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Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn Quotes

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Alfie Kohn is a renowned author and educational critic, known for his research on educational psychology and human behavior. His work often explores the power dynamics in education, evaluation systems, and how to create more meaningful learning environments. Born on October 15, 1957, Kohn's career includes educational research and writing, and his books, such as 'Punishment by Myth' and 'The Case Against Reward', have had a profound impact on educational practice and theory.

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All Ifs Children Students School Rewards People Wells Helping Parenting Punishment Should Trying Different Needs Teacher Thinking Way Education Feels Grows

Famous Alfie Kohn Quotes

“Some who support [more] coercive strategies assume that children will run wild if they are not controlled. However, the children for whom this is true typically turn out to be those accustomed to being controlled— those who are not trusted, given explanations, encouraged to think for themselves, helped to develop and internalize good values, and so on. Control breeds the need for more control, which is used to justify the use of control.”

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

“You have to give them unconditional love. They need to know that even if they screw up, you love them. You don't want them to grow up and resent you or, even worse, parent the way you parented them.”

Ifs Knows Way Want Needs Giving Grows Parent Growing Up Unconditional Love Screws Unconditional Resent Screw Ups Resent You

Author:Alfie Kohn

“Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously.”

People Needs Children Taken Rights Adults Currents My Children Adoption

Book:Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, 10th Anniversary Edition

Source: Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community, 10th Anniversary Edition

“The late W. Edwards Deming, guru of Quality management, once declared, 'The most important things we need to manage can't be measured.' If that’s true of what we need to manage, it should be even more obvious that it’s true of what we need to teach.”

Ifs Needs Should Important Quality Teach Late Management Important Things Obvious Manage Guru Quality Management

Author:Alfie Kohn

“Sometimes we have to put our foot down, ... but before we deliberately make children unhappy in order to get them to get into the car, or to do their homework or whatever, we need to weigh whether what we're doing to make it happen is worth the possible strain on our relationship with them.”

Needs Children Sometimes Happens Order Feet Car Unhappy Our Relationship Strain Homework Make It Happen

Author:Alfie Kohn