Review of “A Critical look at Character Education: Alfie Kohn” He concentrated on methods that are employed to practice character education program and its relation to ruin the validity of program.

1. c
Review of “A Critical look at Character Education by Alfie Kohn”
Prepared by:
Tayyaba Riaz
M. Phil (Education)
Subject: Curriculum Development

2. Review of “A Critical look at character Education Program : Alfie Kohn” by Tayyaba Riaz Page 2
Review of “A Critical look at Character Education by Alfie Kohn”
Character is an extrinsic that reflects what is
received by child in early years of his/her life
with the passage of time development of
rationale in learner starts building-up the
intrinsic and then all extrinsic of child are
reflection partially of his/her intrinsic and
partially of extrinsic( influence of surroundings
and interactions). This build-up of intrinsic,
without influencing, is the task of moral
educators.
Kohn has taken a critical stance on
offered program for character education
especially in his work “A Critical look at
Character Education”. Whenever one is
analyzing a program one goes in a sequence e.g.
first to analyse objectives then content at next
method and at last its achievement or end
product through evaluation. In contrast to that
Kohn, being a classroom management theorist,
has concentrated on methods that are employed
to practice character education program and its
relation to ruin the validity of program.
Foremost, he has placed an issue of “at
the level the problems are addressed”. Here
Kohn has emphasized on process of instruction
of values and insisted that teachers should not
“fix the child” and allow the child to know that
who we are? And how we act? In a situation that
caught us in our daily lives. He insists to the
teachers not to impose or fix the value but let
the learner to choose similar value as her/his
choice.
At next he has explained the reason of
such “fix the child” attitude of teachers and
informed about “view of human nature” for
teachers or for moral educators. Kohn put in
plain words that since the adult think that child
is not capable enough to take decisions even for
his/her “self”. So, it is beneficial for them to
become beneficiary of the pre-determined
values. Here Kohn has a view to allow learners
to reason before acceptance of any value as a
part of their life and once the learner will release
the utility of value then their will be no need of
associating incentives or motivational statement
to agree learner for practicing that value in daily
life. While keeping in view the pragmatic
approach one can approve this instance of
letting all to reason. But Kohn’s confidence
about the acceptance through reasoning is
questionable because morals and values are just
not scientific matters that the ratio of deviation
from correct answer or appropriate answers is
less. As all learners are coming from diverse
family background so it’s tough to gain
consensus on issues like euthanasia. Similarly
things will become terrible when a teacher is
facing a diverse situation where learners belongs
to different stages of moral development (stages
of moral development by Kohlberg) again
consensus on any value will be a headache.
Then, he talked about ultimate goal;
Kohn said that if we want learners to have
productive contributions in maintenance of
social order or society then they must have
reasons for acceptance of certain values on the
basis of their practical benefits.
Kohn has taken standpoint that this
“unquestioned moral training” and “fixing of
child” will benefit whom? Is it in benefit of

3. Review of “A Critical look at character Education Program : Alfie Kohn” by Tayyaba Riaz Page 3
child? No! Never! Not. Secondly he blamed for
“blaming child and insisting to take the
responsibility if done something that is rejected
or prohibited by adults” just because few adults
have prepared a yardstick and the younger will
be measured against it and in result they will be
awarded else will be punished and strictness of
penalty depends on how much the learner
deviate from the fixed standards. Later than
Kohn criticized teachers fishing for right answer
(decided one). He thinks that the pre-determined
answers will let the learners to learn how to earn
teacher’s approvals rather than learning that
particular value. His rejection of “competition”
and “incentives” in character education
program has to be appreciated. For him
incentives improve competition as a value and
habit. Association of achievements with
incentives is harmful in long run when child act
on or practice any value not for the utility of the
value in itself but to gain incentives.
Critical analysis of Kohn is open to
discussion at some places such as he wouldn’t
approve General Will acceptance at first then
he asked learner to let his/her chosen “value’ to
get approved by others whether they will or not
charge him/her for it? Similarly after canceling
an idea of imitation in light of “general will” he
later on asks to call local heroes for “acceptance
and imitation of their deeds by learners”. Here
Kohn has forgotten his own stance for
“reasoning”. At last disqualification of role of
uniform for improvement of character is
questionable because introduction of uniform in
schools is to decrease socio-economic
differences, to trim down a feeling of inferior or
superior and to fashion “Just” and “Equality”
in educational institute. This realization is also a
part of character education.
So, it can be summed up with a
statement that (despite of some imperfection in
examples) It’s an eye opening attempt by
placing questions like Socrates to expose the
pitfalls of character education programs. It is a
high time to think what we actually want? And
most importantly: How it can be achieved?
References:
How Not to Teach Values “A Critical Look at
Character Education” By Alfie Kohn PHI DELTA
KAPPAN February 1997
Kohlberg, Lawrence (1973). "The Claim to Moral
Adequacy of a Highest Stage of Moral
Judgment". Journal of Philosophy (The Journal of
Philosophy, Vol. 70, No. 18) 70 (18): 630–646
The Philosophy of Moral Development: Moral Stages and
the Idea of Justice (Essays on Moral Development,
Volume 1)
by Lawrence Kohlberg.