Most Popular Books by Alfie Kohn

Explains why students are more likely to learn and flourish in schools that have moved toward collaborative problem solving instead of teacher-initiated discipline.

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.

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

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.

A critique on the American obsession with competition and it destructive influence on individuals and society.

Somehow, a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children -- what they''re like and how they should be raised -- have congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Young people, meanwhile, are routinely described as entitled and narcissistic . . . among other unflattering adjectives. In The Myth of the Spoiled Child, Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs -- not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them. Complaints about pushover parents and coddled kids are hardly new, he shows, and there is no evidence that either phenomenon is especially widespread today -- let alone more common than in previous generations. Moreover, new research reveals that helicopter parenting is quite rare and, surprisingly, may do more good than harm when it does occur. The major threat to healthy child development, John argues, is posed by parenting that is too controlling rather than too indulgent. With the same lively, contrarian style that marked his influential books about rewards, competition, and education, Kohn relies on a vast collection of social science data, as well as on logic and humor, to challenge assertions that appear with numbing regularity in the popular press. These include claims that young people suffer from inflated self-esteem; that they receive trophies, praise, and As too easily; and that they would benefit from more self-discipline and "grit." These conservative beliefs are often accepted without question, even by people who are politically liberal. Kohn''s invitation to reexamine our assumptions is particularly timely, then; his book has the potential to change our culture''s conversation about kids and the people who raise them.

Mind-opening writing on what kids need from school, from one of education’s most outspoken voices Almost no writer on schools asks us to question our fundamental assumptions about education and motivation as boldly as Alfie Kohn. The Washington Post says that “teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools.” And Time magazine has called him “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” Here is challenging and entertaining writing on where we should go in American education, in Alfie Kohn’s unmistakable voice. He argues in the title essay with those who think that high standards mean joylessness in the classroom. He reflects thoughtfully on the question “Why Self-Discipline Is Overrated.” And in an essay for the New York Times, which generated enormous response, he warns against the dangers of both punishing and praising children for what they do instead of parenting “unconditionally.” Whether he’s talking about school policy or the psychology of motivation, Kohn gives us wonderfully provocative—and utterly serious—food for thought. This new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers, and by teachers and parents seeking a refreshing perspective on today’s debates about kids and 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.

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.

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."

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.

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

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.

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.