Course curriculum

  • 1

    Our Motivation Crisis

  • 2

    The (Many) Problems with Incentives and Extrinsic Motivators

    • Chips for Pizza

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Incentives Undermine Intrinsic Motivation

    • Incentives Diminish Learning and Performance

    • Incentives Suppress the Use of Other Strategies

    • Incentives Lower Moral Reasoning and Academic Engagement

    • Incentives Damage Relationships and Morale

    • Why Are They So Hard to Let Go Of?

    • FAQ: But My School Uses PBIS....

    • FAQ: Does This Mean No More Parties or Celebrations in School? (Heck no!)

    • FAQ: What About Students With "Special Needs"?

    • FAQ: Don't Incentives Get Kids Ready for the World of Work?

    • Reflect: What Seems Important?
  • 3

    Intrinsic Motivation

    • What Do We Do Instead?

    • Thought Exercise (Part 1): A Personal Example

    • Six Intrinsic Motivators: Introduction

    • Autonomy

    • Purpose

    • Competence

    • Belonging

    • Curiosity

    • Fun

    • Six Intrinsic Motivators: Seeing them in Action

    • Thought Exercise (Part 2): A Personal Example

    • Intrinsic Motivation Reflection
  • 4

    Teaching Skills of Self-Management and Self-Motivation

    • What's the Most Important Muscle in a Writer's Body?

    • A Few Important Teacher Mindsets

    • What Are Some of Your Self-Management Strategies?

    • A Bunch of Other Strategies to Teach

    • FAQ: What If Kids Want to Incentivize Themselves? Is That a Good Strategy?

    • The Importance of Teaching (Not Just Telling)

    • Effective Modeling

    • Getting Students Started

    • Eliciting Ideas from Students

    • Fishbowl

    • What Will You Try?
  • 5

    Making the Shift

    • Change is a Prerequisite to Growth

    • Chips for Pizza: How I Changed

    • A Few More Ideas

    • What Change Will You Make?
  • 6

    Conclusion

    • Conclusion

    • Some More Resources...

    • Before You Go, Help Me Improve this Course

Meet Your Instructor

Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson has been an educator for more than 25 years. A public school teacher for 15 years, he has also taught preschool, coached swim teams, and taught university graduate level classes. He now works as a consultant providing professional learning for teachers throughout the US and beyond. In 2004, Mike was awarded a national Milken Educator Award, and in 2005 he was a finalist for NH Teacher of the Year. In 2020, he was awarded the Outstanding Educational Leader Award by NHASCD for his work as a consultant. Mike has written many books about great teaching and learning, including Tackling the Motivation Crisis: How to Activate Student Learning Without Behavior Charts, Pizza Parties, or Other Hard-to-Quit Incentive Systems. When not working, Mike can be found hanging with his family, tending his perennial gardens, and searching for new running routes around his home in Durham, NH.

Included in This Course

You’ll explore key ideas, learn practical strategies, and gain helpful resources to help you boost student motivation and engagement in K-12 settings across all content areas.

  • Understand many of the downsides of incentive systems as they're often used in schools

  • Learn about--and learn how to apply--six key intrinsic motivators that can be woven into learning experiences for students

  • See many examples of engaging learning in action across many grade levels and content areas

  • Explore key self-management skills and strategies that you can teach to your students--so they can follow through on their newfound self-motivation

  • Hear how other educators have moved away from using incentive systems in their practice

  • Gain access to a wide array of supportive resources--including many examples of choice plans from many grade levels and content areas

  • When you finish the course, you can print a certificate showing 6 hours of professional learning.

  • You will have access to this course for a year, so you can go back in over and over again.