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What to Look for in a Classroom and Other Essays (Paperback)

by Alfie Kohn (Author) "We are in love with skills ..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Jossey Bass; New edition edition (3 Feb 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0787952834
  • ISBN-13: 978-0787952839
  • Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 633,044 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Review

"Of the dozens of ′experts′ on what′s wrong (and right) in U.S. schools, only a handful are truly worth reading; Kohn has long been one of the soundest." ––Booklist

"Kohn′s message, if heeded, could inspire a productive revolution in America′s fatigued regime of public education." ––Publisher′s Weekly

"This collection...reminds us that many schools have veered off course in their day–to–day business. And it′s a primer that, if taken seriously, can put schools back on the right track." ––Educational Leadership

"Informative, inspiring, and thought–provoking." ––Library Journal


Product Description

"Alfie Kohn has a knack for bursting the bubbles that surround just about every school topic imaginable, from putting kids into uniforms to make them behave better to raising kids′ self–esteem by rewarding them with stickers and pizza for reading books and doing homework. This collection of previously published essays reminds us that many schools have veered off course in their day–to–day business. And it′s a primer that, if taken seriously, can put schools back on the right track."

––Educational LeadershipThrough his writings and speeches, Alfie Kohn has been stirring up controversy for years, demonstrating how the conventional wisdom about education often isn′t supported by the available research, and illuminating gaps between our long–term goals for students and what actually goes on in schools. Now What to Look for in a Classroom brings together his most popular articles from Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, and Education Week––and also from The Atlantic Monthly, the Boston Globe, and other publications.

From self–esteem to school uniforms, from grade inflation to character education, Kohn raises a series of provocative questions about the status quo in this collection of incisive essays. He challenges us to reconsider some of our most basic assumptions about children and education. Can good values really be instilled
in students? What, if anything, lies behind the label of attention deficit disorder? Are there solid data to support our skepticism about watching TV? Might such allegedly enlightened practices as authentic assessment,
logical consequences,
and Total Quality education
turn out to be detrimental? Whether he is explaining why cooperative learning can be so threatening or why detracking is so fiercely opposed, Kohn offers a fresh, informed, and frequently disconcerting perspective on the major issues in education.

In the And, his critical examination of current practice is complemented by a vision of what schooling ought to be. Kohn argues for giving children more opportunity to participate in their own schooling, for transforming classrooms into caring communities, and for providing the kind of education that taps and nourishes children′s curiosity. Through all these essays, Kohn calls us back to our own ideals, showing us how we can be more effective at helping students to become good learners and good people.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative ideas about Education Accessible to Lay People, 24 Feb 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: What to Look for in a Classroom and Other Essays (Hardcover)
Alfie Kohn is truly an iconoclast. And I mean that as high praise. Kohn has tackled such topics as competition, rewards and punishments, human nature, and the role of "discipine" in child-rearing in his writings. In each case, he has shown that the "conventional wisdom" on these topics is often not supported by careful, scientific study. Kohn is not only afraid to ask whether the emperor has no clothes -- he is also open to concluding that the answer may be "yes."

This book is a collection of essays written over the past several years. Most of the essays focus on the educational system, although some focus more generally on children, and their well-being. Here are some of the topics Kohn considers in his essays: How concerned should we be regarding the impact of T.V. on children?; What can self-esteem do for kids -- and what can't it do?; if cooperative learning is such a good idea, why is it so hard to implement?; how can giving children decision-making power in their day-to-day schooling make them better students, and better people?; what's wrong with "moral education"?; (how) can we teach kids to be caring?; etc.

Although these essays each ask different questions, they have some important things in common. First, Kohn treats all conventional wisdom with a skeptical eye. Rather than speculate on matters, Kohn carefully consults the enormous body of research on many of these questions in order to tell the reader what social scientists have learned about these matters. Second, Kohn applies the lessons learned in his other books in analyzing the problems he addresses in each of these essays. This allows the essays to hang together quite well, and give the reader a very satisfying sense of continuity while reading the book. These themes are: (1) competition is by no means "natural"; it is often self-defeating, makes people anxious and detracts from their overall sense of well-being; (2) rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coin; both are means of controlling people, and neither strategy is as effective as developing ways of capitalizing on people's instrinsic motivation; (3) we cannot simply bully kids into "doing the right thing"; we must construct situations for them which allow them to uncover and explore their values, and learn to apply them to specific situations; (4) children are better served when we teach them to think for themselves than when we train them to simply do as they are told; (5) if we want kids to act responsibly, we have give them real responsibilities.

Kohn is a very careful and rigorous thinker, who asks the right questions, and rarely jumps to conclusions without carefully thinking of the intracacies of a problem. Kohn's writing style is very accessible, and I think the book would be of interest to lay people concerned about education, practicioners of education, and academics who want a fresh perspective on educational problems.

If you like this book, you should definitely check out Kohn's other books. Kohn will challenge you to expand your horizons, and face questions you may otherwise not think of. What more can you ask for from a book than that?!?

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