Study suggests that early, intense romantic love may be tightly linked to motivation, reward and "drive" aspects of human behavior:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...031344.htm
Is the neurological signature for a "love of learning" or Csikszentmihalyi's flow experience similar? It is quite likely that it is as these states also involve motivation, reward and "drive"...
What do you think?
All the best,
Christina
Well, I think teachers should become students and practitioners of Love, Arousal, and Surprise. At least, they should recognize the essential tools and techniques required to reach and engage the young (of all ages). As you may be aware, my specialty is with play, specifically puppet play, a form of behavior that uses its antenna-like appendage properties to elicit predictable and uncondtional levels of love, arousal, and surprise in children. If teachers were more aware of tools (and biological examples in nature) that spark instinctive response and receptivity, they would begin to think like brain scientists. Sometimes the process stares us right in the face: imagine a classrom of students all seated in their neat little rows. Through the door saunters a kitten mewing its little heart out. Love, arousal, and surprise (not necessarily in that order) become the principles of the moment, and self-organization reigns, as the class moves in unison toward the door.
Thanks so much for your response. I agree that motivation tends to be marginalized in classrooms and viewed as a "nice extra." However, motivation is a central and necessary component of sustained learning.
In fact, I believe motivation is a poweful predictor of continued success. Should assessments include a motivational measure?
Best,
Christina
Motivation is the direct result of "Emotivation." Positive emotions warm and promote communication and cognition. You can tell when people are motivated, both internally and externally. We have all the assessment tools in the world. What educators seem to lack is their own motivation. There's a lot of talk about dedication, but without the tools and, more important, the innate desire to connect, dedication and the assessment clipboard do no good. Children sit primed but dormant for motivation in spaces that impose control rather than call up and motivate. The trick is to turn classrooms into habitats where movement and communication flow freely, and are more a reflection of children's nature.