EDUCATION WEEK September 18, 2013 Encouraging Courage By Alfie Kohn [This is a slightly expanded version of the published article.] Education research doesn’t always get the respect it deserves, but let’s be honest: There’s already enough of it to help us decide what to do (or stop doing) on many critical issues. Likewise, there are plenty of examples of outstanding … Read More
How to Create Nonreaders (#)
ENGLISH JOURNAL Fall 2010 — vol. 100, no. 1 How to Create Nonreaders Reflections on Motivation, Learning, and Sharing Power By Alfie Kohn Autonomy-supportive teachers seek a student’s initiative…whereas controlling teachers seek a student’s compliance. — J. Reeve, E. Bolt, & Y. Cai Not that you asked, but my favorite Spanish proverb, attributed to the poet Juan Ramón … 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