You can lead a horse to water...more thoughts on motivation

I am not sure where I first heard the old English proverb, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." However, I have heard this phrase used by many people in a variety of settings.True, you cannot make someone do something they do not want to do, and, if you have been around a stubborn horse, you know this phrase to be extremely accurate. As an educator, this phrase, however, has always bothered me, most likely, because of the negative connotation of the proverb or the sense of rationalization inherent in the phrase. "Well, I gave the students the information and it is on them to learn the materials. You can lead a horse to water..."

Quite possibly, I may have misunderstood the phrase. I think the proverb has an implied extension, "...you can't make it drink. So, what are you going to do to make it thirsty?" Where does the role of the teacher end, and the role of the student begin, when it comes to creating a thirst for knowledge/skills/effort? At what point does a student take ownership of their own learning/performance? What is the teacher's role in this equation? Having students become self-directed learners is the ultimate goal for teachers. How do we lead students to become self-directed/motivated and take ownership of their learning? Do we truly want them taking complete ownership? The answer is not simple, nor straightforward.

The topic of motivation has been a problem that has fascinated scientists and educators for a long time. In my numerous education classes, this topic has been a focus of many of those education psychology classes. There are numerous thoroughly-researched models of learning and many of these models incorporate some discussion of motivation, i.e., Skinner's "carrot and stick" or Maslow's progression from "Survival to Self-Actualization". Using Maslow's model, if the horse needs to survive, it will drink. Using Skinner's model, have the horse complete a task, with water as the reward, and the horse will most definitely drink. All of these models have always felt incomplete to me.

Previously, in a blog post-http://andrewpoormusic.blogspot.com/2015/05/drive.html, I discussed an important book, Drive by Daniel Pink, which has provided a paradigm shift on this topic for me. In this book, following a lengthy discussion of some of these other models for motivation, Pink presents a series of case studies, which suggest internal motivation is dependent upon three factors: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Autonomy: the ability to control when and how we engage in certain activities is the key to high productivity in those activities. If you have ever worked for a micro-manager you fully understand how these types of leaders kill productivity, innovation, and motivation. Mastery: the pursuit of mastery as an ideal, as well as, attaining mastery of some skill or concept is profoundly gratifying and, consequently, highly motivating for individuals and groups. People will spend insane amounts of time in the pursuit of mastery. How about when we are a beginner? Mastery can seem unattainable when first starting something new, and learning anything in the beginning requires the focus of mastery to be on simple tasks that are built upon newer increasingly more challenging tasks. Mastery is not a comparison to masters of the craft, but, rather, a comparison of yourself to the task in front of you, regardless of how simple the task may seem. Purpose: the "why" in this equation of self-direction, and, the oft used, "Because I said so!" is not usually an effective motivator. Throughout history, masses of people have been motivated to do unbelievable feats when they are passionate about the purpose behind the task. In my opinion, this may be the most important of the three factors because this is the one factor that gives everything else relevance.

As a teacher, we all have had (or will have if you are entering the profession) students we failed to reach. Hopefully, our record of success is greater than the failures. Recently, I had a beginning band student ask to be transferred out of my class. After a discussion with the parents, where I hoped to change their mind and convince the child to continue in my class, I relented and accepted that the child was leaving my class. After all, eight weeks studying an instrument is nowhere enough time to know if this is something she could have succeeded at or will actually learn to enjoy. Throughout my career, these types of situations have always had a profound impact on me. After all, I became a teacher to share a love of music and inspire that love in others. In this case, I have obviously failed. Maybe it is the trumpet player in me, but failure is not a pill I swallow easily. "Well, you can lead a horse to water..." seems like I am throwing up my arms and saying, "I tried, but failed!"

For me, the question is where was the disconnect for this child? Was it my daily instruction as a teacher? My classroom environment? The subject matter? Her parents' commitment to helping her? Was the problem the instrument the child chose to learn? Did I miss one of the three components of motivation outlined by Pink? Did I fail to connect to the child on a personal level? Did I not see the warning signs that she was considering leaving the program sooner?

It can be dangerous for teachers to take these situations too personally. It can also be equally dangerous to rationalize these situations and fail to reflect. Sometimes, the factors driving these situations are truly out of our control. Sometimes, no matter our best efforts, we will not succeed with every student. This is a little truism, nobody told me before I became a teacher, but learned through the years. Where is the line between reflection, acceptance, motivation and personal responsibility? That line is constantly moving based on the community I teach in, school climate, and my personal efforts. Maybe it is the baseball coach in me, but I am proud of my 90% plus batting average of retaining students, so I am not going to rethink my entire curriculum and program for one child. I am, however, spending time considering why this situation has happened. As a teacher, we should all take the time to genuinely reflect in these types of situations. A failure to reflect is a slippery slope for you as a professional and for your program.

A thought to reflect upon: Every child in my music program is motivated on some level because they did not have to choose to be in my class. The child was motivated to make the choice to join my class. If this flame of motivation fails to turn into a fire, what was the reason?

My experience has shown that when a student's motivation reaches such a low point that they chose to leave the study of music, it is for a few primary reasons:

1. A failure to make, or sustain, progress as a musician. (Progress)
2. A failure to feel as though they belong to the musical community, including connection to the teacher. (Connection) 
3. A failure to see the purpose of what studying music can do for themselves. (Relevance)
4.  Distraction from outside forces, i.e., academic, school transient rate, athletic, personal etc...(Other)

When you look at this list, I see three factors that are a direct reflection of me as a teacher (#1-3). One of these reasons is beyond my control (#4). If you are retaining students at a high rate in your program, most likely, you are doing an excellent job in the three areas you can control. I have taught in situations where the outside forces were powerful and, at times, overwhelming for me. In these situations, my focus was on the students in my room and making a deeper investment in the three factors I could control.

Reminder: your classroom should promote an internal drive for your students, which is often counter to the "sticks and carrots" mindset.

• Are you giving students opportunity for autonomy, where appropriate? 
• What are you doing to help your students attain mastery, no matter how small those steps toward mastery may seem? 
• Are you clearly articulating the purpose for what we teach and how the student can benefit from these learning opportunities? 
• How are you helping your students feel connected to your musical community in your classroom? 
• What factors are truly out of your control? 

Learn to accept what you cannot control, and always carefully reflect on the difference.

Some other valuable books to consider:
Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn
Motivated Brain by Gayle Gregory and Martha Kaufeldt
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

I hope you find this information helpful. As always, I appreciate your feedback and comments.

Andy