There has been much chatter among teachers and parents about the Alfie Kohn lectures even three weeks after the event. There were two lectures, one predominantly for educators, and another predominantly for parents.
The faculty lecture focused on learning versus performance. Kohn made six points on why overemphasizing achievement leads to results that are not educationally, socially, or mentally healthy for children.
At one point, Kohn vividly described how teachers in their sleep, if woken up immediately and asked “What is your goal as a teacher?” without hesitating would blurt out “Life-long learning!” Many in the audience laughed, shook their heads, and affirmed the answer as he shouted it out to the audience. Yet, unknowingly, these same teachers may be overemphasizing achievement. And when this happens, so do the following six “bad things” stated Kohn:
1) Learning becomes a chore.
2) Children attribute positive academic results to innate abilities, instead of effort.
3) Students tend to pick the easier task.
4) Children’s develop an emotional inability to handle academic challenges, such as low grades.
5) Social Interaction with other children suffers.
6) The quality of learning decreases.
Learning becomes a chore
In general, most students do their school work, not because the topic is interesting or because it is purposeful, but simply, in order to get good grades. In today’s school culture, achievement is getting A’s. The joy of learning, the urge to explore past what is needed, disappears when trying to achieve high grades. Grades are external motivators and remove the student’s natural instinct for learning. Intrinsic motivation to learn is not possible in most settings where achievement is overemphasized. In fact, extrinsic motivation numbs the intrinsic motivation mechanism and fosters an anti-intellectual environment. With the emphasis on external motivators such as grades, students focus on “How well am I doing”; or as Kohn stated in the lecture, “Even worse, ‘How am I doing compared to others.’” At this point learning has become a chore –a routine task or job that tends to be difficult or disagreeable and which is done as a duty or for a reward. True learning happens best when it comes from within, not from focusing on achieving high grades. And it definitely does not occur when a student focuses on the questions: Have I won? Kohn also stated that “worse than a reward is an award” since the comparisons quickly fuels a “you lose-I win” competitive mentality.
Through a small group activity, Kohn asked the educators to form groups and think about: What practices or policies at an institution create situations that cause students to focus on how they are doing? Some answers included: grades, tests, rewards, pacing plans, and scripted curricula. Kohn encouraged schools and teachers to revisit grades, rubrics, rewards, and award assemblies. Kohn pushed teachers to rethink policies and practices at a school in order to bring about conversations that hopefully would continue after the lecture.
More to Consider
Rewarding children in school is not the only problem in our society. For a look at rewards at work or on the job, see Dan Pink’s TED talk "Surprising Science on Motivation" and learn what science has to say about how a reward “dulls thinking and blocks creativity.” When one replaces the words business with education or school, the connection between what Kohn says in the educational arena and the message that Pink brings to the workplace becomes obvious.
For more information and research references, read Alfie Kohn’s book The Schools Our Children Deserve: Moving Beyond Traditional Classrooms and “Tougher Standards”
Alfie Kohn video clip: "It's Bad News if Students are Motivated to Get A's"
*******************************************************************************************************
Now it's YOUR TURN:
Leave a comment.
Did you attend? What did you think?
Let me know.
Comment below or email: lscoachgrace@gmail.com
Comments