Nov 28 2012: I think merit-based pay or at least some sort of merit-based incentive program (for things both useful and at least indirectly under the control of teachers) could and should definitely have a place in any educational system. However, I think it would be a mistake to see it as the solution that will solve all the system's problems. MOST of our teachers are wonderful and really just need the resources to make sure their students have all they need to learn and study and the freedom to creatively teach the most useful material to their students. There are some bad eggs, however, that are really terrible teachers but are protected, usually by teachers' unions, in their positions as teachers of children. My question is: How do we protect our children from having years of their lives taken by these "teachers" without robbing the good ones of the time and resources they need to do their jobs well?
Oct 19 2012: Very interesting talk. I feel like I want to hear a more detailed dissection of this. For example, how would one apply this information to a more hybrid job description, with some creative elements but also a lot of mechanical elements. I feel like a lot of modern jobs fit this mold: creating ideas and then implementing them, where the implementation is nearly impossible to conjure any intrinsic motivation for, but without the creativity there is nothing to implement.
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