“Engaged employees are in the game for the sake of the game; they believe in the cause of the organization. Motivated employees are in it for what they can get out of it. When the carrot is taken away, the effort of the motivated employee disappears. Engaged employees are hardy — they continue to work toward accomplishing the task and supporting the mission of the organization, despite environmental challenges.
Another important difference between motivated and engaged employees is the quality of their work. Motivated employees want to get to the finish line to get their carrot. In contrast, engaged employees want to “win” and do the best job possible, meaning taking their time and getting things right. It also means paying attention to their surroundings, in contrast to motivated people, who are like racehorses wearing blinders. Engaged employees are truly passionate and thoughtful about their work and are the difference makers in your organization.”

What considerations might this have for teachers planning for the start of next school year? How would one’s approach to students and instruction differ if trying to build engagement or motivation?

At Performance Learning Systems, we often talk about the need for students to have a “Compelling Why” for learning,

an emotional connection to learning. I recently visited a charter elementary school where 5th grade students were preparing for exhibitions. Their topics of safety on the internet, childhood cancers, homelessness in their community were explored and selected to gain engagement.Beginning the year with a discussion of the “test” or “How to get an A” may create motivation that lasts until the difficulties arise. Then students may go looking for an easier way to obtain the reward or decide that a B is “good enough”.

Dr. E. Shelly Reid writes that we sacrifice engagement when we focus on correctness, control, or coverage.