A little thing I did about one of the leading educators in the U.S.

1. Once Upon a Time...

15. The End

16. The Moral of the story is…
Extrinsic Rewards
Reduce
Intrinsic Motivation
- Alfie Kohn

17. Alfie Kohn
Born Oct 15, 1957, Miami, FL
Married, 2 kids
B.A. , Brown University 1979
(created his own disciplinary
course of study)
M.A. , University of Chicago
Has taught high school in PA and
MA
Currently lecturer/author living
in Boston, MA

18. Influences:
John Dewey (1859 – 1952)
USA - Education Reformer
Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980)
Switzerland - Father of Genetic
Epistemology

19. Genetic Epistemology:
“The study of knowledge as a biological
process…a matter of adaptation by an
organism to an environment”.
From newborns
to
ca. age 11

20. Competition
Don’t get Alfie started on…
Homework

21. …should not be the only means by which
students or schools are evaluated.
…should not, in any case, be imposed by
fiat on all schools in the state.
…should not be administered too often.
…are inappropriate for young children.
…should be used to rate, never to rank.

22. Grades and Rewards:
 Rupture Relationships
 Ignore Reason
 Discourage Risk-Taking
 Cut into the Desire to Learn
 Are a Punishment

23. Signs you’re in
a•Chairs all face forward and…’shudder’…in a row.
•Packaged instructional material displayed orderly on walls.
BAD CLASSROOM
•Commercial posters, list of rules, sticker/star charts, samples of
work from only the ‘brightest’ students.
•Teacher is highly visible, front and center, in control and
authoritative.
•All students waiting for the next set of teacher-initiated activity
or responding to teacher-initiated questions.

24. Signs you’re in a
Progressive
Classroom
Multiple activity centers featuring various classroom structures including
open spaces and large tables for student group work.
Room overflowing with a variety of materials, apparatus and supplies.
Displays of student projects demonstrating student collaboration or personal
memos initiated by the students.
A buzz or low-level hum of activity featuring students exchanging ideas.
A warm, respectful teacher mingling with students.
Students eager and excited about learning as they actively question one
another.
Multiple activities taking place simultaneously with students working in
pairs or groups.

25. Traditional education:

26. Progressive Education:

28. American Psychological
Association’s National
Psychology Award for
Excellence in the
Media, 1987

29. National Parenting
Publication Awards –
NAPPA Gold Award,
2006

30. National Council of
Teachers of English
George Orwell Award
for Distinguished
Contribution to
Honesty and Clarity in
Public Language, 2000

31. Other books by Alfie Kohn:

32. The Real End