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Feel-Bad Education: And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling
Mind-opening writing on what kids need from school, from one of education’s most outspoken voices
Arguing that our schools are currently in the grip of a “cult of rigor”—a confusion of harder with better that threatens to banish both joy and meaningful intellectual inquiry from our classrooms—Alfie Kohn issues a stirring call to rethink our priorities and reconsider our practices.
Kohn’s latest wide-ranging collection of writings will add to his reputation as one of the most incisive thinkers in the field, who questions the assumptions too often taken for granted in discussions about education and human behavior.
In nineteen recently published essays—and in a substantive introduction, new for this volume—Kohn repeatedly invites us to think more deeply about the conventional wisdom. Is self-discipline always desirable? he asks, citing surprising evidence to the contrary. Does academic cheating necessarily indicate a moral failing? Might inspirational posters commonly found on school walls (“Reach for the stars!”) reflect disturbing assumptions about children? Could the use of rubrics for evaluating student learning prove counterproductive?
Subjecting young children to homework, grades, or standardized tests—merely because these things will be required of them later—reminds Kohn of Monty Python’s “getting hit on the head lessons.” And, with tongue firmly in cheek, he declares that we should immediately begin teaching twenty- second -century skills.
Whether Kohn is clearing up misconceptions about progressive education or explaining why incentives for healthier living are bound to backfire, debunking the idea that education reform should be driven by concerns about economic competitiveness or putting “Supernanny” in her place, his readers will understand why the Washington Post has said that “teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools.”
Arguing that our schools are currently in the grip of a “cult of rigor”—a confusion of harder with better that threatens to banish both joy and meaningful intellectual inquiry from our classrooms—Alfie Kohn issues a stirring call to rethink our priorities and reconsider our practices.
Kohn’s latest wide-ranging collection of writings will add to his reputation as one of the most incisive thinkers in the field, who questions the assumptions too often taken for granted in discussions about education and human behavior.
In nineteen recently published essays—and in a substantive introduction, new for this volume—Kohn repeatedly invites us to think more deeply about the conventional wisdom. Is self-discipline always desirable? he asks, citing surprising evidence to the contrary. Does academic cheating necessarily indicate a moral failing? Might inspirational posters commonly found on school walls (“Reach for the stars!”) reflect disturbing assumptions about children? Could the use of rubrics for evaluating student learning prove counterproductive?
Subjecting young children to homework, grades, or standardized tests—merely because these things will be required of them later—reminds Kohn of Monty Python’s “getting hit on the head lessons.” And, with tongue firmly in cheek, he declares that we should immediately begin teaching twenty- second -century skills.
Whether Kohn is clearing up misconceptions about progressive education or explaining why incentives for healthier living are bound to backfire, debunking the idea that education reform should be driven by concerns about economic competitiveness or putting “Supernanny” in her place, his readers will understand why the Washington Post has said that “teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools.”
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
24 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
About the author
Alfie Kohn
51 books546 followers Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of fourteen books and scores of articles, he lectures at education conferences and universities as well as to parent groups and corporations.
Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."
Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.
Kohn's criticisms of competition and rewards have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."
Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area with his wife and two children, and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 30, 2011
Alfie Kohn has made sense to me for more than a decade, ever since a colleague recommended Kohn’s book Punished by Rewards and enthusiastically implemented a no-grade policy in his class that caused quite a brouhaha. In the intervening years, our nation’s education policies and discussions have viscously congealed around an accountability culture that diminishes the ability of students, teachers, and communities to nurture authentic learning and learners. Feel-Bad Education, a new collection of Kohn’s articles published over the past several years, is a welcome addition to current debates about the state of American education.
Educators and parents concerned about the direction of education in our nation should read at least some of the pieces in Feel-Bad Education. Kohn engagingly articulates ideas about reading, writing, cheating, testing, grading, teaching, learning, and parenting. He deservedly skewers those in the education community who advocate standardized testing as a meaningful way to do anything productive. Also in Kohn’s sights are homework, grades, “rigor,” and the national core standards movement.
My only two quibbles with Feel-Bad Education are relatively minor. Although I’m glad to have all of these highly relevant writings collected in one volume, some of the themes become repetitive if a reader goes through the book cover to cover. Of course, the pieces were not originally published with such a reading process in mind, so this is more a function of the book’s nature than anything else. I’m more bothered that the articles here lack pragmatic considerations. For example, I agree with Kohn that grades are detrimental to actual learning, but grades are still the coin of the realm in American high schools. What exactly can classroom teachers do in the face of that? How can we mitigate the deleterious effects of grades while we work to eliminate them (or at least undermine their impact)? I agree with Alfie Kohn on just about everything, but many teachers still work in environments that fall far short of his vision. How exactly can teachers take steps toward Kohn within the context of schools going in the opposite direction?
Cross-posted on my blog at What's Not Wrong?
Educators and parents concerned about the direction of education in our nation should read at least some of the pieces in Feel-Bad Education. Kohn engagingly articulates ideas about reading, writing, cheating, testing, grading, teaching, learning, and parenting. He deservedly skewers those in the education community who advocate standardized testing as a meaningful way to do anything productive. Also in Kohn’s sights are homework, grades, “rigor,” and the national core standards movement.
My only two quibbles with Feel-Bad Education are relatively minor. Although I’m glad to have all of these highly relevant writings collected in one volume, some of the themes become repetitive if a reader goes through the book cover to cover. Of course, the pieces were not originally published with such a reading process in mind, so this is more a function of the book’s nature than anything else. I’m more bothered that the articles here lack pragmatic considerations. For example, I agree with Kohn that grades are detrimental to actual learning, but grades are still the coin of the realm in American high schools. What exactly can classroom teachers do in the face of that? How can we mitigate the deleterious effects of grades while we work to eliminate them (or at least undermine their impact)? I agree with Alfie Kohn on just about everything, but many teachers still work in environments that fall far short of his vision. How exactly can teachers take steps toward Kohn within the context of schools going in the opposite direction?
Cross-posted on my blog at What's Not Wrong?
April 13, 2012
I read authors for different reasons, and when I need a really radical harangue, Alfie Kohn is the man to get me going. I have heard him speak, and whenever I hear or read him, I think, "YEAH!! Oh, but that won't work!" He so lives outside the real world of teachers trying to keep their jobs in order to make a difference in kids' lives. We can't refuse to give the tests, or turn our backs on the political realities of public education, but OH DO I LOVE HIM.
This is a collection of essays and articles that were previously published other places. From the introduction, "WELL DUH" through cheating, through the vital issue of creating readers (or nonreaders), through rubrics (Gotta admit, I've said some of those things), through a lovely 'modest proposal' for 22nd century schools, through his critique of Common Core (one of the most reasoned ones I've read!, Kohn takes all the sacred cows on and he vanquishes them for me...or at least he does, until I get that message for the next Common Core meeting.
He may not live in the real world I inhabit, but he makes my world more bearable because he is such a fierce advocate for kids and teachers and education.
I trust his vision even when he goes too far -- more to think about!
This is a collection of essays and articles that were previously published other places. From the introduction, "WELL DUH" through cheating, through the vital issue of creating readers (or nonreaders), through rubrics (Gotta admit, I've said some of those things), through a lovely 'modest proposal' for 22nd century schools, through his critique of Common Core (one of the most reasoned ones I've read!, Kohn takes all the sacred cows on and he vanquishes them for me...or at least he does, until I get that message for the next Common Core meeting.
He may not live in the real world I inhabit, but he makes my world more bearable because he is such a fierce advocate for kids and teachers and education.
I trust his vision even when he goes too far -- more to think about!
June 18, 2024
Read: June 2024
I have been really interested in the idea of home educating my two youngest children ever since I read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto a few years ago. The more I read, the more intrigued I become by the notion of education at home.
Kohn's book of essays on the topic of education are aimed towards teachers who want to make a change while working within the system, but I found plenty of interesting, thought-provoking passages that added weight to the home education argument. For example:
"Most collaboration is simply classified as cheating. End of discussion. By the same token, a student may be disciplined if they consult reference sources during any sort of assessment...but what does it say...about the education system, that assessment is geared largely towards a student's ability to memorise?"
"[Schooling] fails on its own terms by virtue of offering a skewed account of what life is like for adults. Our culture is undeniably competitive, but cooperative skills are also valued in the workplace - and competitive schooling (spelling bees, awards assemblies, norm-referenced tests, class rank) discourages the development of those skills. Similarly adults are more likely to be evaluated at work on the basis of how they actually do their jobs than standardised tests results. Nor...is there much to justify the practices of same age groupings, or 50 minute periods. In short, we're not making schools...like 'real life.'"
"Lecturing is the best way to get information from teacher's notebook to student's notebook without touching the student's mind."
"That love [of reading] may never bloom if all the good stuff is occluded by too much attention to the machinery...knowing the definition of dramatic irony or iambic pentameter has the same relationship to being literate that memorising the atomic weight of nitrogen has to doing science."
"The finding that schools become less safe as a result of adopting zero tolerance policies will sound paradoxical only to those readers who believe that threats and punishment create safety."
"The reason we will continue to redirect resources toward math and science (and away from literature and the arts) isn't because the former are inherently more important but simply because they are more useful from an economic standpoint."
"Some children who look like every adult's dream of a dedicated student may in reality be anxious, driven and motivated by a perpetual need to feel better about themselves , rather than by anything resembling curiosity. In a word, they are workaholics in training."
I have been really interested in the idea of home educating my two youngest children ever since I read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto a few years ago. The more I read, the more intrigued I become by the notion of education at home.
Kohn's book of essays on the topic of education are aimed towards teachers who want to make a change while working within the system, but I found plenty of interesting, thought-provoking passages that added weight to the home education argument. For example:
"Most collaboration is simply classified as cheating. End of discussion. By the same token, a student may be disciplined if they consult reference sources during any sort of assessment...but what does it say...about the education system, that assessment is geared largely towards a student's ability to memorise?"
"[Schooling] fails on its own terms by virtue of offering a skewed account of what life is like for adults. Our culture is undeniably competitive, but cooperative skills are also valued in the workplace - and competitive schooling (spelling bees, awards assemblies, norm-referenced tests, class rank) discourages the development of those skills. Similarly adults are more likely to be evaluated at work on the basis of how they actually do their jobs than standardised tests results. Nor...is there much to justify the practices of same age groupings, or 50 minute periods. In short, we're not making schools...like 'real life.'"
"Lecturing is the best way to get information from teacher's notebook to student's notebook without touching the student's mind."
"That love [of reading] may never bloom if all the good stuff is occluded by too much attention to the machinery...knowing the definition of dramatic irony or iambic pentameter has the same relationship to being literate that memorising the atomic weight of nitrogen has to doing science."
"The finding that schools become less safe as a result of adopting zero tolerance policies will sound paradoxical only to those readers who believe that threats and punishment create safety."
"The reason we will continue to redirect resources toward math and science (and away from literature and the arts) isn't because the former are inherently more important but simply because they are more useful from an economic standpoint."
"Some children who look like every adult's dream of a dedicated student may in reality be anxious, driven and motivated by a perpetual need to feel better about themselves , rather than by anything resembling curiosity. In a word, they are workaholics in training."
September 29, 2024
This is a collection of thorough essays on what might be considered contrarian stances in the edu space, yet Kohn's writing is easy to digest, conversational, and even witty, much to my surprise as this is the first material of his I've read.
A great quick read!
A great quick read!
March 21, 2014
There are no easy answers to the problems facing public education at this time in history but Kohn is able to suggest ways in which it could be improved from the inside out. Kohn takes apart beliefs we have around public schooling, for example the focus on individual work at the expense of group participation: I want to see what *you* can do, on your own. Emphasis on the individual is part and parcel of the American 'ideal' and is currently making testing companies (and many others) very rich. It is not, however, a healthy way to educate children. Unfortunately damaging 'educational' practices are not going away soon and neither can we suddenly abandon grades and rubrics, despite it being in the best interests of children. Kohn challenges widely held educational beliefs and offers ways to think about them while cognizant of the realities facing public school teachers and students. Each chapter is accompanied by extensive footnotes and references to back up his arguments. Anyone interested in critically examining public education should have this book on the shelves to use as reference in the months and years to come.
July 17, 2011
It was helpful to see in print those philosophical pieces of education that we all know are true for every child! I actually took six pages of notes. At times, the author was unrealistic but it was still a good read and reinforcement of why its so important to educate all facets of a student, not just the intellectual.
December 8, 2013
Alfie Kohn wants to start a revolution in education. He has something to criticize on every facet. Occasionally he even has a suggestion about how to improve education that could realistically be implemented.
August 1, 2022
Enjoyable Reading
I read this book because I was interested in the material (intrinsic motivation) not because I had to or because I felt I had to (extrinsic motivation). The book is a collection of essays with mostly a progressive agenda toward schooling and what’s good for children (and adults). I found it really enjoyable, well put together, and well researched. Mostly it helps explain that nagging feeling I had throughout many of my experiences with schooling that something was off.
I think there’s some rumor out there that Mark Twain said something like “I never let schooling interfere with my education.” This makes sense to me now in the context of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. When educators use extrinsic rewards, such as Grades, Candy, and Allowing participation in extracurricular activities on the basis of doing well or behaving well, the students suffer or worse internalize this model and try to live this way (i.e., endure things they don’t enjoy to get rewards later). Finding reasons to do things you want to do (intrinsic) is a much better model and far more sustainable for enjoying life now and later, enjoying school now and later. Happiness of the students of course isn’t the only thing that matters, but thats no justification for making them miserable and convincing them that this is the “right” way to motivate people.
I read this book because I was interested in the material (intrinsic motivation) not because I had to or because I felt I had to (extrinsic motivation). The book is a collection of essays with mostly a progressive agenda toward schooling and what’s good for children (and adults). I found it really enjoyable, well put together, and well researched. Mostly it helps explain that nagging feeling I had throughout many of my experiences with schooling that something was off.
I think there’s some rumor out there that Mark Twain said something like “I never let schooling interfere with my education.” This makes sense to me now in the context of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. When educators use extrinsic rewards, such as Grades, Candy, and Allowing participation in extracurricular activities on the basis of doing well or behaving well, the students suffer or worse internalize this model and try to live this way (i.e., endure things they don’t enjoy to get rewards later). Finding reasons to do things you want to do (intrinsic) is a much better model and far more sustainable for enjoying life now and later, enjoying school now and later. Happiness of the students of course isn’t the only thing that matters, but thats no justification for making them miserable and convincing them that this is the “right” way to motivate people.
April 14, 2018
Great book! At first, I thought it would be boring, but the author actually brought up some really great, creative, valid points that are worth considering. They're things all teachers should keep in consideration, do I'm really glad I read this book. Also, Kohn had a really funny, casual, satirical voice that honestly made me burst out laughing at multiple points.
January 15, 2022
Excellent mix of childhood psychology and critical skepticism of our current system. Written with an apparent personal viewpoint, but backed by research. I had many personal epiphanies about how I ended up with my own psychological baggage.
May 3, 2022
Honestly, this was a book that supported what I’ve thought about education with peer-reviewed research. Highly recommended reading, especially for those dissatisfied with the current state of public education.
January 2, 2019
Absolute brilliance.
February 26, 2019
For every essay I agreed with or drew insights from, there were 5 that felt unrelatable or out dated. Really like Alfie Kohn and reading someone you don’t totally agree with can help you grow.
October 19, 2020
Alfie Kohn is a breath of fresh air. I adore his books.
February 22, 2017
great book filled with tastes of ideas that sent me to more books
June 18, 2016
This book fervently promotes progressive education and takes aim at many of the conventional practices taking place in our schools. Kohn says among other things:
-There is little or any advantage to homework particularly in elementary and middle school
-High school and college teachers have been encouraged to think of themselves as experts in their content areas rather than in pedagogy
-The schooling most students have encourages passivity and compliance over questioning and challenging ideas and authority
-Teachers create poorer learning environments by keeping virtually all the power in all classroom decisions made concerning students
-Both rewards and punishments can have the opposite effect on a child hoped for by diminishing the intrinsic motivation a child has
-Students relentlessly focused on how well they are doing often become less engaged with what they are doing
-Even just the act of having students quantify their reading can kill their motivation to read.
-Measuring students so closely can lead to children being valued conditionally
-Students are not empty glasses into which information can be poured in
-It’s not the teacher's actions that matter but the students perceptions of those actions that matter
Kohn’s sharp critique causes us to take a step back to see a new perspective on many of the education practices we’ve become accustomed to. A good example example of this is Kohn’s deconstruction of sentiment behind the classic NO WHINING sign on many classroom walls into “I don’t want to hear your complaints about anything you’re being made to do (or prevented from doing)” His rich critique often isn’t thorough enough to win someone over to his side of a position but it does offer a stepping stone toward a new perspective and for that his book is worth reading.
-There is little or any advantage to homework particularly in elementary and middle school
-High school and college teachers have been encouraged to think of themselves as experts in their content areas rather than in pedagogy
-The schooling most students have encourages passivity and compliance over questioning and challenging ideas and authority
-Teachers create poorer learning environments by keeping virtually all the power in all classroom decisions made concerning students
-Both rewards and punishments can have the opposite effect on a child hoped for by diminishing the intrinsic motivation a child has
-Students relentlessly focused on how well they are doing often become less engaged with what they are doing
-Even just the act of having students quantify their reading can kill their motivation to read.
-Measuring students so closely can lead to children being valued conditionally
-Students are not empty glasses into which information can be poured in
-It’s not the teacher's actions that matter but the students perceptions of those actions that matter
Kohn’s sharp critique causes us to take a step back to see a new perspective on many of the education practices we’ve become accustomed to. A good example example of this is Kohn’s deconstruction of sentiment behind the classic NO WHINING sign on many classroom walls into “I don’t want to hear your complaints about anything you’re being made to do (or prevented from doing)” His rich critique often isn’t thorough enough to win someone over to his side of a position but it does offer a stepping stone toward a new perspective and for that his book is worth reading.
September 23, 2012
This is the first book I've read by Kohn, and I'm so glad I read it. My book group has decided to start reading The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, so I've got my library's copy tucked in my room. I digress.
One awesome thing about this book is that I actually didn't get the book. Rather, almost all of the chapters were available at Kohn's website, so I highly recommend going there for more of his stuff (bonus points for accessibility). His agenda is progressive education, and that system has its own complexities and issues. What I like is that he pushes against boundaries and assumptions we have about children and their learning. I teach college-level students, and while this seems to be mostly geared toward the teachers of younger students, I remind myself that my students were those younger students, so it gives me a greater understanding for how they got to be the way they are when I see them.
Overall a fascinating read and an excellent catalyst for discussion among parents and educators.
One awesome thing about this book is that I actually didn't get the book. Rather, almost all of the chapters were available at Kohn's website, so I highly recommend going there for more of his stuff (bonus points for accessibility). His agenda is progressive education, and that system has its own complexities and issues. What I like is that he pushes against boundaries and assumptions we have about children and their learning. I teach college-level students, and while this seems to be mostly geared toward the teachers of younger students, I remind myself that my students were those younger students, so it gives me a greater understanding for how they got to be the way they are when I see them.
Overall a fascinating read and an excellent catalyst for discussion among parents and educators.
March 14, 2014
I 100% support Kohn's view that we "need to maintain a questioning stance. Intellectual progress demands that we refuse to take things at face value, refuse to accept everything we've been told, refuse to assume that the conventional wisdom must be right." Feel-Bad Education, pg. 43
That quotation is a pretty good summary of how I have treated my teaching for the last 30 years--whether I was teaching in public school, home school, private school, or community ed. And I love that Kohn leads the way in important questions.
Nevertheless, I am not in love with this book. I am presently teaching 7th grade language arts, and I am always looking for inspiration on education. I should have figured out from the book's title that this was NOT it. I expected Kohn to criticize the public school system, but I assumed he would have at least a couple of innovative solutions. Nope. None that I could find.
If you are looking for a pep talk try Kelly Gallagher or read Teach Like your Hair is On Fire. Read Kohn when you need ammunition against the status quo.
That quotation is a pretty good summary of how I have treated my teaching for the last 30 years--whether I was teaching in public school, home school, private school, or community ed. And I love that Kohn leads the way in important questions.
Nevertheless, I am not in love with this book. I am presently teaching 7th grade language arts, and I am always looking for inspiration on education. I should have figured out from the book's title that this was NOT it. I expected Kohn to criticize the public school system, but I assumed he would have at least a couple of innovative solutions. Nope. None that I could find.
If you are looking for a pep talk try Kelly Gallagher or read Teach Like your Hair is On Fire. Read Kohn when you need ammunition against the status quo.
October 1, 2011
I read most of these essays elsewhere, but Kohn is a writer best revisited and reread. His writing style is dense while also totally accessible.
Full disclosure--I love Kohn and agree with most of what he has to say about education (tests and standards are bad, bad, bad and undermining actual education and most homework is a crock) and parenting (unconditional is best) even though I know that these ideals can be hard to attain (institutionally and personally).
Kohn asks us to take a hard look at assumptions we have held dear or relied on for too long. He asks that we strive for greater things by reexamining ourselves and our institutions.
I, for one, am so glad that Kohn is out there championing these causes.
Full disclosure--I love Kohn and agree with most of what he has to say about education (tests and standards are bad, bad, bad and undermining actual education and most homework is a crock) and parenting (unconditional is best) even though I know that these ideals can be hard to attain (institutionally and personally).
Kohn asks us to take a hard look at assumptions we have held dear or relied on for too long. He asks that we strive for greater things by reexamining ourselves and our institutions.
I, for one, am so glad that Kohn is out there championing these causes.
July 2, 2011
First of all I should say that I had to return this book to the library before I finished it.
That being said - i gave this book two stars not because I disagreed with what the author was saying - on the contrary. I agree with many of his progressive ideas and theories for improving the educational system (and learning in general).
I just feel that it’s nothing I haven’t heard before. To be quite honest, I got bored. That’s why I didn’t finish it in time. I’ll try to pick it up again at some point I’m sure. Hopefully then it’ll change my mind- but until then, it’s getting 2 stars.
That being said - i gave this book two stars not because I disagreed with what the author was saying - on the contrary. I agree with many of his progressive ideas and theories for improving the educational system (and learning in general).
I just feel that it’s nothing I haven’t heard before. To be quite honest, I got bored. That’s why I didn’t finish it in time. I’ll try to pick it up again at some point I’m sure. Hopefully then it’ll change my mind- but until then, it’s getting 2 stars.
August 24, 2013
Another good read by Alfie Kohn. As a teacher, I connected more with section 2 and 3 since I feel like I have a direct relation with the topics and could actually utilize them in my classroom. At times, what he points out seems to good to be true because its not the norm in the teaching world, but just because its the norm doesn't mean its always the best way to do it. Even though the writing is directed towards educators, I believe parents should also read this book as well. It will allow parents to have guided questions to think about what and why their child's teacher does in the classroom.
July 15, 2015
I don't agree with all of Alfie Kohn's points, but it was a fascinating read. I particularly enjoyed his humor and ideas in Challenging Students, How to Create Nonreaders and Bad Signs. In Who's Cheating Whom? I fully expected him to discuss how collaboration is valued in the workplace and called cheating in school, and it was mentioned, but he spent the bulk of the chapter on a more profound point--if by cheating it is possible for a student to get a better grade, then the exam is not testing anything of value. I recommend Feel-Bad Education for homeschooling parents and conventional educators, too.
May 6, 2011
I read this because, coming upon it in the bookstore, I suspected that Mr. Kohn had managed to articulate much of my dissatisfaction and even discomfort with my own teaching practice and the context in which I'm teaching. He did not disappoint. His views are extreme, even to someone as liberal as me, but refreshing in this time when teachers feel they must teach to the test in order to keep their jobs. I do not agree with everything Mr. Kohn writes, but I do intend to change my teaching practice as a result of reading this book, and I can't wait to start.
July 5, 2012
Some of this book is awesome and some just crazy (and I'm sure Alfie Kohn knows that), but each essay should be a catalyst for great discussion. When reading Alfie Kohn, you have to remember that he is at one extreme and just use his ideas to spark new thinking. Many of his ideas are spot on (testing, standards, rubrics, and much of the pedagogy stuff), but I disagree with a lot of the classroom management, disciplining children stuff, motivation stuff. I bet he had one wild and crazy classroom!
May 18, 2011
I really appreciated this look at our schools and school policies from a progressive perspective. A lot of what he says makes so much sense. Sometimes I think he takes evidence and railroads us into a conclusion that might not necessarily be true, but for the most part I think he is right on target. I especially enjoyed his critique of the culture of schools--safety, achievement, motivation, inspiration-- and the parenting piece on supernanny.
August 3, 2011
This author has filled his book with a collection of incredibly persuasive essays on what he thinks the education system does wrong. For identifying these problems in such a clear way, he is to be commended; however, the shortcoming of the book is that it is much lighter on practical suggestions and demonstrations on how to run a progressive classroom without losing the kids to rowdy abandon. Putting educational theory into practice is always the hard part!
March 10, 2012
Kohn covers a lot more territory here than in _What does it Mean to be Well Educated_, repeats many of the old arguments, to great effect. I'm changing my classroom again. And composing a letter to the author. If you are one of those educators who is trying to get real learning to happen in your classroom, Kohn is always required reading for reflection on your practice. After 20 years + in education, I'm humbled into change, again.
April 18, 2012
Second book in my streak of education books. Maybe third? Well. This author is ridiculous- we need to take him with a grain of salt. But his points are valid, indeed, very recent, since the book was published in 2011. I especially enjoyed his essays over cheating, self-discipline (and why it's overrated), and autonomy. Allow me to copy my reading log over the cheating and autonomy chapters:
First of all, cheating is extremely relative. <- to be continued tomorrow
First of all, cheating is extremely relative. <- to be continued tomorrow
January 5, 2013
This is a collection of essays by Alfie Kohn.
I randomly picked it up off the education shelf at the library and I'm so glad I did. It is absolutely wonderful!
An honest look at education and what needs to be thrown out. It was very inspiring to me.
I found myself cheering inside as I read each essay thinking, "YES! YES! That is why I homeschool!"
I also recognized many ways I could improve our little school at home so it's not so "School AT home".
I randomly picked it up off the education shelf at the library and I'm so glad I did. It is absolutely wonderful!
An honest look at education and what needs to be thrown out. It was very inspiring to me.
I found myself cheering inside as I read each essay thinking, "YES! YES! That is why I homeschool!"
I also recognized many ways I could improve our little school at home so it's not so "School AT home".
March 22, 2013
Clandestinely reading this book during my teacher preparation program probably lowered my grade by filling my mind with irritation towards the standards-oriented corporate agenda that we were being force fed. Took time away from polishing my 12th essay about the Teacher Performance Expectations. Allowed me a tiny space to breathe under the avalanche of pressure from all sides that is teaching in America. Thank you Alfie!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews