Home » Parenting & Kids

The Work of Alfie Kohn

Ranked #7,265 in Parenting & Kids, #250,029 overall

What's it all about, Alfie?

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks about human behavior, education, and social theory. Most of his recent work focuses on the drawbacks of standardized testing and excessive homework.

He also writes and speaks about the drawbacks of using rewards and punishment to motivate behavior, particularly with kids. See my lens on Unconditional Parenting for more on that.

Some Background Information on Alfie Kohn's Life and Work

Wikipedia Article
Short article outlining the major arguments Mr. Kohn sets forth in his book The Homework Myth.
WikEd Article
Much longer article outlining Mr. Kohn's theories.
His Website
Here you can find a list of topics Mr. Kohn speaks on, as well as his schedule of speaking engagements.

Also includes links to his books, articles, and tapes.

Alfie Kohn Books on Amazon

Have you read any of these? Rank it in the list!

1

Vote Up
Vote Down
The Brighter Side Of Human Nature: Altruism And Empathy In Everyday Life by Alfie Kohn

The Brighter Side Of Human Nature: Altruism And Empathy In Everyday Life by Alfie Kohn

Drawing from hundreds of studies in half a dozen fields, more...1 point

2

Vote Up
Vote Down
The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing by Alfie Kohn

The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing by Alfie Kohn

So why do we continue to administer this modern co more...0 points

3

Vote Up
Vote Down
Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn

Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason by Alfie Kohn

Most parenting guides begin with the question "How more...0 points

4

Vote Up
Vote Down
Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn

Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes by Alfie Kohn

The basic strategy we use for raising children, te more...0 points

5

Vote Up
Vote Down
Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie Kohn

Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie Kohn

What is most remarkable about the assortment of discipline more...0 points

6

Vote Up
Vote Down
Learning to Trust: Transforming Difficult Elementary Classrooms Through Developmental Discipline by Marilyn Watson, Laura Ecken, Alfie Kohn

Learning to Trust: Transforming Difficult Elementary Classrooms Through Developmental Discipline by Marilyn Watson, Laura Ecken, Alfie Kohn

Faced with increasing numbers of children who are difficult more...0 points

7

Vote Up
Vote Down
The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and

The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and "Tougher Standards" by Alfie Kohn

In this "lively, provocative and well-researc more...0 points

8

Vote Up
Vote Down
No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn

No Contest: The Case Against Competition by Alfie Kohn

No Contest stands as the definitive critique of co more...0 points

9

Vote Up
Vote Down
What Does it Mean to Be Well Educated? And Other Essays on Standards, Grading, and Other Follies by Alfie Kohn

What Does it Mean to Be Well Educated? And Other Essays on Standards, Grading, and Other Follies by Alfie Kohn

Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions more...0 points

Clips of Kohn Lecturing

Loading

A few photos

Loading

Recent Blog Posts about Alfie Kohn

Is homework harmful for kids?
But Alfie Kohn, author and education analyst, argues that not only is forcing kids to do homework an ineffective way of learning, it could lead to emotional troubles. "It tends to make kids less excited about learning, makes many frustrated, exhausted, ...
Vocal opponent of EQAO tests bound for Windsor
?My argument is really quite simple, that the EQAO has become a monster that is gobbling up a lot of Ontario classrooms,? said Alfie Kohn, a Boston-based former teacher, human behaviour expert and author who will speak at the Ciociaro Club.
To Praise or Not to Praise?
Alfie Kohn, who has studied motivation and punishment in schools and in the corporate world, has found that praise of this sort often backfires, creating children (and in comparable situations, adults) who are afraid to try things they think they may ...
Students protest 'black' budget
Management researcher Alfie Kohn says performance pay makes employees feel that they are being punished, it is manipulative, it ruptures good workplace relations and it deters risk-taking. Mr Kohn notes ?Not a single controlled study has shown a ...
Powered by Google

If you've stopped by, please say, "Hi"!

Are you an Alfie Kohn fan?

Many people who get turned on to Alfie Kohn become big fans. If you're a fan, tell us why.

If you're just learning about Alfie, I highly recommend his DVD on Unconditional Parenting.

  • supermom_in_ny Nov 11, 2008 @ 11:44 am | delete
    I'm not sure my first comment was saved, so here goes ...again.

    I enjoyed your lens. I'm hooked and am going to watch his videos on youtube now. Gave you 5 stars.

    Was wondering how your 60 day challenge is going? Good luck!

    :)
  • supermom_in_ny Nov 11, 2008 @ 11:41 am | delete
    This is a great resource for every parent. I'm hooked. I'm off to watch the rest of his youtube videos. BTW, gave you 5 stars.

    Let me know how your 60 day challenge is going. I just joined yesterday.

    :)
  • Chad Dull Oct 25, 2008 @ 1:24 pm | delete
    If Alfie had a religion, I'd be a disciple
Show All

by

lorablood

I'm a former grrl rocker, now an AP mama with a beautiful three year old. My interests include Information Architecture, Web 2.0, Social Networking, L... more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags