NEW YORK TIMES October 28, 2018 Rewards Are Still Bad News (25 Years Later) By Alfie Kohn [This is a slightly expanded version of the published article, which was titled “Science Confirms It: People Are Not Pets.”] The field of social psychology is sometimes accused of doing no more than ratifying common sense, so it’s worth paying attention when its … Read More
Articles About Rewards
Articles About Rewards * “Newt Gingrich’s Reading Plan,” Education Week, April 19, 1995 * “Punished by Rewards?: A Conversation with Alfie Kohn,” Educational Leadership, Sept. 1995 * “The Risks of Rewards,” ERIC Digest, December 1994 * “Five Reasons to Stop Saying ‘Good Job!’”, Young Children, September 2001 For more, please see the book Punished by Rewards Articles About Grades * … Read More
Punished by Rewards – (Book)
Punished by Rewards The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993 / 1999 / 2018) (Tantor audio, 2017) 2018 and 1999 editions feature new Afterwords by the author Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summarized in six words: Do this and you'll get that. We ... Read More
Studies Support Rewards, Homework, and Traditional Teaching. Or Do They? (##)
March 31, 2011 Studies Support Rewards, Homework, and Traditional Teaching. Or Do They? By Alfie Kohn It’s not unusual to read that a new study has failed to replicate — or has even reversed — the findings of an earlier study. The effect can be disconcerting, particularly when medical research announces that what was supposed to be good for us … Read More
Punished by Rewards?: A Conversation with Alfie Kohn
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP September 1995 Punished by Rewards? A Conversation with Alfie Kohn By Ron Brandt Both rewards and punishments, says Punished by Rewards author Alfie Kohn, are ways of manipulating behavior that destroy the potential for real learning. Instead, he advocates providing an engaging curriculum and a caring atmosphere “so kids can act on their natural desire to find out.” The following … Read More
The Risks of Rewards
ERIC Digest December 1994 ERIC Identifier: ED376990 The Risks of Rewards By Alfie Kohn Para leer este artículo en Español, haga clic aquí. Many educators are acutely aware that punishment and threats are counterproductive. Making children suffer in order to alter their future behavior can often elicit temporary compliance, but this strategy is unlikely to help children become ethical, compassionate decision … Read More
Why We Should Avoid Rewards Even for Boring Tasks
From Chapter 5: “Cutting the Interest Rate” of Punished by Rewards (Houghton Mifflin, 1993/2018) Why We Should Avoid Rewards Even for Boring Tasks By Alfie Kohn . . . . “If we’re worried about reducing intrinsic motivation, then what’s the problem with giving people rewards for doing things they don’t find interesting?” It is true that rewards are most likely … Read More
Why Feedback Often Doesn’t Help
EDUCATION WEEK September 21, 2022 Why Feedback Often Doesn’t Help By Alfie Kohn [This is an expanded version of the published article, which was given a different title.] A lot of people make a living by offering advice about how teachers should give feedback to students — or how administrators should give feedback to teachers. Unfortunately, a body of compelling … Read More
Cooperative Games: Discovering How Much Fun Competition ISN’T
Foreword to Cooperative Games 2022 Cooperative Games Discovering How Much Fun Competition Isn’t By Alfie Kohn [This essay is adapted from the Foreword to Cooperative Games in Education by Suzanne Lyons (Teachers College Press, 2022)] The reassuring bromide that “there’s no such thing as a stupid question” can be easily refuted by spending a few minutes with a standardized … Read More
When Racism Isn’t the Only Problem
July 14, 2021 When Racism Isn’t the Only Problem By Alfie Kohn I’ve been thinking lately about policies that are multiply flawed. Drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge is a bad idea not only because it threatens wildlife but also because it exacerbates the climate crisis. Diverting taxpayer funds to religious schools undermines public education while simultaneously breaching the … Read More