Cary Alburn

My major takeaway from this module is the need for the student to see the relevance of the class to the ultimate goal of entering the profession he/she is seeking. That's what empowerment is all about--integrating the individual into the profession.

Extrinsic motivators such as rewards offer short term benefits in the learning process; intrinsic motivators such as internal satisfaction offer longer term benefits in the learning process. 

What I find interesting is that although I "knew" the concepts and have actually applied them in the past teaching experiences I've had, I really hadn't labeled them as "security" and "autonomy". So when I first saw the terminology, it seemed foreign--but as I got into it, I realized that I had used them, but without having ever labeled them.

Learning can be fun! 

As an attorney, I long ago learned that communicating with clients required understanding where they were coming from--their backgrounds, intellect, education, experiences, etc. The same "rules" apply to teaching adult students, whose backgrounds can be as varied as the stars in the sky. I have to understand where they're coming from and why they're here. I need to understand what motivates them, but also what interferes with that motivation. And then I need to tailor how I teach to those aspects, i.e., their intrinsic and extrinsic needs.