Of the
two main forms of motivation -- extrinsic and intrinsic -- I focus primarily on
the second kind. Although both are needed to induce people to invest energy in
learning, intrinsic motivation, which is operative when we learn something
primarily because we find the task enjoyable and not because it is useful, is a
more effective and more satisfying way to learn.
The
claim is that if educators invested a fraction of the energy on stimulating the
students' enjoyment of learning that they now spend in trying to transmit
information we could achieve much better results. Literacy, numeracy, or indeed
any other subject matter will be mastered more readily and more thoroughly when
the student becomes able to derive intrinsic rewards from learning. At present,
however, lamentably few students would recognize the idea that learning can be
enjoyable.
demetri on 2009-11-04enjoyment of learning can be a flow state
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