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When we do things that are controlling, whether intentional or not, we are not going to get those long-term outcomes.

Alfie Kohn

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Alfie Kohn
Age: 67
Born: 1957
Born: October 15
Author
Teacher
Writer
Miami Beach
Florida
Whether
School
Going
Long
Things
Intentional
Controlling
Outcomes
Term

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We have so much to cover and so little time to cover it. Howard Gardner refers to curriculum coverage as the single greatest enemy of understanding. Think instead about ideas to be discovered.
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Those who know they're valued irrespective of their accomplishments often end up accomplishing quite a lot. It's the experience of being accepted without conditions that helps people develop a healthy confidence in themselves, a belief that it's safe to take risks and try new things.
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Independence is useful, but caring attitudes and behaviors shrivel up in a culture where each person is responsible only for himself.
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Trying to do well and trying to beat others are two different things. Excellence and victory are conceptually distinct . . . and are experienced differently.
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Grades are a subjective rating masquerading as an objective evaluation.
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How can we do our best when we are spending our energies trying to make others lose - and fearing that they will make us lose?
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Each time I visit such a classroom, where the teacher is more interested in creating a democratic community than in maintaining her position of authority, I’m convinced all over again that moving away from consequences and rewards isn’t just realistic - it’s the best way to help kids grow into good learners and good people.
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The overwhelming number of teachers ...are unable to name or describe a theory of learning that underlies what they do.
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Assessments should compare the performance of students to a set of expectations, never to the performance of other students.
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John Dewey reminded us that the value of what students do 'resides in its connection with a stimulation of greater thoughtfulness, not in the greater strain it imposes.
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To control students is to force them to accommodate to a preestablished curriculum.
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There are different kinds of motivation, and the kind matters more than the amount.
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Very few things are as dangerous as a bunch of incentive-driven individuals trying to play it safe.
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If unconditional love and genuine enthusiasm are present, praise isn't necessary. If they're absent, praise won't help.
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Most of us would protest that of course we love our children without any strings attached. But what counts is how things look from the perspective of the children
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Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously.
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Don't let anyone tell you that standardized tests are not accurate measures. The truth of the matter is they offer a remarkably precise method for gauging the size of the houses near the school where the test was administered.
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What can we surmise about the likelihood of someone's being caring and generous, loving and helpful, just from knowing that they are a believer? Virtually nothing, say psychologists, sociologists, and others who have studied that question for decade
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Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.
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When test scores go up, we should worry, because of how poor a measure they are of what matters, and what you typically sacrifice in a desperate effort to raise scores.
Alfie Kohn