Alfie Kohn Quotes

Author

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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Famous Alfie Kohn Quotes

“Social psychology has found the more you reward people for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward.”

People Found Social Interest Loses Psychology Rewards Social Psychology

Book:The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and

Source: The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and

“Do rewards motivate people? Absolutely. They motivate people to get rewards.”

People Education Rewards Intelligence

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

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

“People will typically be more enthusiastic where they feel a sense of belonging and see themselves as part of a community than they will in a workplace in which each person is left to his own devices”

People Feels Persons Left Community Devices Belonging Workplace Enthusiastic

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

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

“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

“Those who know they're valued irrespective of their accomplishments often end up accomplishing quite a lot. It's the experience of being accepted without conditions that helps people develop a healthy confidence in themselves, a belief that it's safe to take risks and try new things.”

People Knows Trying Ends Helping Belief Risk Conditions Healthy Safe Accepted Accomplishment New Things Being Accepted

Book:Feel-bad Education: And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling

Source: Feel-bad Education: And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling

“It's not just that humiliating people, of any age, is a nasty and disrespectful way of treating them. It's that humiliation, like other forms of punishment, is counterproducti ve. 'Doing to' strategies - as opposed to those that might be described as 'working with' - can never achieve any result beyond temporary compliance, and it does so at a disturbing cost.”

People Way Doe Might Age Form Results Achieve Cost Strategy Punishment Temporary Nasty Humiliation Disturbing Humiliating Compliance Disrespectful

Author:Alfie Kohn

“Each time I visit such a classroom, where the teacher is more interested in creating a democratic community than in maintaining her position of authority, I’m convinced all over again that moving away from consequences and rewards isn’t just realistic - it’s the best way to help kids grow into good learners and good people.”