AMERICAN SCHOOL BOARD JOURNAL September 1999 Constant Frustration and Occasional Violence The Legacy of American High Schools By Alfie Kohn In the wake of the recent string of high school shootings, many people are desperate to find a silver lining, a way to wring hope from tragedy. At least now things will have to change, some observers might declare grimly. … Read More
From Degrading to De-Grading
HIGH SCHOOL MAGAZINE March 1999 From Degrading to De-Grading By Alfie Kohn Pour lire cet article en français, cliquer ici. You can tell a lot about a teacher’s values and personality just by asking how he or she feels about giving grades. Some defend the practice, claiming that grades are necessary to “motivate” students. Many of these teachers actually seem to … Read More
In Pursuit of Affluence, at a High Price
NEW YORK TIMES February 2, 1999 In Pursuit of Affluence, at a High Price By Alfie Kohn The adage that money cannot buy happiness may be familiar, but is easily forgotten in a consumer society. A much more persistent and seductive message is beamed from every television screen: Contentment is available for the price of this car, that computer, a … Read More
Television and Children: ReViewing the Evidence
Chapter 12 in What to Look for in a Classroom . . . and Other Essays (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998) Television and Children ReViewing the Evidence By Alfie Kohn [originally written in 1990-1991] When an extraordinary new technology is about to arrive, there is room for rapture or dread but nothing in between. Television, E.B. White declared shortly before regular national … Read More
Introduction to What to Look for in a Classroom … and Other Essays
San Francisco Jossey-Bass, 1998 Introduction to What to Look for in a Classroom … and Other Essays By Alfie Kohn From 1979 until 1985, I taught a course on existentialism to high school students. It was not my only teaching experience but it was far and away my favorite. Between terms, I fine-tuned the reading list and perfected the lectures, looking … Read More
Only for My Kid: How Privileged Parents Undermine School Reform (*)
PHI DELTA KAPPAN April 1998 Only for My Kid How Privileged Parents Undermine School Reform By Alfie Kohn What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy. — John Dewey, School and Society Mike McClaren, … Read More
Challenging Behaviorist Dogma
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS REVIEW March/April 1998 Challenging Behaviorist Dogma: Myths About Money and Motivation By Alfie Kohn The idea that dangling money and other goodies in front of people will “motivate” them to work harder is the conventional wisdom in our society, and particularly among compensation specialists. Those of us who have challenged the Skinnerian orthodoxy that grounds this conviction … Read More
Students Don’t “Work”–They Learn (*)
EDUCATION WEEK September 3, 1997 Students Don’t “Work”–They Learn By Alfie Kohn September is a new beginning, a time for fresh starts. Consider, then, a resolution that you and your colleagues might make for this school year: From now on, we will stop referring to what students do in school as “work.” Importing the nomenclature of the workplace is … Read More
The Limits of Teaching Skills (*)
REACHING TODAY’S YOUTH Summer 1997 The Limits of Teaching Skills By Alfie Kohn We are in love with skills. Not any specific skill, mind you, but the very idea that children’s problems can be remedied by teaching them skills. The model is so simple and familiar to us that we do not even think of it as a model. It … Read More
How Not to Teach Values: A Critical Look at Character Education (*)
PHI DELTA KAPPAN February 1997 How Not to Teach Values A Critical Look at Character Education By Alfie Kohn Teachers and schools tend to mistake good behavior for good character. What they prize is docility, suggestibility; the child who will do what he is told; or even better, the child who will do what is wanted without even having to … Read More