Thinking about learning and teaching

I have been earnestly thinking about a conversation I had with Dr. Gibbons about my Masters Thesis Project. He pushed me to find my question and then pursue it. I have had real difficulty with finding my question, I suppose that everyone does. So I have thought about my interest in learning and teaching. I guess when it all comes down to it, my passion stems from my experiences teaching early morning seminary. It was early in the morning and it was seminary. It was the most frustrating experience of my life, and yet I felt compelled everyday to go back and try something new. I don't know that things ever worked out as well as I had wanted, but something about those experiences have lit an unquenchable flame in my soul to improve the experience of the learner. It may even stem from my experiences as a missionary (which were a lot more successful than my seminary experiences). In coming to BYU and learning about Walter Gong's 3-person model, I found a tool that helped me to make sense of my seminary experiences and interpret them through the lens of the key attributes of learning and teaching. This changed my perspectives and allowed me to learn and grow through the evaluation of my past experiences that I perceived as failures. It has been a year and a half since Susan Gong introduced me to the ideas of the 3-person model. I have reflected much on this model and have come to the conclusion that all such descriptive models really rest upon a set of operational principles of learning which, when identified and understood, can yield powerful learning experiences for all involved. I don't claim to understand all of the operational learning principles inherent in the 3-person model because I believe that there are many that are serendipitously included in the model that have not yet been identified. The 3-person model is also a lens for identifying operational principles of learning because it focuses the individual on keys areas of Roles, Knowledge, and Experience.

I am writing all of this because I want to do more than tell people about the 3-person model. I want to help them understand the principles in which the model is grounded. By understanding the principles, it is possible that instructional designers and teachers can develop better instruction and learning experiences for learners. If learners understand the principles of learning, it is possible that they can become better learners. In order for this to take place, I feel like I need to focus my research on what I feel is the most critical area of the 3-person model, which is Roles. When individuals accept the role to be a learner/teacher (L/T), they open the gateway to growth (exponential growth according to Walter Gong). Role, however, is the one key attribute over which the teacher has the least direct influence. This causes enormous frustration for the teacher that prepares diligently and performs back-handsprings to provide learning experiences for the learner. I want to research what leads people to adopt the L/T role. What are the operational principles of learner motivation?

Motivation is a subset of engagement. By definition, engagement is when two separate entities link together or "engage" one another. In order to engage the teacher, the learner has to be "motivated". I believe that motivation is not a thing, it is a state, an experience, a verb, a dynamic set of conditions, etc. So my question right now is:

What are the principles that fundamentally create learner motivation?

I will begin looking through the literature for possible ideas.

Consequently, the course that I have intended to develop for Selnate International School (SIS) will be heavily influenced as a result of this line of thinking. Teaching a course on the 3-person model will become a course on the fundamental principles of learning inherent in the model, not just an exposition of the parts of the 3-person model. Special emphasis will be given to role development and generative motivation experiences. I am rather excited for this development. We will see what happens...