EDE 4506 Blog 7

Chapter 12 Alfie Kohn's Beyond Discipline

Kohn starts off the chapter by discussing the problems with today's teaching. Not all teachers fall into the category of giving "traditional instruction" but there are still many that do. "Emphasis in that kind of instruction is placed on helping students reach certain specific objectives..."(Kohn 192). We see objectives in the classroom every day. These objectives are of course aligned with a particular standard or more than one. There is one or multiple for every subject taught. Whenever I teach a lesson, I make sure to state the objective at the beginning of it so students are given a purpose for their learning. I later try to refer back to the objective or essential question to make sure they have a good grasp on it. Although it is important for students to understand why they are learning what they are learning, it is not solely about reaching an objective. Teachers should be giving students the chance to be "exploring ideas, seeking new solutions, looking for meaning or connections, or attempting to gain deeper understanding of the phenomena involved"(Kohn 192). This will lead students to hopefully achieve mastery on a particular topic.

One issue with "traditional instruction" is students misunderstanding what their major goals of learning are. Many may believe that these goals are correct answers and good grades on their report cards. However, their goal should be a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. This would be the "satisfaction of exploring in depth a topic of interest and exchanging their views and insights with others"(Kohn 192). There are many consequences when students only focus on getting good grades. One, it undermines their interest in learning. Two, they become overwhelmed when they do not receive the grade they hoped for or expected. Three, they challenge themselves less.

Kohn makes very good points in his explanation of how instruction should be done. First off, he believes that students should be seen as individuals and teachers should get to know them in order to know their needs and what they enjoy. In the beginning of the year, I gave my students a survey that informed me about their likes about personal subjects as well as subjects in school. When I plan a lesson, I think about if my students will like it and the modifications I can make to ensure they enjoy it and are engaged. I also think about their differing needs so I can make sure to adapt the learning environment to fit them. Kohn strongly believes in the constructivist approach. "Kohn argues for a cirriculum that allows students to be purposefully active most of the time, rather than passive"(Kohn 193). There are very few times in the day where I witness the students being passive during a lesson. Usually they are being active with turn and talks, group work, and other things.

When is discipline effective? "The obvious answer is that discipline is effective when it causes students to behave as teachers wish them to"(Kohn 195). Kohn believes there are many faults with the approaches to discipline because they are based off of ill-founded assumptions. One of these assumptions is that the teacher's role is to make students compliant(Kohn 195).

Charles, C. M. Alfie Kohn’s ‘Beyond Discipline’. In Building classroom discipline. Boston.

Allyn and Bacon. 2002. Ch. 12. pp. 189-204

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