Pages: 164 Price: $23.95 ISBN: 978-1-4166-0423-5
Bob Sullo's Activating the Desire to Learn begins by asking readers to put themselves in the shoes of an individual required to accomplish a task:
Consider your performance when you are "made" to do something. You complete the required task, but you probably don't put forth your best effort. Because personal motivation comes from within–you are motivated from the inside out–when someone "makes" you do something, your goal is to get the other person to leave you alone. External control may lead to compliance, but never inspires you to do your best. (p. 1)
I can't think of a better way to describe the current dilemma in many classrooms across the nation. In an environment of high stakes testing and accountability, teachers struggle to make their classes relevant, fun, and exciting while maintaining a sense of challenge and accomplishment. At the same time, educators push for their students to meet standards and be prepared for life after school. Sullo argues that by using methods of internally motivating students, teachers will accomplish the seemingly impossible and daunting task of activating student's desire to learn.
Imagine a world where educators and students alike accomplish the "tasks of school" in order to meet their own personal goals. There are educational theorists who agree with Sullo's basic premise that individuals are motivated when their basic needs are met and when the motivation comes from within. What makes this book unique is its perfect timing as it emerges in the field of education in the midst of a time of change and inquiry as to how to best meet the needs of all students.
Activating the Desire to Learn is primarily based on William Glasser's development of choice theory and his implementation of internal control psychology. In order to "soften" the reader to the object lessons embedded in the case studies that color this book, Sullo begins his work with a comprehensive overview of internal control psychology, which he believes is essential to implementing internal motivational techniques. Internal control psychology, a modification to Glasser's Choice Theory, posits that behavior is driven solely by five genetic factors, or internal drives: survival, belonging, power, freedom and fun. By addressing a combination of these factors, educators can increase their influence on students because the motivation to demonstrate certain behaviors will be internal to the student and will meet each student's particular needs. This way, educators can also avoid the pitfalls of behavior modification and the application of rewards and punishment in order to achieve desired results.
Following a review of internal control psychology, but before providing case after case of internal control psychology in action, the reader is exposed to a body of evidence and research that illustrates how internal control psychology promotes academic achievement and responsibility amongst students and educators in schools. We learn about how internal control psychology has been implemented in various settings, all with positive results. These examples support the value of internal motivation by showing how it has helped build relationships in schools, foster academic motivation to succeed and facilitate behavioral modification, staff development and effective management styles. Sullo makes a strong case for internal control psychology by citing examples of how and when it can work.
Most of Activating the Desire to Learn is spent reviewing cases where internal motivation was utilized to help meet a particular need in a classroom setting. However, the cases are not limited to the effects of internal motivation on student learning from an academic perspective. For example, Sullo begins his case studies with a story of Pam, an elementary school teacher, who utilizes internal control psychology to provide her students with power and freedom (two of the basic psychological needs) resulting in improved classroom cooperation and a classroom structure that fosters a sense of collaboration and community (p. 40). This example is followed by the story of Jen, an elementary school counselor who is struggling to draw out certain behaviors from one of her counselees, Paul. Until she went to a conference of internal control psychology, Jen used a system of rewards and punishment to "motivate" Paul to behave in certain ways and to work hard in his classes. The result of her attending the conference was a new insight into the value of allowing Paul to be internally motivated. Jen quickly realized that Paul liked to be successful in school and it felt "good" to him. By providing Paul with an idea of how learning was relevant to him, Jen was able to minimize his expectation of reward in exchange for learning and instead Paul became excited about learning on his own.
I was particularly interested in Sullo's story about Linda, a middle school social studies teacher, who was struggling with her curriculum, having to cover the required material. The problem was that Linda, like many teachers, felt that she was allowing students to proceed from her class with a low grade and minimal mastery of the content. Linda decided to implement a competence based learning system. Students were told that they were required to succeed in the class and demonstrate competency before they were allowed to move on. Linda essentially refused to provide students with a grade until they demonstrated mastery in her class. This resulted from her "discomfort with the disconnect that existed between her grading system and the departmental stance that some things were essential to know (p. 72)." Linda's switch to competence based grading sent a strong message to her students that they were required to learn. It also demonstrated the value of relationships that she was capable of building with students because they were assured that their mastery of important concepts was more central to the class than covering the material.
In my role as a school administrator, I am constantly trying to motivate people to behave in certain ways. Whether I am working with adults or children, much of my day revolves around helping people to accomplish their goals by creating systems in the school to remove barriers to their success. When working with students with regards to student discipline, I find that Sullo's example of a high school vice principal, Steve, who used internal control psychology to improve school discipline issues is useful. (p. 146) Steve had viewed his role as an enforcer of rules and disciplinarian. When he made a switch to internal control psychology, Steve was able to get to the root cause of inappropriate behavior and use the experience to teach students how to demonstrate responsible, proactive behavior to meet their needs. By recognizing that all behavior, even inappropriate behavior, is purposeful, Steve was able to reframe his thinking to better meet the needs of the students and help them explore the purposes behind their actions.
Activating the Desire to Learn forces educators to examine their practices through the lens of internal control psychology. The old adage "if it ainŐt broke, donŐt fix it" does not apply to the current state of public education. In an environment neck deep in accountability and an increasingly diverse community base, educators need to "innovate or die." Sullo lays the groundwork for designing necessary innovations in many aspects of schooling, from learning, to leadership. This little book, which can be read in a weekend, provides some valuable insight into practical ways that educators can reframe their thinking to achieve better results from their students and their colleagues.
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