ALFIE KOHN

EEstamos muy familiarizados con las pegas de los deberes: frustración, cansancio y peleas. La mayoría entendemos que esto merece la pena porque mejoran el aprendizaje de nuestros hijos y les enseñan habitos de estudio y responsabilidad. La investigacion muestra que no es asi.

A groundbreaking approach to parenting by nationally-respected educator Alfie Kohn that gives parents powerful alternatives to help children become their most caring, responsible selves (Adele Faber, New York Times bestselling author) by switching the dynamic from doing things to children to working with them in order to understand their needs and how to meet them.Most parenting guides begin with the question How can we get kids to do what theyre told? and then proceed to offer various techniques for controlling them. In this truly groundbreaking book, nationally respected educator Alfie Kohn begins instead by asking, What do kids needand how can we meet those needs? What follows from that question are ideas for working with children rather than doing things to them.One basic need all children have, Kohn argues, is to be loved unconditionally, to know that they will be accepted even if they screw up or fall short. Yet conventional approaches to parenting such as punishments (including time-outs), rewards (including positive reinforcement), and other forms of control teach children that they are loved only when they please us or impress us. Kohn cites a body of powerful, and largely unknown, research detailing the damage caused by leading children to believe they must earn our approval. Thats precisely the message children derive from common discipline techniques, even though its not the message most parents intend to send.More than just another book about discipline, though, Unconditional Parenting addresses the ways parents think about, feel about, and act with their children. It invites them to question their most basic assumptions about raising kids while offering a wealth of practical strategies for shifting from doing to to working with parentingincluding how to replace praise with the unconditional support that children need to grow into healthy, caring, responsible people. This is an eye-opening, paradigm-shattering book that will reconnect readers to their own best instincts and inspire them to become better parents.

Few writers ask us to question our fundamental assumptions about education as provocatively as Alfie Kohn. Time magazine has called himperhaps the countrys most outspoken critic of educations fixation on grades [and] test scores. And the Washington Post says he is the most energetic and charismatic figure standing in the way of a major federal effort to make standardized curriculums and tests a fact of life in every U.S. school.In this new collection of essays, Kohn takes on some of the most important and controversial topics in education of the last few years. His central focus is on the real goals of education-a topic, he argues, that we systematically ignore while lavishing attention on misguided models of learning and counterproductive techniques of motivation.The shift to talking about goals yields radical conclusions and wonderfully pungent essays that only Alfie Kohn could have written. From the title essays challenge to conventional, conservative definitions of a good education to essays on standards and testing and grades that tally the severe educational costs of overemphasizing a narrow conception of achievement, Kohn boldly builds on his earlier work and writes for a wide audience. Kohns new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers and by any teacher or parent looking for a refreshing perspective on todays debates about schools.

Mind-opening writing on what kids need from school, from one of educations most outspoken voices Almost no writer on schools asks us to question our fundamental assumptions about education and motivation as boldly as Alfie Kohn. The Washington Post says that teachers and parents who encounter Kohn and his thoughts come away transfixed, ready to change their schools. And Time magazine has called him perhaps the countrys most outspoken critic of educations fixation on grades [and] test scores. Here is challenging and entertaining writing on where we should go in American education, in Alfie Kohns unmistakable voice. He argues in the title essay with those who think that high standards mean joylessness in the classroom. He reflects thoughtfully on the question Why Self-Discipline Is Overrated. And in an essay for the New York Times, whichgenerated enormous response, he warns against the dangers of both punishing and praising children for what they do instead of parenting unconditionally. Whether hes talking about school policy or the psychology of motivation, Kohn gives us wonderfully provocativeand utterly seriousfood for thought. This new book will be greeted with enthusiasm by his many readers, and by teachers and parents seeking a refreshing perspective on todays debates about kids and schools.

Somehow, a set of deeply conservative assumptions about children -- what theyre like and how they should be raised -- have congealed into the conventional wisdom in our society. Parents are accused of being both permissive and overprotective, unwilling to set limits and afraid to let their kids fail. Young people, meanwhile, are routinely described as entitled and narcissistic . . . among other unflattering adjectives. In The Myth of the Spoiled Child, Alfie Kohn systematically debunks these beliefs -- not only challenging erroneous factual claims but also exposing the troubling ideology that underlies them. Complaints about pushover parents and coddled kids are hardly new, he shows, and there is no evidence that either phenomenon is especially widespread today -- let alone more common than in previous generations. Moreover, new research reveals that helicopter parenting is quite rare and, surprisingly, may do more good than harm when it does occur. The major threat to healthy child development, John argues, is posed by parenting that is too controlling rather than too indulgent. With the same lively, contrarian style that marked his influential books about rewards, competition, and education, Kohn relies on a vast collection of social science data, as well as on logic and humor, to challenge assertions that appear with numbing regularity in the popular press. These include claims that young people suffer from inflated self-esteem; that they receive trophies, praise, and As too easily; and that they would benefit from more self-discipline and "grit." These conservative beliefs are often accepted without question, even by people who are politically liberal. Kohns invitation to reexamine our assumptions is particularly timely, then; his book has the potential to change our cultures conversation about kids and the people who raise them.

Death and taxes come later; what seems inevitable for children is the idea that, after spending the day at school, they must then complete more academic assignments at home. The predictable results: stress and conflict, frustration and exhaustion. Parents respond by reassuring themselves that at least the benefits outweigh the costs. But what if they dont? In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience. So why do we continue to administer this modern cod liver oil -- or even demand a larger dose? Kohns incisive analysis reveals how a mistrust of children, a set of misconceptions about learning, and a misguided focus on competitiveness have all left our kids with less free time and our families with more conflict. Pointing to parents who have fought back -- and schools that have proved educational excellence is possible without homework -- Kohn shows how we can rethink what happens during and after school in order to rescue our families and our childrens love of learning.

Revised for the twenty-fifth anniversary of its publication, Alfie Kohns landmark challenge to carrot-and-stick psychology features updated reflections and research in a major new afterword by the author. Our basic strategy for raising children, teaching students, and managing workers can be summed up in six words: Do this and youll get that. We dangle goodies (from candy bars to sales commissions) in front of people in the same way that we train the family pet.Since its publication in 1993, this groundbreaking book has persuaded countless parents, teachers, and managers that attempts to manipulate people with incentives may seem to work in the short run, but they ultimately fail and even do lasting harm. Drawing from hundreds of studies, Kohn demonstrates that we actually do inferior work when we are enticed with money, grades, or other incentivesand are apt to lose interest in whatever we were bribed to do. Promising goodies to children for good behavior, meanwhile, can never produce anything more than temporary obedience. Even praise can become a verbal bribe that gets kids hooked on our approval. Rewards and punishments are two sides of the same coinand the coin doesnt buy much. What is needed, Kohn explains, is an alternative to both ways of controlling people. Hence, he offers practical strategies for parents, teachers, and managers to replace carrots and sticks. Seasoned with humor and familiar examples, Punished by Rewards presents an argument that is unsettling to hear but impossible to dismiss.

No Contest stands as the definitive critique of competition. Contrary to accepted wisdom, competition is not basic to human nature; it poisons our relationships and holds us back from doing our best. In this new edition, Alfie Kohn argues that the race to win turns all of us into losers.

In this provocative and well-researched book, Alfie Kohn builds a powerful argument against teaching to the test in favor of more child-centered curriculums to raise lifelong learners.Drawing on stories from real classrooms and extensive research, Kohn shows parents, educators, and others how schools can help students explore ideas rather than just fill them with forgettable facts and prepare them for standardized tests. Here, at last, is a book that challenges the two dominant forces in American education: an aggressive nostalgia for traditional teaching (If it was bad enough for me, its bad enough for my kids) and a heavy-handed push for tougher standards.In this essential guide to education reform, Kohn dismantles these failed approaches and offers a new vision for the schools our children deserve:Teaching for Understanding: Move beyond "back to basics" drills and discover how to help students explore ideas, not just memorize forgettable facts. Beyond Standardized Tests: See the evidence against high-stakes testing and learn about more meaningful, authentic ways to assess what students are actually learning. Rethinking Motivation: Uncover why the push for "tougher standards" and a focus on grades often backfires, and learn how to foster a genuine, lifelong love of learning. Constructivist Classrooms: Based on extensive research and stories from real classrooms, learn how child-centered curriculums empower students to become critical, engaged thinkers.

En esta provocadora condena del uso de recompensas en la familia, en la escuela y en el trabajo, Alfie Kohn cuestiona nuestra dependencia de la psicología del palo y la zanahoria. A la hora de educar a nuestros hijos, enseñar a nuestros alumnos y diri