15

Intrinsic Motivation in a Gift Box

Tom Sawyer was a motivation genius. Masterfully reframing a chore that his aunt obliged him to complete, he was able to engineer the situation in his favor, so that his pals felt compelled to pitch in. He may have been unaware of the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, but his creator, Mark Twain, endowed him with the intuitive instinct to understand how to manipulate his classmates into contributing their time and effort to his assignment. The icing on the cake was that they were willing to part with some of their treasured possessions for the privilege of taking part in the obligation.

In the fence-painting scenario, young Sawyer unwittingly fulfilled the three consequential principles inherent in intrinsic motivation: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Nobody forced the children to join in the painting frenzy. Clearly, their sense of autonomy in making the choice to contribute was an important entry point. There is no better way to experience immediate mastery than in dipping a brush into white paint and watching it spread onto an old fence. It not only looks good, but it feels good. Results are tangible and clearly visible to everybody. Finally, sense of purpose is implicitly tied to covering the fence with white paint. The children had a clear purpose, made their own choices, and received immediate feedback that was consequential.

Motivation is key to learning. Interest is key to motivation. From the Orchid Child point of view, it’s even more personal. Is it safe? Am I safe? If I try, will I look stupid and fail? Interest is situated in the survival construct: “Me Here Now.” If it is about me, where I am this minute, then I will engage. If it’s about you, or something remote over there in some other time … I can’t. My brain will introduce alternative scenarios that will prevent me from engaging. Thorndike was right! Interest revolves around feelings. If I do something and it feels good, I’ll do more of it. If it feels bad … I’m out.

How can teachers motivate children to learn—especially the children who need it most. These are the children who are already a long way behind by the time they get to kindergarten. The learning lag only increases year over year, so that a student who arrives at middle school is more prone to act up, opt out, be disruptive, and eventually drop out.

A neural viewpoint views “lagging gaps” as missing or inadequate structures. So, we focus on growing the structures and then installing the function—math, ELL, science, and so on. Neural educators recognize that all students use kinesthetic, visual, and auditory pathways to take in new information, and that some students use different processing strategies at different times, depending on the context of the learning. In this next section, we apply a neural lens on structures.

Neural Lens on Structures

Children are born with the potential to be consummate learners. As a species we are hard-wired to learn. When neuroscientists look at brain scans of newborns they typically look very similar. Roughly 86 billion neurons make up grey matter material that is essential for the child’s capacity to suckle, bond, reach out, coo, smile, cry, crawl, and. eventually, walk and talk. From birth to age three, huge change is observed. During this timeframe, infants gain more than a million neural connections every second.

One year later, when neuroscientists again look at the FMRI pictures of the same infants, the picture is very changed. Images will show different concentrations of circuits, different arborization patterns for dendrites, variation in number of synapses, and even differences in the physical size of critical structures including the cerebral cortex. Clearly, these changes are effects derived from environmental factors.

It is the job of neurons to communicate. They talk with one another in order to pass on critical information that allows the child engage with the world. In doing so, neuronal firing will form circuits. This circuit formation involves synapses, and occurs in bursts of “synaptogenesis” where social, emotional, and physical interaction with guardians and caregivers establish and amplify the infant’s wiring. It takes a lot of years to arrive at maturation—usually around 25. Thus, children’s brains are formed and grow to maturity in reflection of what goes on in the family and home.

Children arrive into kindergarten classrooms with very different abilities to learn. If all children were “ready” to learn, it would be easy to teach them, and results would be spectacular. But this is far from reality. Most children are not in this space. Recent studies indicate that two-thirds of children enter kindergarten unprepared for the demands that school places on them (101). General education (Gen Ed) classrooms are where these “demands” take place—they look like a one-size to fit all kids. Teachers quickly discover that a lot of kids can’t fit.

Children, who struggle in Gen Ed classrooms, often are constrained by lack of hand-eye coordination skills that are required for simple tasks. They haven’t yet acquired the functional capacity to tie their shoelaces, button their coats, or walk without crashing into other kids or just random furniture. From a learning point of view, these children do not have (i) requisite fine-motor skills to be successful in even the most meager of academic demands that require pencil and paper, or (ii) cognitive skills to know what to do with the pencil and paper for problem solving.

Consequently, some children are “pulled out” of Gen Ed classes and placed into Special Ed classes that seek to increase abilities deemed necessary to catch up. Typically, it’s not a very successful proposition, because it requires a lot more time and effort than the typical IEP intervention can supply. Teachers usually have large caseloads, and children continue to struggle significantly. Sadly, these early lagging Gen Ed “pulled out” kids tend to be the same children that are later “pushed out” of General Education schools, to end up in either “alternative” schools or “juvenile detention”centers to complete their education (10, 45).

Front-line teachers, like occupational therapists (OT), will verify that 30 minutes a week for “specialty” skill building is not nearly enough time. In particular, that short amount of time is not sufficient to see any reduction in opportunity gaps. From a cognitive neuroscience point of view, establishing new circuitry and strengthening the connections requires not only time, but also mental models associated with such a fundamental neural task. Growing new structures and myelinating them requires cognitive rehearsal as well as mental models involved in creating new circuitry. Resource Room teachers are, thus, given an unattainable challenge. It is clear that a short amount of time can never be an effective solution to assist children to pull themselves out of the lagging deficit. Stakes are high in a competitive system where grades are used for moving up. This added stressor militates against these already “lagging” children who tend to fall farther and farther behind.

Individualized Education Program (IEP) culture is pervasive in all schools. Extra resources are provided for lagging children. Children become habituated to being “pulled out” of regular Gen Ed classes and sent to Special Ed classes to practice skills that are lagging. In theory, this is a really positive opportunity that should have consequential outcomes for all concerned. In practice, substantial evidence points to the fact that neither children nor teachers welcome this intrusion in daily classroom life. IEPs can be shunned as a badge of failure. Sensitive children derive anxiety simply from the label. They feel that their ineptitude and failings are broadcast for everyone to see.

Children are constantly comparing themselves to their peers. A level of anxiety and pain thus attach to the motivational connection and impede important work that is much needed, but poorly heeded. That culture of anxious fear with regard to IEPs, test-taking, and cognitive competition is pervasive in schools (102).

What if building cognitive and small-motor skills were presented as a fun “gift” instead of a punishing pull-out? In this next section, we highlight how an ingenious method overturned negative connotations associated with interventions. Tapping into intrinsic motivation in a kindergarten classroom, we report how an OT amplified autonomy, mastery, and purpose to improve self-efficacy, academic outcomes, and small-motor skills. This was a case of Theory into Practice.

Intrinsic as Gift Box

Theory into Practice (TiP) is an important call to action that neural educators use to implement change from the perspective of a neural lens. The following research study highlights immediate results that can be expected when a neuroscience of learning attitude is introduced into schools. Learning should be, and in some cases it can be, a gift. An occupational therapist describes an implementation of a remedial small-motor skills task that literally introduced learning in a neatly wrapped gift box. Her creative intervention utilized all elements of intrinsic motivation.

With this innovative approach, the OT designed, built, and implemented an ideal cognitive, small-motor skills learning experience.

• Children loved it. All children improved significantly in areas that mattered—small-motor acuity, reading, writing, and problem solving
• Teachers loved it. The children were so absorbed in the “play” aspect of the intervention, they didn’t treat the contents of the gift boxes like learning but more like fun
• Guardians loved it. When little Johnny is learning and happy in school, guardians are well pleased with school
• Principals loved it. So did superintendents and administrators, because academic scores improve. The school’s reputation is broadcast near and wide

So, what did she do? How did it work? Is this a strategy that any teacher can borrow for their resource center?

Children in this study didn’t have foundational small-motor skills to do even basic tool manipulation (e.g., pencil and paper). Frustrated by experiencing so many children left behind week after week, Dr. Trummert created gift boxes that contained (i) a small-motor component (e.g., hand-eye coordination), and (ii) an academic component (e.g., cognitive/abstract manipulatives with math and reading). She purposefully aligned her project with state standard requirements for kindergarten, and devised instruments to capture data—pre and post.

Having procured dozens of boxes, she enhanced them with bright-colored gift wrap so that they resembled the real thing—a birthday gift from someone who loves you.

What was inside each gift box was even more authentic. She designed hundreds of simple but challenging math and reading trials that needed small-motor plus cognitive skills to complete. For example, in Figure 15.1, the child sees herself as mama bird and excitedly engages in the mathematics of addition in order to figure out how much food to give baby bird. Then, she practices picking up and holding a tweezers. The objective of moving material with the tweezers in the fulfillment of the operation engages small-motor acuity. Everyone wins. The mama bird is happy. Baby bird gets food. And the tweezers operator improves small-motor operation, while manipulating several numbers in working memory to solve the “how much food” problem. This cognitive load engages all lobes of the brain in the implementation of the task. What fun! Over time and with weekly cognitive rehearsal, the children grew important neural structures and myelinated them so that their motor skills and mental skills improved dramatically.

The results of Dr. Trummert’s groundbreaking “academic gift” experiment were astounding. Children’s academic and small-motor skills were tested at the beginning of the school year and, once again, at the end of the school year. All children improved—intervention and control group. The surprising aspect of the study was that the children who “played” with the gift-boxes not only improved their small-motor skills, their reading scores improved as well. All improvements were highly significant. These children, who had struggled with small-motor skills, reading and writing and who were lagging sadly behind the control cohort, made bigger gains than children who didn’t need to be pulled out of regular class.

Though this finding is surprising, it corresponds accurately to everything we know about orchid learners. We know that they can encounter worst outcomes or best outcomes—depending on in situ greenhousing conditions in which they find themselves. Orchids are not broken dandelions. Time and time again, orchids have shown us that they can easily achieve their potential when given support and care of a positive greenhouse space. Being defined by their “sensitivity to social context,” they respond with ease to positive, “belonging” support. Their enhanced vigilance, which at times can cause amygdala hijack and reactive anti-social responses, is a positive acumen when faced with a challenge that appeals to their sensitivity. In short, these children, who typically flail and wilt in competitive, stratified spaces, excel and thrive in fun, collaborative, and non-threatening environments.

Intrinsic motivation is conceptualized as autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Clearly, aspects of engagement were primed in the gift box experiment because of the presence of these three elements. Though hypersensitive, these children who fall behind because they react to fixedness, routine-ness, and cognitive load in an extrinsic system, recover quickly, and ably jump ahead. Looking at the gift box experiment in a new way, we note that children will experience autonomy first when (i) they choose their gift, and (ii) again, when they open the gift and decide where to begin solving the puzzle. As they engage the problem, attempting to solve it with reading, math, and small-motors skills, they receive immediate feedback that displays their mastery. Finally, purpose resides in each box. It’s the quintessential “Me Here Now” scenario for a happy child. Objectives revolve around quickly figuring out the cognitive component, which they implement by using a tool that includes a connecting small-motor component.

Teacher Talk

The experiment described here reminds us to embrace intrinsic motivation tools as a way to make content and classroom teaching style accessible to children.

Simple Strategy

Set up an easel and flip chart in a corner of the room. Children can make a four-leaf clover drawing anytime during the day. The following exercise in bilateral coordination is important for all children; it introduces neurotransmitters for learning, makes visible intrinsic motivation, and children find it fun and inviting.

Bilateral Coordination

Staying with the OT theme, information regarding this motor skill is available in all schools (104). Children need good bilateral coordination for simple tasks like catching a ball or a beanbag, cutting with scissors, playing soccer, or riding a bike. Using a large sheet of paper, draw a four-leaf clover. The flip chart paper should be within reach for the child so that she is staring at the central starting “dot” and have freedom to move both hands in a wide arc about her torso. In this exercise, each hand does the same job. To accomplish this task, the child will use whole body movement while focusing attentional gaze at a central dot in the middle of the clover shape.

This clover activity should be one large fluid motion. Once the child begins the drawing motion, she should not stop or lift the crayon from the paper. Arm motion should emanate from the shoulders and progress at the same speed, distance, and positioning. In completing the task, the child establishes direction and orientation (proprioception) with reference to the body. The activity touches on several very important functional structures in the child’s brain. It establishes connections, builds, and strengthens circuits.

The activity addresses a number of critical motor movements that are essential for success in school:

• Hand-eye coordination in different visual fields
• Promotes spatial awareness and visual discrimination
• Addresses left and right awareness
• Improves peripheral vision
• Promotes body awareness
• Promotes coordination with specialization of the hands and eyes
• Works on gross motor movement skills

The best part of the activity is the spontaneity and fun that it introduces for the child. Ask the child to sign and date her drawing, so that they can see increases in competence and skills over time. Post the end result on the wall near the child to increase the sense of belonging and engagement through their personal work.

Summary

Children who are obviously not “ready” for school can make fast progress with intelligent supports. Teachers can reduce opportunity gaps by recognizing that sometimes a child’s structures are not yet integrated with brain lobes. We focused on just a few simple easy-to-implement challenges and strategies—but the main idea is that because of a neural edge, teachers are beginning to view children with mental models that are based on neuroscience and learning.

Vocabulary

Crossing the Midline, Visual Motor Integration, Bilateral Coordination