ChatGPT Prompts for Learner Motivation
Three mega-prompts to motivate your learners like a pro
Intrinsic motivation is the drive to engage in an activity because of its inherent value and satisfaction, rather than to avoid a negative outcome (e.g. fear of punishment).
Where extrinsic motivation is action motivate by the stick, intrinsic motivation is action motivated by the carrot.
The good news is that research like this and this shows that intrinsic motivation is an incredibly powerful lever for educators. In a nutshell, when learners see inherent value in the learning experience, they engage, persist & learn more. Bingo!
But my own research has shown that there’s a problem. As both educators and creators of ed-tech, we often take intrinsic motivation for granted.
The Problem With Intrinsic Motivation
As both educators and creators of ed-tech, we work on the assumption that if we (educators and ed-tech companies) build it (the learning experience) they will come, they will be satisfied and they will learn. This is not the case.
Well crafted, evidence-based learning experiences and thoughtfully built education products like Mathia & Khanmigo have massive potential to make learning experiences more dynamic, motivating and ultimately powerful for learners of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
But what happens if the learner doesn’t engage with the learning experience because they’re not interested? What happens if a learner, gripped by a self-limiting belief like, "I'm just not a maths person," refrains from engaging with the learning experience and from asking a powerful ed-tech product for help?
What happens if a learner, gripped by a self-limiting belief like, "I'm just not a maths person," refrains from engaging with the learning experience or from asking a powerful ed-tech product like Khanmigo for help?
Indeed, when it comes to ed-tech in general and AI-tech specifically, motivation is often taken for granted.
The risk here is that we repeat the same mistake that we made with the MOOC and build ed-tech products that have most impact on those learners who would have done well anyway - learners who are self-motivated and confident enough to explore and grow independently, with a little help from technology.
Optimising for Intrinsic Motivation
So, what can we - as educators and creators of ed-tech - do to build our learners’ intrinsic motivation and, in the process, drive both inclusion and achievement?
To help answer this question, I’ve put together a short guide. The guide includes:
A whistle-stop tour of the science of intrinsic motivation.
Three ChatGPT mega-prompts so you can apply the theory to the way you design learning experiences (and, perhaps, ed-tech products) and optimise for intrinsic motivation today.
As ever, I’m here and ready for questions! I’d love to hear how the prompts work for you, and what strategies you use to drive your learners’ intrinsic motivation.
If you want to learn more about how to use learning science + AI to rapidly bake best practices into your learning design process, check out my all-new AI-Powered Learning Science Bootcamp.
Happy designing!
Phil 👋
hugely helpful