Since I began my teaching career, I have been fascinated by the subject of motivation and the role it plays in student learning. Daniel Pink's book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, has been on my personal reading list for a few years now, and I was pleased to find that it was one of the recommended books to read for this assignment. I have often wondered why some of my students, and even one of my own children, are more motivated than others to complete a given task. Now that I am in the process of becoming a school administrator, my curiosity about what motivates adults has also increased. Hoping to find some insight, and perhaps the answers to some of my burning questions, I finally picked up Daniel Pink's book and started reading it. Drive begins with an overview of the work of scientists Harry Harlow and Edward Deci and their early experiments. on motivation. As a result of their research into motivation theory, these two individuals discovered a completely different and unique way of looking at what determines human behavior. Harlow, in his experiment with rhesus monkeys, and Deci, with her Soma puzzle cubes, discovered that rewards were not the only factors at work in motivating the completion of a task. The notion of “intrinsic motivation”, or pursuit of a task for the sake of pleasure and personal fulfillment, was born. Before Harlow and Deci's work, motivation could only be explained in two ways. The motivation to survive, also called Motivation 1.0 by Pink, has always been fundamental to our existence. Motivation 1.0 assumes that “I have to do something” in order to satisfy my basic needs. It's a dynamic that dates back to the dawn of man and explains what... middle of paper ...... professional growth. (Cunningham, 2009). If research shows us that students are more motivated and learn better in environments rich in autonomy, mastery and purpose, then as a school principal I will need to advocate for this to happen in my school. Students who are offered opportunities to connect with others through self-directed, meaningful, and rigorous activities will be more motivated to be here to learn. Teachers who provide students with this type of learning environment will also be happier and more satisfied. For what? Because it works.References and bibliographyCunningham, WG and Cordeiro, PA (2009). Instructional leadership: A bridge to improved practice. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. Pink, D.H. (2009). Drive: the surprising truth behind what motivates us. New York: RiverheadBooks (Penguin Group).