Dan Pink

Pink has profound ideas about motivation that translate not only into the workforce and workplace, but that could easily be applied to the ways in which we educate ourselves (as students, as teachers, adults, etc.). He claims we need autonomy so that we may feel that we are independent and empowered - speaking from experience, I couldn't agree more. If I have some sort of control over my education, I feel not only more motivated to do it, but the process itself becomes fun. An example is having the opportunity to make a video in my history class in high school. My friend and I took footage of us snowboarding and skateboarding and then put music to it. At a time when I thought school was "stupid", this motivated me to put into words my passion for boarding. It was a great way to get me engaged in history because I got to choose what I read. I can still remember that book - it's called "Sick! - a cultural history of snowboarding". Literacy in the curriculum??? I think so!

Another attribution that Pink feels strongly about is mastery - mastery over skills that we may have a passion or particular skill set for. I also agree with this claim because I believe that every person is born with a set of skills that makes them inherently valuable and they also have interests that are... natural. Interests that come from within the individual, a passion that could never be artificially manufactured. Interests that Robinson and I would claim will grow ad infinitum unless suppressed time and again by a "sage on the stage".
Finally, individuals need a purpose, so that we might have an idea that our work means something - both to ourselves, and to the greater world. This video is beautifully done, with visuals, audio, and many "fun" references that our culture can relate to.