
Intellectual Need and Problem-Free Activity in the Mathematics Classroom [pdf] - CrocodileStreet
http://math.ucsd.edu/~jrabin/publications/ProblemFreeActivity.pdf
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acbart
I've only skimmed it, but it seems like they're implying that "Intellectual
Need" (emphasis on intellectual, as opposed to social or economic needs) is
the only possible way to meaningfully motivate students. I see their point
that it might be argued as one of the most effective ways to motivate
students, but it seems to me like it's unrealistic to expect this "Need" to
always be present, and is a trivialization of a more complex situation.

Academic motivation is a force caused by a wide range of internal and external
factors, which people experience in different quantities at different times.
Sometimes, you are in a course simply because you are obligated to be there
and you do well because you need it to accomplish a long-term goal. Sometimes,
you are solving a course problem because you find it intellectually
stimulating. Sometimes, you give up on a problem because you believe you
cannot succeed. Sometimes, you are simply unmotivated because you are tired
and don't want to deal with stuff anymore. The MUSIC model of academic
motivation [1] suggests a number of factors involved in the process.

Of course, I don't want to sound entirely dismissive - I definitely see the
value in ensuring students perceive the "need" to solve a problem, and it's
undoubtedly fantastic for an instructor to create that perception. I just
wanted to voice that there's more to motivation than just the one avenue, and
that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[1] [http://www.themusicmodel.com/](http://www.themusicmodel.com/)

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cokernel
I don't read the authors as saying that intellectual need is the only way to
motivate. Rather, they're saying that regardless of motivation, students are
unlikely to learn certain concepts unless they directly experience the need
for those concepts ("disequilibrium"). (Of course, it's possible to learn to
solve a class of problems that "require" certain concepts without learning
those concepts.)

Where the MUSIC model addresses motivation, the DNR framework addresses what
to do with that motivation. So they seem compatible to me. The teachers
described in this article would certainly benefit from studying the MUSIC
model. I winced a little at the teacher who said, "Well, you care if you want
to get a good grade on your test."

