Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999) - Ch 10

The Way Out

"a classroom experience that is at once less orderly and more rigorous is hard to create in light of explicit press... http://tl.gd/7pgenbless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Students who are accustomed to not only to impressing their teachers and peers but to racking up good grades and h... http://tl.gd/7pgjehless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I have definitely seen this. I have had classrooms where students who have otherwise been marginalized thrive when the focus is shifted to valuing understanding and growth rather than right answers and grades and others who absolutely revolt against it. I actually get quite impatient with those students who reject a more authentic learning environment. Perhaps that is something I need to work on. Usually, though, if the student understands that they will still get their A if they participate and actually take the projects and activities seriously this rejection evaporates, but not always.

"The evidence suggests that, all things being equal, students in a school that uses no letters or numbers to rate ... http://tl.gd/7pgqfvless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"To someone primarily concerned with techniques of assessment, rubrics may represent a wonderful advance because th... http://tl.gd/7ph7tlless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I have always had a gut feeling about rubrics that is validated with this statement. The only way I have ever been able to justify their use is if I have students sit down with me and collaborate in their creation. This way they become part of the student's own goals. They also then become a teaching tool rather than just an assessment instrument. Additionally, by having students help create their own assignment rubrics they actually get read and understood. How often do teachers who use rubrics simply hand them out to students but they never get read?

@anderscj what r u reading: need title please.less than a minute ago via TweetDeckDawn Hogue
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@dehogue Alfie Kohn (1999) The Schools our Children Deserveless than a minute ago via Twitterrificanderscj
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@anderscj thank youless than a minute ago via TweetDeckDawn Hogue
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@anderscj ordered it today.less than a minute ago via TweetDeckDawn Hogue
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"tests that expect all first-graders to have acquired the same set of capacities create unrealistic expectations an... http://tl.gd/7q7tu6less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Rather than providing useful information, norm-referenced tests lead people to think that the goal is to triumph over others." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"At some point we will have to decide which feature is more important, authenticity or reliability." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Too much standardization suggests an effort to pretend that evaluations aren't ultimately judgements, that subject... http://tl.gd/7q85aaless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"if our kids come home chattering excitedly about something they figured out in class, if they not only can read bu... http://tl.gd/7q8b59less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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YES! YES! YES! Lets repeat that in full:

"if our kids come home chattering excitedly about something they figured out in class, if they not only can read but do read (on their own), if they persist in playing with ideas and come to think carefully and deeply about things, then the chances are they attend an excellent school. It's not that these behaviors correlate with evidence of school success: these behaviors are the evidence of school success." Alfie Kohn

"we can respond (and suggest that others respond$ by saying, 'Frankly, if this is what is what matters to you, then... http://tl.gd/7q8okmless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Thank you Alfie Kohn for this last line. I think I will use it often from this day forward.

'Frankly, if this is what is what matters to you, then I'm worried about the quality of education my child is getting.'"

or

'Frankly, if this is what is what matters to you, then I'm worried about the quality of education [your] child is getting.'"

or

'Frankly, if this is what is what matters to you, then I'm worried about the quality of education [your students are] getting.'"

Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999) - Ch 9

Getting the 3 R's Right

"There is indeed a real choice to be made, but it's not between Whole Language and phonics. Rather, it's between us... http://tl.gd/7o2ge6less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Find the stuffiest, dreariest, most out-of-context and inauthentic set of practices in each domain, and that's exa... http://tl.gd/7o2o1tless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This is perhaps the most direct and concise assault on traditional education in this whole book. I can't say I disagree but I do think there is more to it than this.

lets repeat it:

"Find the stuffiest, dreariest, most out-of-context and inauthentic set of practices in each domain, and that's exactly what you'll find traditionalists fighting fiercely to preserve: spelling and vocabulary quizzes based on unrelated words, lessons on the separate elements of punctuation and grammar, diagrammed sentences, penmanship practice, formulaic book reports that would make anyone lose interest in even the most delightful story." Alfie Kohn

"there are basically three ways to convince skeptics. First, there's theory...Second, there's research...Finally, t... http://tl.gd/7opvd9less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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And when none of the above work? Then what?

"Teachers who spend their time telling instead of asking, instructing instead of inviting, can stand in front of ch... http://tl.gd/7oqc7eless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999) - Ch 8

Education at its Best

"in place of superficial facts, we emphasize deep understanding. In place of fragmentation, we seek to integrate; w... http://tl.gd/7m1dlmless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"The educators (and parents) who do the most for children are those who honor, and work hard to find out, what chil... http://tl.gd/7m1gnrless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This seems so blatantly obvious yet so seldom practiced in schools. It is also a long quote worth repeating:

"The educators (and parents) who do the most for children are those who honor, and work hard to find out, what children already know. They start where the student is and work from there. They try to figure out what students need and where their interests lie. Superb teachers strive constantly to imagine how things look from the child's point of view, what lies behind his questions and mistakes." Alfie Kohn

Oddly, institutions and organizations dealing with children outside of school tend to do this quite well. Dance instructors, childrens' amusement parks, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 4H Clubs, etc. And, to an large extent businesses that try to attract the attention of children tend to do most of these things better than schools but for a very different reason. Toy manufacturers, sugar cereal producers, video game companies, etc. all do a this extremely well but for their own ends, not for the child's best interests.

"the source of intellectual growth is conflict: conflict between an old belief and a new experience, conflict betwe... http://tl.gd/7m1ptkless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This is another obvious statement that is so true it is hard to imagine it needs to be articulated. It is obvious because we all know this feeling and all know how we have grown out of those kinds of experiences.

"It takes a lot more skill to help children think for themselves than it does just to give them information." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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RT @anderscj "It takes a lot more skill to help children think for themselves than it does just to give them information" Alfie Kohn #erlcsmless than a minute ago via TweetDeckShawn Urban
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Yes, but it is also a lot more rewarding than just giving out information (for the teacher and the student).

"Someone once said that a student who gives a wrong answer actually may be answering another question." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"It's as hard to be a real person in front of kids as it is to treat kids like people. That's why so many teachers,... http://tl.gd/7m2av7less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I have rarely asked kids to call me Mr. Anderson. It makes me uncomfortable but I have worked in environments where my allowing students to call me Carl has made other staff uncomfortable. I have even found that telling kids they can call me by my first name makes some of them uncomfortable. It is always odd to hear kids with this schooled habitude of mind elect to call me Mr. Carl for their own ease. I always get a kick out of it and often will try to see how long it takes them to be comfortable just dropping the Mr. part.

"If parents insist on the familiar sight of a teacher in front of the class presenting a conventional lesson, it's ... http://tl.gd/7m2dqkless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This is one big reason why Wasioja Valley School never made it past the school board. "It doesn't look much like school" rings in my ear constantly.

"Students have to be given tasks that require interpretation and involve uncertainty, the kind where you can't alwa... http://tl.gd/7m2jusless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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RT @anderscj: "Students ... tasks ... require interpretation and involve uncertainty ... http://tl.gd/7m2jus < http://bit.ly/stefmathlabs.less than a minute ago via TweetDeckShawn Urban
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"To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than seeing them as adults-in-the-making." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"The trick is to start not with facts to be taught or disciplines to be mastered, but with questions to be answered." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Cue John Holt.

"Great teachers are always looking out for real-life opportunities to help students play with words, reason with nu... http://tl.gd/7mom46less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Perhaps no other principle in our society is at once so commonly endorsed and so rarely applied as the value of de... http://tl.gd/7movf3less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"Children learn to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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We could turn this statement around and it is just as true. Teachers become great teachers by being allowed to make decisions in the classroom, not by following a set of directions or script.

"learning is most likely to be engaging and effective if it takes place in a classroom that feels like a caring community." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999) - Ch 7

Starting from Scratch

"Most of us send our kids off to school each weekday morning without giving much thought to the reasons we do so. I... http://tl.gd/7lcngoless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I have been considering going to different schools on kindergarten roundup day and interviewing parents about why they have chosen to enroll their child in school. I have a feeling the answers will be diverse but I am a bit hesitant for some of the very reasons Alfie Kohn brings up in this chapter. I don't believe many parents give much thought to the why of schooling. Even those who take care to try and get their child in a special kind of school or those who try desperately to win the charter school lottery probably have not given much thought to why send kids in the first place. Will asking unsuspecting parents this question make them question it for themselves? At first this sounds like it would be a good thing, but it may not be. Would asking this question drive some parents to change their minds about sending their children to school? Would this decision be made in haste and without adequate information to make a good informed choice? Then again, this is the kind of choice they likely are making when they choose to enroll their child in kindergarten. Do I want to be responsible if they choose not to send their child and it turns out to be the wrong choice? Perhaps I am over-thinking this. Anyway, the opportunity has never really been there for me to ask these kinds of questions since as an employee of various schools I am almost always predisposed during the time necessary to make such inquiries.

"As it stands, traditional practices, such as direct instruction, fact-based tests, and a quest for the right answe... http://tl.gd/7lcq47less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Lets repeat that one:

"As it stands, traditional practices, such as direct instruction, fact-based tests, and a quest for the right answer are more consistent with the original conception of schools, whose catechisms 'sought to produce believers rather than thinkers.'" Alfie Kohn

So, what are our schools seeking to produce believers in today? Respect and regard for authority? Faith in capitalism? Reverence for our cultural heritage? Seems like everyone ought to be taught to know their place. Perhaps this is why we find statistically that children in poor schools are far more likely to receive this kind of instruction and those in more privileged areas tend to receive a more progressive and authentic education.

"That last distinction raises the question of whether we see schools as places where cultural knowledge is transmi... http://tl.gd/7lcsq5less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I really do wonder what E. D. Hirsch Jr. thinks of this book. So much of it seems to be a direct assault on his work. I also wonder what Diane Ravitch thinks of it since on a pedagogy she seems to be soundly in Hirsch's camp but on policy has been agreeing far more with Kohn. Nevermind, I think I just answered both of those questions for myself.

"To take children seriously is to value them for who they are right now rather than seeing them as just adults-in-the-making." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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This makes me think of scenarios where a family has to decide whether or not to send a terminally ill child to school or not. If you are a teacher who believes that the children in your classroom are just adults-in-the-making, how do you deal with a student in your classroom who you know will die of some awful disease or illness long before they ever graduate from high school?

"Do we send our kids to school for the benefits they will derive personally or for the benefits their education wil... http://tl.gd/7ld0eeless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Table showing the spectrum of the purpose of school: http://moby.to/lgtx5lless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"My own vision of schooling, which necessarily informs this entire book, is defined by a concern for both the fulfi... http://tl.gd/7ld8pkless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"In my experience, when people are asked to reflect on their long-term goals for children, no one thinks in terms o... http://tl.gd/7ldc0rless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I can think of one exception: knowledge bowl parents/advocates.

"while you can often make someone else do something—in effect buying a behavior with a bribe or a threat—you can ne... http://tl.gd/7ldot7less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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I love this quote about motivation. It too is worth repeating:

"while you can often make someone else do something—in effect buying a behavior with a bribe or a threat—you can never make him or her want to do something, which is what 'motivation' means. The best you can do is create the kind of setting and offer the kind of tasks that will tap and nourish people's own motivation." Alfie Kohn

"Anyone who has been around young children knows it's hard to stop them from learning, almost impossible to curb th... http://tl.gd/7ldq9qless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"where interest appears, achievement usually follows." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"if we are going to hold schools 'accountable,' it should be for something that standardized tests do not and canno... http://tl.gd/7le4qbless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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Again, another important quote worth repeating:

"if we are going to hold schools 'accountable,' it should be for something that standardized tests do not and cannot measure: the creation of an environment that supports and enhances students' interest in learning." Alfie Kohn

Weekly Tech Tip - Game-Based Learning Environments and Self-Selection

Weekly Tech Tip:

Related Links:

• Team - Drill Head (Ananth Pai's Classroom Website)
  
• Tutpup (Web)
  
• Tumblebooks (Web)
  
• iCivics (Web)
• Manga High (Web)
• Raft Race (Web)
• Timez Attack (PC)
• Personal Trainer Math (DS)
• MathBlaster (DS)
• Learn Math (DS)
• Brain Age (DS)
• Learn Geography (DS)
• Bookworm (DS)
• Scribblenauts (DS)
  

Video Festival:

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Link Stew:

• Eden Prairie OKs changing school lines (Star Tribune)
• Facebook vs. Twitter Infographic
• Books Ngram Viewer
• Future of Education Talk With Alfie Kohn (December 16th) Recording
• List of Resources for Developing AUPs
  

Blog Carnival:

• I Don't Give a Crap by Dean Shareski on Ideas and Thoughts
• Ban fiction from the curriculum by Grant Wiggins on ASCDEdge
• Backwards by Design by Bill Ivey on Independent School Educators Network
• The Most Important Free Speech Issue of Our Time by Al Franken on Huffington Post
• Tip of the Week – 65 History Twitter feeds by Glenn Wiebe on History Tech
• A week without technology? by Ira Socol on SpeEdChange
• Crowdsourcing Alternatives To Delicious by Alec Couros on Open Thinking
• What Makes Kids Creative? A Box or a Spaceship? on The Daily Riff
  

Retweetable Tweets:

MDE approved two more charter schools authorizers: Audubon Center of the North Woods and Northfield Public Schools, http://ht.ly/3sQpuless than a minute ago via HootSuiteMn Dept. Education
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I find it odd that an infant will ask "why" 300 times a day yet adults are infatuated with asking just "how".less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhoneJoe Bower
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Twitter Book Club: @alfiekohn The Schools Our Children Deserve (1999) - Ch 6

Getting Improvement Wrong:
Confusing Harder with Better

"To focus on raising standards is, in effect, to ignore most aspects of the status quo and, therefore, to preserve them." Alfie Kohnless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"The opposite of retention, we might say, isn't social promotion but the willingness to look for deficiencies in th... http://tl.gd/7jf1ujless than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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RT @anderscj: "The opposite of retention, we might say, isn't social promotion but willingness 2 look 4 deficiencies http://tl.gd/ AMENless than a minute ago via HootSuiteCathy Buyrn
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"I'll tell you something I've noticed from visiting a lot of American schools: the more traditional the teacher, th... http://tl.gd/7jf9c5less than a minute ago via Twittelatoranderscj
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"I'll tell you something I've noticed from visiting a lot of American schools: the more traditional the teacher, the grimmer the mood. These classrooms don't always resemble Dickensisn factories, mind you, but if you watch the kids' faces (or the teachers'), the phrase 'joy of discovery' probably won't leap to mind." Alfie Kohn

I've noticed this too.