bob - Father of a student named David, who was involved in a practice chart incident.
  • Betty - A student who told Chris Gleason to "eff off" during his first year of teaching.
  • Emma - The author's adult daughter, who was observed doing a math worksheet.
  • Mcgonigal - A town in Wisconsin, used as a reference point for Chris Gleason's early career goal.
  • Peter Haberman - Mentioned as a clinician whose methods Chris Gleason observed.
  • Aaron Cole - Mentioned as a clinician who will teach flute at the "Building Better Bands" session.
  • Rachel Maxwell - Mentioned as a clinician who will work with an ensemble at the "Building Better Bands" session.
  • Craig Kirkoff - Mentioned as a clinician who will conduct "Art of the Wind" sessions.
  • Dave Koons - Mentioned as a guest (episode 19) and pedagogical expert on music programming.
  • Sir Ken Robinson - Mentioned for his TED Talks on creativity and education, and his book "The Element."
  • Dr. Peter Gamwell - Mentioned as a close friend of Ken Robinson who discussed creativity.
  • Marie Douglas - Mentioned as an artist who created a piece for the Wisconsin Celebration Project.
  • Weston Noble - Mentioned as a conductor at Luther College Band Camp who inspired the author with a lesson on listening for the "heartbeat" in music.
  • Paul Ryan - Former Speaker of the House from Wisconsin, who shared a memory about a teacher impacting his confidence.
  • Erica Savano - Mentioned as having created a new grade 1-5 piece for free on a website.

Organizations & Institutions

  • Music for All Podcast Network - The network presenting the podcast.
  • Yamaha - National presenting sponsor of the "Music for All" and "Culture Before Content" podcast.
  • Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction - The organization where Chris Gleason serves as Arts & Creativity Consultant.
  • Beyond The Notes Music Festival - A music festival directed by Chris Gleason.
  • Wisconsin Music Educators Association - A nonprofit association mentioned as doing good work in Wisconsin.
  • Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Mentioned in the context of Kevin Cole's past role.
  • New England Patriots - Mentioned as an example team for performance analysis.

Websites & Online Resources

  • musicforall.org/podcast - The website where full audio episodes are archived.
  • btnmusicfestival.com - The website for the Beyond The Notes Music Festival.
  • dpi.wi.gov/find-arts - The website for the Arts and Creativity section of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Other Resources

  • Culture Before Content - The title and central theme of the podcast episode.
  • Commission Possible - A commission project initiated by Chris Gleason, where student ideas drive the creation of new music.
  • Rising Music Educators Program - A program introduced at the festivals to support music education majors.
  • Building Better Bands - A Saturday session at the festivals focused on instrument-specific instruction.
  • Beyond Artless - A podcast hosted by Chris Gleason that features conversations with guests.
  • The Element - A concept discussed in relation to nurturing creativity and finding one's passion.
  • Intrinsic Motivation - A key concept discussed, contrasting with extrinsic motivators.
  • Extrinsic Motivation - Discussed in the context of rewards like cookies and practice charts.
  • Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose - Identified as the secrets to intrinsic motivation.
  • Command and Control - A traditional teaching model contrasted with trust and inspiration.
  • Trust and Inspiration - Presented as an alternative to command and control in education.
  • Self-Improvement - Identified as a great motivator for students.
  • Creativity - Discussed as a capacity within every student that needs to be cultivated.
  • National Standards (Perform, Create, Respond, Connect) - Mentioned in the context of nurturing creativity in classrooms.
  • Divergent Thinking - Highlighted as an important skill for students to develop for the future.
  • Engagement - Proposed as a metric for evaluating education over test scores.
  • Mission and Vision - Emphasized as important for both educators and students to define.
  • Teacher of the Year - Mentioned in the context of recognizing dedicated teachers.

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