It’s Not About Behavior

EDUCATION WEEK September 5, 2018 It’s Not About Behavior By Alfie Kohn Plenty of policies and programs limit our ability to do right by children. But perhaps the most restrictive virtual straitjacket that educators face is behaviorism — a psychological theory that would have us focus exclusively on what can be seen and measured, that ignores or dismisses inner experience … Read More

Oprah and I

August 23, 2018 Oprah and I By Alfie Kohn My book Punished by Rewards was recently published in a 25th-anniversary edition — which must mean that I wrote the original version when I was in fourth grade. The new edition has a 30-page Afterword (not counting approximately 9,250 footnotes) featuring research on the topic that was published since my previous … Read More

The Overselling of Gratitude

July 11, 2018 The Overselling of Gratitude By Alfie Kohn Being told that all of us should regularly take time to list the things we’re grateful for sets my teeth on edge. It took me a while to figure out why. I realize that anyone who criticizes gratitude (really? gratitude??) risks being labeled not merely a contrarian but a curmudgeon, … Read More

Who You Are Does Not Show Up on a Brain Scan

June 4, 2018 Who You Are Does Not Show Up on a Brain Scan By Alfie Kohn Kids who are taken on expensive skiing vacations are more likely than their peers to attend selective colleges. This, however, doesn’t mean these students are accepted by Ivy League schools because of the lift tickets they’ve collected. One of the first principles taught … Read More

“…And I Turned Out Just Fine!”

March 21, 2018 “. . . And I Turned Out Just Fine!” By Alfie Kohn If you’re going to question people’s thinking, it’s helpful to give them a couple of options: a gentle challenge in case they’re easily unsettled and a more pointed challenge for those who don’t mind really digging into their assumptions. Consider, for example, an announcement that … Read More

When “Big Data” Goes to School

March 7, 2018 When “Big Data” Goes to School By Alfie Kohn Here’s a rule of thumb for you: An individual’s enthusiasm about the employment of “data” in education is directly proportional to his or her distance from actual students. Policy makers and economists commonly refer to children in the aggregate, apparently viewing them mostly as a source of numbers … Read More

Do We Perform Better Under Pressure?

December 18, 2017 Do We Perform Better Under Pressure? Unexpected Complications and Hidden Value Judgments Lurk Behind a Common Question By Alfie Kohn Someone recently wrote to ask me whether it was true that pressure makes people more productive. Might stress actually be good for us? Notwithstanding the cliche about how diamonds are made, such a sweeping generalization is hard … Read More

Transformation by Degrees

September 25, 2017 Transformation by Degrees By Alfie Kohn Three concepts emerged independently in different fields: quantum leaps (in particle physics), punctuated equilibrium (in evolutionary biology), and paradigm shifts (in the history of science). All of these converge on the revelation that change doesn’t always take place incrementally. Sometimes things stay pretty much the same for a long time, and … Read More

Cooperative Conflict: Neither Concurrence Nor Debate

EDUCATION WEEK September 13, 2017 Cooperative Conflict Neither Concurrence Nor Debate By Alfie Kohn It’s been said that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who think in binary terms and those who don’t. When students are given something to read and then asked whether they “agree or disagree” with the author, they’re being trained as dichotomizers … Read More

Raising an UnTrump

SALON August 27, 2017 Raising an UnTrump By Alfie Kohn When the words “Trump” and “children” appear in the same sentence, it’s often because the writer is trying to figure out how to protect the latter from the former. How do we shield our offspring not only from what this man does (particularly if the youngsters in question are at … Read More