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To read comments by other visitors, simply scroll down.
To read earlier postings,
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for access to archived messages (March 1999 – October 2005).
I just want to say 'thank you' for writing with such passion and quality. I first came across your book, "Punished by Rewards" while attending the Kellogg School of Management and incorporate many of the points in that book in my after-school program, Traveling Poet. Keep on writing! When I was in grade seven, I had a teacher that was inclined to give a large amount of homework, and when she decided to give us a huge essay and assignment to do over the Christmas holidays for an outrageous amount of marks, I said I'd had enough. Rallying up all of my friends, I composed a petition politely stating that we would appreciate it if we could have no homework over the holidays, as Christmas is a time to relax and spend quality time with your family. The entire class signed, and at the end of class, I left it on her desk in an envelope, hoping for the best. The next day as we arrived in class, however, our hopes were dashed. Our teacher was standing next to the chalkboard, fingering the petition. It looked as though we were going to receive a “talking to.” Once class had officially started, she began her rant. She completely overreacted, and was even reduced to the point of full out yelling. At the climax of her speech, she tore the petition in half, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the floor. A petition is a demonstration of free will, democracy, and freedom of choice, and should not be responded to in such a way, if anything should. After she was finished, she called in the Vice Principal, who blew her top off as well, and took it even worse than our teacher had. She gave us another long and angry speech, which included references such as the “class from hell,” and much finger pointing at the nearly demolished piece of paper. She came in every morning for the rest of the week, and enrolled our class in a kind of group counseling for the next while. In the end, we received the homework for the holidays, probably more than she had originally planned, and nothing was changed in that class, except perhaps for longer detentions. This is an example of how our education system is flawed in more than one way, and I agree with you one-hundred percent about your ideas and research on homework. In conclusion, thank you for enlightening the world about the wonderful research you have done, and I hope that people will start to see the truth in your words and begin applying it to today’s education system. I'm not going to say congratulations. I'm not going to praise you. I will say tho.. YOU GOT IT! I too listened to the Diane Reem show, and must confess this is the first I have ever heard your name. I do not agree with everything wholeheartedly because that is just not my way, but think your refreshing ideas can only help to balance out an over the top structured environment our system grasps onto fearfully. I have a nine year old free thinker, like myself, who doesn't seem to fit well into this sort of system. I gave him the choice to continue public school or homeschool. I do think however each and everyone of us is different, and therefore some children fit well and do well within this sort of system.. For all the others that are not 'seen', you are a voice. Everytime I hear an adult talk about a child recieving a failing grade I regard that child as a revolutionary. Kids who are not afraid of failure just may be the ones who revolutionize this boxed up system. Regarding a quote from one of the posters below: "If children were responsible enough to know what they need, why they need it, and what benefit it would produce in the long run, there would be no need for parenting, guidance, or education." Would it be so horrible if we found out some children need us less than our egos like to tell us they need us? What if there are some children out there who only need our love and suport for whatever it is they are.. they do. What if we can't look past our fears, can only see our own needs, and never see 'them'. As far as purchasing your books, I likely will not. I believe everything I need is right here.. in my heart. I might tho.. for kicks! --Autumn I found todays topic very interesting and your point of view has a lot of validity. I have an 18 year old daughter and all through her schooling I asked myself lots of questions that constantly challenged the "System". Things you said today made a lot of sense to me and the way in which you expressed them (with such eloquence!!!! )was terrific. Again Congratulatuions! I heard your interview on WAMU today and was rather appalled at your entire presentation. Your suggestion of "letting the children choose their own curriculum and assign themselves their own homework" is not only ridiculous, but also counter-productive. If children were responsible enough to know what they need, why they need it, and what benefit it would produce in the long run, there would be no need for parenting, guidance, or education. If given that opportunity at that age, I would have stayed at recess, health, and Physical Education all the time. I'm sure you are a hero to rebels, below-average children and slackers nationwide, and you would have been the same to me when I was that age, but there is a valid reason behind the educational curriculum in our public schools. Perhaps you feel the career aspirations of today's children should level out at fry cook, or stocker at your local supermarket. Those types of positions always need to be filled, right? Two of the phone calls early in the program were of a mother of two, who seems to have the ideal situation, where her children are happy to do homework, and finish it in a matter of minutes a day for the older, and a project a week for the younger. The other 'believer' in your philosophy was a kid who suddenly sparked an interest after he joined the military, where the pressure to learn is MUCH more disciplined than your average public school. I am very fortunate to have been a solid C student throughout my educational tenure, and a college dropout. I now have a job in the Government as a Physical Security Specialist, and pull down over $60k per year. My comprehension of the work that I do has come over time and maturity, but the ground work was laid in my developmental years, with the repetition and practicing of the lessons given by the school staff. Your notion that children are missing the real "meat" of their lessons because they are merely learning the methods to solve problems, as opposed to understanding what they are being taught is totally off-base. Full understanding comes with experience and patience, but there needs to be some sort of base laid out first and foremost. I couldn't understand why most of what I was being taught was valid to my life back then, but as I live and grow, and adapt, things I was taught way back then are becoming clear now. Your program seems to be easily achieved with home schooling, private schooling, or some other alternative method of education for the kids who have the opportunity for that, but realize that the majority of students come from families who only have one parent or guardian, and they are working 2 or 3 jobs at a time to make ends meet, and don't have the time to spend with their children's educational development, or the ability to keep up with the advanced curriculum. I started reading "The Homework Myth" this evening and it reminded me of an incident from my high school years I wanted to share with you: I got poor grades one term and my father decided it'd be in my academic best interests to take away my phone privelages and confine me to my room for most of the evening on school nights so that I could study. The following term, my grades had gone up! One might presume (as my father did) that I did a lot more studying. However, what I really did was get a lot more sleep. I was more focused in school because I was well-rested and that is what lead to higher grades. Take care! Matt P.S. I have a copy of John Holt's "How Children Fail" on my shelf right before your books. I took it from my father years ago. Unfortunately, I can't find the reference you make to it because I have the seventh edition (June 1968) and you reference the revised edition from 1982. P.P.S. I love your new web site! It was a pleasure reading 'Punished by Rewards' which so unequivocally drove the point that punishments and rewards don't work in reality and are rather a 'Penny Wise, Pound Foolish' approach. I have always been critical of Skinner's behaviorism but this book helped me realise more concretely that many of the good-intentioned tactics are actually based on behavioristic premises. Unlike pop psychology babbling this book's thesis actually identifies the cause why behavorism does not and cannot work--the cause being that man can actually reason, decide and choose for himself rather than just responding to stimuli and/or being determined by his environment and his genes. I really love the essential message of the book which isn't just the political correctness that Man shouldn't be controlled but an rare identification of the fact that essentially and specially in the long run Man cannot be controlled. In today's wishy-washy world where intellectuals seem to indulge more in sophistry and use research data to "prove" their pet assumptions, it is quite heartening and inspiring to see a writer stand so unbudgingly by his principles and convictions and considering them as the absolutes they are. So, I'll say "Thank You" for having articulately presented a very important theory about man's nature and for concretely, contextually showing why it works. Gratefully, Ameeta Ginny Beesley It is a pleasure to see that i've not been so hair-brained after all! I have never given homework to my students, except perhaps after 8th grade, even then, I usually left it to them to do it if they chose to - they usually did, if they found value in it. Most of the work was achieved in the classroom itself, and whenever I could take the children out, we went outdoors to learn through nature and life (very difficult in a city like Mumbai). I am no longer teaching in a school, as I found it very limiting. Though I am in e-learning (it too has its limits, especially in methods of evaluation and feedback, I regularly interact with youth to help them find a direction in life by listening to their own voices, and to bring out their innate talent and abilities. I will also begin working with those youngsters whom we have labeled "learning disabled". Your website will continue to be an inspiration to me. It is nice to know that there are those who think alike, and are working towards realizing an educational vision. It gives me hope, and an incentive to continue. Thanks. One third of the class passed all their internal assessments (externally moderated) at 100%. They were stripped of those marks to bring them into line with the rest of the department. 94% of the class passed their external end of year exams (the two who didn't pass had some real issues outside of school. Both of them came up to me later and said 'thank you for not yelling at me when I didn't know the answer'), against a school average of 62% and a national average of 50% (it was scaled to conform to the bell curve). I left the school after that year because they wouldn't give me a full-time job because I didn't have a degree in economics to go with the success of that class. I went on to another school and taught in my own area of expertise. This stuff - your stuff - this way of thinking - is the only real way of really reaching a lot of the randomly traumatised kids who walk the streets and corridors around us. Thank you Alfie - I'd give you a gold star but you might do less good! I will begin my second year of teaching Technology Education in an Alternative High School this August. Your book, which I was fortunate enough to select from a list provided in one of my Masters courses at UGA, is one of the best books on education I have come across. I was wondering if anyone within education was ever going to even mention student interest, relevance and motivation as a key to learning. As a 30+ year sales person and sales manager before starting my "retirement" as a school teacher, I am acutely aware that people usually only do what they have an interest in. There needs to be a "win" in it for them or they won't really buy-in. I started my teaching with this idea and, while I can't always find a student's interest that matches up with being in school in any respect, my classes go a lot easier once I know what my students are interested in. I'm often able to change their assignments to fit these interests or at least sell them on why an asssignment is relevant to the career that are thingking about. I started feeling like I was on planet Mars with this approach (except for the success I was having with it) until reading your book. Also, your explainations of how to put Constructivist (see how I'm learning to speak in educational jargon?) ideas into practice are great! Part Two of your book is a treasure house of 100's of creative ideas, questions, and techniques. I have a few different thoughts on grades, tests and competition (because the world is full of all three and students need to know how to handle them -- i.e. experiential learning before getting out into the world), but I agree with everything else in your book. I totally agree with your points about the focus on acheivement vs. learning, producing counterproductive social behaviors, "bunch o' facts", the need for collaboration, etc., though. My students are victims of years of this. I avoid all of this and try to find "wins" for them to build on. (I do tell them they are doing a good job, though!) :) Thank you for a great resource and a great book. Best regards, Lee |
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