Confusing Harder With Better (**)

EDUCATION WEEK September 15, 1999 Confusing Harder With Better By Alfie Kohn Never underestimate the power of a catchy slogan and a false dichotomy. When a politician pronounces himself a supporter of “law and order” or “a strong defense,” you may protest that it’s not that simple, but even as you start to explain why, you’ve already been dismissed as … Read More

The Trouble With “Back-to-Basics” and “Tougher Standards”

SCHOOL BOARD NEWS September 14, 1999 The Trouble With “Back-to-Basics” and “Tougher Standards” By Alfie Kohn How can we fix our failing schools? The question is heard frequently these days, but its premise is incorrect. Once we look beyond the scare headlines, we find that students in American schools are actually doing about as well as ever on standardized tests. … Read More

A Look at Maslow’s “Basic Propositions”

Originally published in Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming: Lessons Learned Edited by H. J. Freiberg  (Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 1999) A Look at Maslow’s “Basic Propositions” By Alfie Kohn Abraham Maslow was a bundle of paradoxes.  After writing a popular text on abnormal psychology, he turned to — and virtually initiated — the serious study of healthy people.  He apprenticed under some of the … Read More

Why Students Lose When Tougher Standards Win: A Conversation with Alfie Kohn

EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP September 1999 Why Students Lose When Tougher Standards Win A Conversation with Alfie Kohn If students are to help design their own learning experiences and if teachers are to be free to develop a curriculum on the basis of their students’ needs, schools must buck the “Tougher Standards” movement, author Alfie Kohn says. John O’Neil and Carol Tell … 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

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

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

Newt Gingrich’s Reading Plan (*)

EDUCATION WEEK April 19, 1995 Newt Gingrich’s Reading Plan By Alfie Kohn Our culture is marinated in behaviorism.  At work, at school, and at home, we take for granted that the way to get things done is to dangle goodies in front of people.  Thus, it seemed perfectly reasonable to observers across the political spectrum when House Speaker Newt Gingrich … Read More