I wanted to stand up and cheer!

This is the first article I've read that articulately describes what I see in my classroom all the time. Getting students to experience the "thrill" of learning is a powerful form of intrins... See More

This is the first article I've read that articulately describes what I see in my classroom all the time. Getting students to experience the "thrill" of learning is a powerful form of intrinsic motivation. As teachers, we can't solve all of our students underlying issues that might contribute to a lack of motivation (difficult lives at home, lack of appropriate medical/dental care, etc), but the one thing we can control is the excitement they feel when they walk into our classrooms and know that we are going to have an exciting lesson prepared for them. That in our classrooms - in the learning environment we have created - they'll experience the thrill of "getting it" if they just hang out with us long enough. We know this because, as the article explains, the thrill of "getting it" is truly addictive. Excellent, excellent article!