ASK ME ANYTHING #4: “If you could choose one thing for every school in the world to implement tomorrow, what would it be?”

This one's a no-brainer.

From Adam Hillis: “The Alpha School model has a lot of pieces to it that make it successful. Not just the “AI-teacher” piece. If you could choose one part of your model for every school in the world to implement tomorrow, what would you choose and why?”

If I had to pick one thing? Easy. Our motivational model.

When it comes to fixing education, edtech is only 10% of the solution. Motivation is 90%. Seriously.

One of the great failures of edtech is the assumption that technology alone will motivate students. Wrong. It never has and it never will. You can have the flashiest adaptive learning platform in the world, but if a student isn’t motivated, nothing else matters. You won’t make progress. That’s like stuffing a Lamborghini engine into a car with no wheels. At the end of the day, unmotivated students on screens are still unmotivated students.

At Alpha School, our teachers are trained — almost like emotional detectives — to figure out what actually motivates each student. But not in a generic “rah-rah, you can do it!” way. We’re talking specific, actionable insight. We have a spreadsheet (yes, an actual spreadsheet) that maps every Alpha student’s personal motivators.

Here are some real life examples from the spreadsheet (although I’ve changed their names for privacy reasons):

• Lucas is motivated by time freedom. At Alpha, students can “unlock” certain privileges when they crush their goals. For instance, “the lounge:” a hangout room with snacks and games. Lucas loves to crush his goals so he can hang out in the lounge and achieve more time freedom.

• Eliza thrives on words of affirmation. Verbatim, here’s what’s written in her chart: “Eliza LOVES Guide validation. Any additional "special" time she can get with a guide is her bread and butter.”

• Dante is motivated by more time with friends. Any chance for a fun, group activity, and Dante is locked in!

• Stella loves the accomplishment of performing above grade level. She spends a few hours every Saturday doing extra work. She also loves to spend quality time with her guide.

These are just a few birds-eye view examples — but isn’t it fascinating how different every child is? Although they’re gunning for the same outcome (becoming a self-directed learner), the process to get there is astonishingly varied.

Sadly, this is often seen as a bug of education, not a feature. But not at Alpha. We prioritize motivation above all else. Once you know what makes a kid tick, you can design their learning environment to pull them forward like a magnet instead of pushing them uphill like Sisyphus.

So yes, I’d wave a magic wand and give this to every school in the world: the ability to map every student’s individual motivators and teach in a way that actually lights them up.

Imagine your child’s school kept a “motivation spreadsheet.” What would be at the top of your kid’s list? And how would their learning change if every day was designed with that in mind? (Don’t be shy — share with the class!)