The Theory of Alfie Kohn

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The Theory of Alfie Kohn

• Danielle Appel
• Kim Desilets
• Kerri Martin

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Definition

• Kohns model is based on the idea of classrooms
  and schools promoting caring and supporting
  environments for learning.
• Children succeed when they are exposed to a home
  with unconditional acceptance and therefore, our
  school and classrooms should exhibit the same
  value to assist our students in success.

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According to Kohn

• Kids require unconditional acceptance to flourish
• Although it is most critical that they
  experience that kind of acceptance at home, what
  happens at school matters too (Kohn,
  2005, 21)
• Kohn urges for instruction that is notably
  different from traditional teaching.
• Students should be taken seriously, meaning that
  teachers must honour them as individuals and seek
  to determine what they need and enjoy.
• (Charles, 2011, 76)

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Learning Communities

• Places in which students feel cared about and
  are encouraged to care about each other. They
  experience a sense of being valued and respected
  the children matter to one another and to the
  teacher. They have come to think in the plural
  they feel connected to each other they are part
  of an us. And, as a result of all this, they
  feel safe in their classes, not only physically
  but emotionally. (2001, 101-102) (Charles,
  2011, 77)

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Strategies to create Learning Communities

• Show respect for students
• Help students connect
• Use classroom meetings
• Provide classwide and schoolwide activities
• Reflect on academic instruction

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Benefits

• Creating respectful and responsible citizens in
  our community.
• A sense of value for every individual within the
  classroom, the school, the community and society.
• A sense of self-value
• When students choose what they are learning they
  are more inclined to explore the topic
  themselves. They become self-motivated learners.

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Disadvantages

• Time if we are spending the time teaching
  kindness and respect, how are we able to teach
  the curriculum outcomes?
• It may never be possible to have every individual
  intrinsically motivated to show kindness and
  respect.
• If students have so much choice in what they
  learn, how does a teacher keep track of each
  students progress.
• Assessment!

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Discuss

• Children learn how to make good decisions by
  making decisions, not by following directions.
• The Homework Myth Why Our Kids Get Too Much of
  a Bad Thing (Da Capo Books, 2006)

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Discuss

• Do you agree with Kohns approach?
• Do you see this implemented in the
  classroom/schools?

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Discuss

• What are you currently doing in your classroom
  that may support/reflect Kohns theory?
• What does this
• Look like?
• Sound like?
• Feel like?

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Refrences

• Charles, C. (2011). Building Classroom Discipline
  (10th ed.). Boston Allyn Bacon.
• Kohn, A. (2005). Unconditional Teaching.
  Educational Leadership, 63(1), 20-24.