Best Selling Books by Alfie Kohn

Arguing against the tougher standards rhetoric that marks the current education debate, the author of No Contest and Punished by Rewards writes that such tactics squeeze the pleasure out of learning. Reprint.

In this 10th anniversary edition of an ASCD best seller, author Alfie Kohn reflects on his innovative ideas about replacing traditional discipline programs, in which things are done to students to control how they act, with a collaborative approach, in which we work with students to create caring communities. Features a new afterword by the author.

A compelling expose of homework--its negative effects, why it''s so widely accepted, and what we can do about it

Argues that competition is inherently destructive and that competitive behavior is culturally induced, counter-productive, and causes anxiety, selfishness, self-doubt, and poor communication.

The author of Punished by Rewards and The Schools Our Children Deserve returns with a provocative challenge to the conventional ways of raising children. Kohn argues that all children have the need to be loved unconditionally, yet conventional approaches to parenting, such as punishment and reward, teach children that they are loved only when they please and impress parents. Kohn cites powerful research detailing the damage this can cause. Unconditional Parenting pushes parents to question their ideas of parenting and offers practical solutions to problems.

Parenting and education expert Alfie Kohn tackles the misconception that overparenting and overindulgence has produced a modern generation of entitled children incapable of making their way in the world.

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.”

Kohn argues against the practice of offering people rewards in order to persuade them to get good grades, do good work, or behave in a certain manner, presenting evidence that shows the practice often has a negative effect, and discusses alternative methods of influencing behavior.

Revised for the twenty-fifth anniversary of its publication, Alfie Kohn''s landmark challenge to carrot-and-stick psychology features updated reflections and research in a major new afterword by the author. Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summed up in six words: Do this and you’ll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in the same way that we train the family pet. Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentives—and are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do. Promising goodies to children for good behavior, meanwhile, can never produce anything more than temporary obedience. Even praise can become a verbal bribe that gets kids hooked on our approval. Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin—and the coin doesn’t buy much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. Hence, he offers practical strategies for parents, teachers, and managers to replace carrots and sticks. Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

Kohn''s central message is that standardized tests are "not a force of nature but a force of politics--and political decisions can be questioned, challenged, and ultimately reversed."

Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, The Brighter Side of Human Nature makes a powerful case that caring and generosity are just as natural as selfishness and aggression. This lively refutation of cynical assumptions about our species considers the nature of empathy and the causes of war, why we (incorrectly) explain all behavior in terms of self-interest, and how we can teach children to care.

Alfie Kohn challenges conventional notions on everything from students'' self-esteem to school uniforms in this witty, passionate, and provocative collection.

Everyone knows that boys are better than girls at math, spicy foods upset the stomach while milk is soothing, you should never have sex before the big game, carrots are good for the eyes, and beauty is only skin deep. The only problem with these truisms is that they''re false. A captivating look at scores of common beliefs--are they nuggets of truth or fool''s gold?

Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions about education as provocatively as Alfie Kohn. Time magazine has called him''perhaps the country''s most outspoken critic of education''s fixation on grades [and] test scores.'' And the Washington Post says he is ''the most energetic and charismatic figure standing in the way of a major federal effort to make standardized curriculums and tests a fact of life in every U.S. school.'' In this new collection of essays, Kohn takes on some of the most important and controversial topics in education of the last few years. His central focus is on the real goals of education-a topic, he argues, that we systematically ignore while lavishing attention on misguided models of learning and counterproductive techniques of motivation. The shift to talking about goals yields radical conclusions and wonderfully pungent essays that only Alfie Kohn could have written. From the title essay''s challenge to conventional, conservative definitions of a good education to essays on standards and testing and grades that tally the severe educational costs of overemphasizing a narrow conception of achievement, Kohn boldly builds on his earlier work and writes for a wide audience. Kohn''s new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers and by any teacher or parent looking for a refreshing perspective on today''s debates about schools.

Was denken Eltern über ihre Kinder? Was empfinden sie für ihre Kinder? Wie handeln sie? Liebe und Eigenständigkeit ermuntert uns, genau hinzuschauen. Das lohnt sich, denn es gibt einen Weg, unsere Kinder respektvoll und in Liebe zu begleiten. Ein Weg, der uns in einen tiefen und klaren Kontakt mit unseren Kindern bringt und uns sogar über die Zeit der Pubertät hinaus mit unseren Kindern zu verbinden vermag. Doch noch fragen wir uns häufig, wie wir es erreichen können, dass unsere Kinder das tun, was wir von ihnen wollen. Genau hier stecken wir in den Sackgassen gewohnter Erziehungsversuche fest. Alfie Kohn steht uns zur Seite, indem er mit den Mythen und Wunschvorstellungen eingefahrener Erziehungslehren aufräumt und uns an jenen Punkt zurückführt, an dem das Fragen wirklich Sinn macht: "Was brauchen Kinder und wie können wir diese Bedürfnisse erfüllen?" Ein Grundbedürfnis aller Kinder ist es, bedingungslos geliebt zu werden. Zu wissen, dass sie auch dann angenommen sind, wenn sie mal voll aufdrehen oder wenn ihnen etwas misslingt. Übliche Erziehungsmethoden wie Bestrafung oder Belohnung versagen an dieser Stelle. Sie setzen auf Kontrolle und vermitteln unseren Kindern so, dass sie nur dann geliebt werden, wenn sie uns gefallen oder wenn sie uns beeindrucken. Alfie Kohn verweist auf umfassende aber wenig bekannte Forschungsergebnisse, die belegen, welchen Schaden es anrichten kann, Kindern den Eindruck zu vermitteln, sie müssten sich unsere Anerkennung "verdienen". Denn das ist die Botschaft, die den meisten der heute weit verbreiteten Erziehungsmethoden zugrunde liegt - ob wir es wollen oder nicht. Eine Vielzahl praktischer Beispiele rundet Liebe und Eigenständigkeit ab. Sie zeigen uns ganz alltagsbezogen, wie wir mit Kindern zusammenarbeiten können, statt sie nur als Objekte zu behandeln. Sie zeigen uns, wie wir Lob durch bedingungslose Unterstützung ersetzen können - jenes Elixier, das Kinder so sehr brauchen, um zu gesunden, warmherzigen und verantwortungsbewussten Menschen heranzuwachsen. Doch Achtung! Dieses Buch öffnet einem die Augen, erschüttert eingefahrene Denkmuster und hilft uns am Ende, zu unserer eigenen Intuition zurückzufinden und bessere Eltern zu werden.

"Kohn''s analytical style ... is brought to bear on big-picture policy issues as well as small-scale classroom interactions. He looks carefully at research about homework, play, the supposed benefits of practice, parent involvement in education, and summer learning loss - discovering in each case what we''ve been led to believe doesn''t always match what the studies actually say. Kohn actually challenges us to reconsider the goals that underlie our methods, to explore the often troubling values that inform talk about everything from the disproportionate enthusiasm for STEM subjects to claims made for "effective" teaching strategies."--Back cover.

Traditional Chinese edition of The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. The author questions the value of homework with valid arguments. In Traditional Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

De nos jours, on accuse les parents d''être tout à la fois laxistes et trop protecteurs, incapables de poser des limites, paniqués à l''idée que leurs enfants échouent. On dit des jeunes qu''ils sont narcissiques, qu''ils se croient tout permis. Alfie Kohn démonte méthodiquement ces croyances ; il ne se contente pas de remettre en cause les affirmations factuellement erronées, il dévoile aussi l''idéologie dérangeante qu''elles cachent. De récentes recherches révèlent que la parentalité hélicoptère est plutôt rare, et que lorsqu''elle existe, elle fait étonnamment plus de bien que de mal. Kohn fait valoir que la plus grande menace qui pèse sur le développement d''un enfant, c''est un style parental trop contrôlant, et non trop indulgent. Sur le même ton vivant et anticonformiste que dans son précédent livre traduit en français Aimer nos enfants inconditionnellement, Kohn s''appuie sur un grand nombre de données scientifiques et sociologiques - tout autant que sur l''humour et la logique - pour questionner les affirmations qui surgissent dans la presse grand public américaine avec une régularité de métronome : les jeunes ont la grosse tête ; ils reçoivent des récompenses, des compliments et des bonnes notes beaucoup trop facilement ; davantage d''autodiscipline ne leur ferait pas de mal, et il faudrait qu''ils en bavent un peu plus. Ces croyances conservatrices sont souvent acceptées sans broncher, y compris par des gens dont les opinions politiques sont plutôt progressistes. En France aussi on entend les mêmes antiennes : "On n''a rien sans rien", "Si tu crois que ça va te tomber tout cuit dans le bec", "Dans la vie, il faut toujours un perdant", bref ; cette idée qu''il ne faudrait pas que la vie des enfants soit trop facile est tout aussi prégnante - et délétère. Repli sur soi et peur de l''autre, accroissement vertigineux des inégalités, crise écologique et autres bouleversements sociétaux : ce livre tombe à pic, car il est grand temps de changer notre regard sur les jeunes si on veut qu''ils deviennent des adultes capables de relever les défis qui les attendent.

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In De mythe van het verwende kind ontkracht Alfie Kohn systematisch de conservatieve veronderstellingen die er bestaan rondom opvoeden.

Traditional Chinese edition of Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason. "This book underscores an important parenting principle: Discipline is more about having the right relationship with your child than having the right techniques." ~ Dr. William Sears In Traditional Chinese. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

The author presents parenting theories and techniques that promote desired child qualities through unconditional support, while arguing against practices that teach children that they must earn a parent''s approval.