Foreword to The Teacher You Want to Be 2015 To Change What We Do, Consider What We Believe By Alfie Kohn [This essay is adapted from the Foreword to The Teacher You Want to Be, edited by Matt Glover and Ellin Oliver Keene (Heinemann, 2015)] Creativity — in education and in general — might be defined as the capacity to … Read More
Do This and You’ll Get That: A Bad Way to Defend Good Programs
EDUCATION WEEK September 30, 2015 Do This and You’ll Get That A Bad Way to Defend Good Programs By Alfie Kohn When we’re not sure people will support our cause, it’s tempting to link it to something more popular. Because x may be controversial (or may simply lack broad support), we hitch a ride on y, an outcome that reflects … Read More
“Helicopter Parenting” Hysteria
SALON September 4, 2015 “Helicopter Parenting” Hysteria The Epidemic That Actually Isn’t By Alfie Kohn Parents who are overly involved in the lives of their college-age children are the folks we love to scorn. A steady stream of articles and blog posts bristle with indignation over dads who phone the dean about a trivial problem or moms who know more … Read More
Who’s Asking?
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP September 2015 Who’s Asking? By Alfie Kohn It seems only fitting to explore the role of questions in education by asking questions about the process of doing so. I propose that we start with the customary way of framing this topic and then proceed to questions that are deeper and potentially more subversive of traditional schooling. 1. … Read More
The “Mindset” Mindset
SALON August 16, 2015 The “Mindset” Mindset What We Miss By Focusing on Kids’ Attitudes The emphasis on effort in Dweck’s “growth mindset” is most notable for the larger questions it discourages us from asking. By Alfie Kohn One of the most popular ideas in education these days can be summarized in a single sentence — a fact that may … Read More
Introduction to “More Than a Score”
Introduction to More Than a Score 2014 Introduction More than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Tests, edited by J. Hagopian (Haymarket Books, 2014) By Alfie Kohn In early March of 1999, on a chilly Sunday morning in San Francisco, more than a thousand educators packed into a huge convention center space during ASCD’s annual conference. They were … Read More
Grit: A Skeptical Look at the Latest Educational Fad (##)
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL Fall 2014 GRIT A Skeptical Look at the Latest Educational Fad By Alfie Kohn This article is adapted from The Myth of the Spoiled Child, which contains references to the relevant research. A new idea is hatched; it begins to spread; it catches on; it inspires a flurry of books and articles, conferences and seminars. And then it fades away. … Read More
What Waiting for a Second Marshmallow Doesn’t Prove (##)
EDUCATION WEEK September 10, 2014 S’More Misrepresentation of Research What Waiting for a Second Marshmallow Doesn’t Prove By Alfie Kohn [This article, which was published in Education Week under the title “The Deferred Gratification Myth,” is adapted from The Myth of the Spoiled Child, which contains references to the relevant research.] Traditional schooling isn’t working for an awful lot of students. We can respond to that … Read More
Trophy Fury: What’s Behind Claims that Kids Are Coddled and Overcelebrated?
NEW YORK TIMES May 4, 2014 Trophy Fury What’s Behind Claims that Kids Are Coddled and Overcelebrated? By Alfie Kohn [This is an expanded version of the published article, which was titled “Do Our Kids Get Off Too Easy?” and adapted from The Myth of the Spoiled Child.] The last time I checked, a web search for the phrases “everyone … Read More
The Downside of “Grit” (Commentary)
WASHINGTON POST April 6, 2014 The Downside of “Grit” What Really Happens When Kids Are Pushed to Be More Persistent? By Alfie Kohn [This is an expanded version of the published article, which appeared in the Post‘s Sunday “Outlook” section. It has been adapted from chapter 7 of The Myth of the Spoiled Child: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom about Children and Parenting.] … Read More