A new collection of essays from one of the nation's best-known, and best-selling, progressive writers on education
Mind-opening writing on what kids need from school, from one of education's most outspoken voices
Arguing that our schools are currently in the grip of a ""cult of rigor""-a confusion of harder with better that threatens to banish both joy and meaningful intellectual inquiry from our classrooms-Alfie Kohn issues a stirring call to rethink our priorities and reconsider our practices.
Kohn's latest wide-ranging collection of writings will add to his reputation as one of the most incisive thinkers in the field, who questions the assumptions too often taken for granted in discussions about education and human behavior.
In nineteen recently published essays-and in a substantive introduction, new for this volume-Kohn repeatedly invites us to think more deeply about the conventional wisdom. Is self-discipline always desirable? he asks, citing surprising evidence to the contrary. Does academic cheating necessarily indicate a moral failing? Might inspirational posters commonly found on school walls (""Reach for the stars!"") reflect disturbing assumptions about children? Could the use of rubrics for evaluating student learning prove counterproductive?
Subjecting young children to homework, grades, or standardized tests-merely because these things will be required of them later-reminds Kohn of Monty Python's ""getting hit on the head lessons."" And, with tongue firmly in cheek, he declares that we should immediately begin teaching twenty-second-century skills.
Whether Kohn is clearing up misconceptions about progressive education or explaining why incentives for healthier living are bound to backfire, debunking the idea that education reform should be driven by concerns about economic competitiveness or putting ""Supernanny"" in her place, his readers will understand why the Washington Post has said that ""teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools.""
By:
Alfie Kohn
Imprint: Beacon Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 15mm
Weight: 215g
ISBN: 9780807001400
ISBN 10: 0807001406
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 05 April 2011
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction “Well, Duh!”: Obvious Truths That We Shouldn’t Be Ignoring One: Progressivism and Beyond 1. Progressive Education: Why It’s Hard to Beat, But Also Hard to Find 2. Challenging Students—and How to Have More of Them 3. Getting Hit on the Head Lessons Two: The Nuts and Bolts of Learning 4. It’s Not What We Teach; It’s What They Learn 5. Who’s Cheating Whom? 6. How to Create Nonreaders: Reflections on Motivation, Learning, and Sharing Power 7. The Trouble with Rubrics Three: Climate & Connections: How Does School Feel to the Students? 8. The Value of Negative Learning 9. Unconditional Teaching 10. Safety from the Inside Out 11. Bad Signs Four: The Big Picture: Education Policy 12. Feel-Bad Education: The Cult of Rigor and the Loss of Joy 13. Against “Competitiveness” 14. When Twenty-First-Century Schooling Just Isn’t Good Enough: A Modest Proposal 15. Debunking the Case for National Standards Five: Beyond the Schools: Psychological Issues & Parenting 16. Atrocious Advice from Supernanny 17. Parental Love with Strings Attached 18. Why Self-Discipline Is Overrated: The (Troubling) Theory and Practice of Control from Within 19. Cash Incentives Won’t Make Us Healthier Credits Index
Alfie Kohn's previous eleven books include Punished by Rewards, Unconditional Parenting, and What Does It Mean to Be Well Educated? (Beacon / 3267-1 / $16.00 pb). He speaks widely on education to teachers and parents, and lives in Belmont, Massachusetts.
Reviews for Feel-Bad Education: And Other Contrarian Essays on Children and Schooling
Kohn cuts against the grain and takes on adversaries without fear, and yet with a mature and rational sophistication. ―Jonathan Kozol<br><br> [A] spirited and incisive probe of education today. -- Publishers Weekly <br><br> A philosophical, well-structured argument for viable progressive education from one of the movement's most prolific and well-regarded authors...A vital wake-up call to educators. --Kirkus Reviews <br>
