# alfie kohn (audio feeds) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover alfie kohn. Page: Feed: --- ## [Teaching Kindness](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/caring/) _2026-08-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ August 15, 2026 Teaching Kindness How can schools help children to become not only good learners but also good people? What s involved in cultivating a genuine concern about others , an enduring commitment to helping and caring? Here we consider several strategies, which require us to look beyond behaviors and think about motives : the care we express for students , the prosocial examples we set,… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_29_caring.mp3) ## [The Pseudoscience of Reading](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/the-pseudoscience-of-reading/) _2026-08-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ August 1, 2026 The Pseudoscience of Reading What the real science of reading shows is that there isn t a single method for learning how to read that s ideal for all children. Moreover, reading is not just about letter-sound relationships; it s about making meaning reading (and talking about) real books for real reasons. In an eye-opening conversation, literacy expert Catherine Compton-Lilly helps… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_28_Compton-Lilly.mp3) ## [The Remarkable Benefits of Diversity](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/diversity_kz/) _2026-07-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ July 15, 2026 The Remarkable Benefits of Diversity Even if you aren t ideologically opposed to segregation in schools, research shows that it doesn t make sense for practical reasons and that goes not only for segregation by race but also segregation by gender, ability, or age. What generally proves beneficial, from preschool to college, are heterogeneous environments diverse schools and, equally… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_27_diversity.mp3) ## [Raising Reflective Rebels](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/rebels/) _2026-07-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ July 1, 2026 Raising Reflective Rebels We re faced with a silent epidemic of obedience, a pervasive failure to become outraged by outrageous things. Adults whose highest accolade for a child is well-behaved often themselves suffer from a crisis of moral courage. This episode offers practical suggestions for teachers and parents who want to help kids acquire not only the capacity but the… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_26_challenging.mp3) ## [Fun Without Winning or Losing](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/coop-games-kz/) _2026-06-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ June 15, 2026 Fun Without Winning or Losing We have been raised and, in turn, raise our children to take on faith that recreation requires competition, that half the people playing a game must try to defeat the other half. (They cooperate only with their teammates, and only in order to triumph over the other team.) In a true cooperative game, by contrast, everyone on the field or gathered around a… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_23_coop_games.mp3) ## [“Progressive High School” Is Not an Oxymoron](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/wood/) _2026-06-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ June 1, 2026 PROGRESSIVE HIGH SCHOOL IS NOT AN OXYMORON In theory, the fact that all but a handful of states have eliminated do-or-die exit exams allows high schools to finally do right by teenagers, to help them become engaged intellectuals and caring people. A leading theorist and practitioner of secondary education author, professor, and long-time Midwestern principal George Wood examines the… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_24_Wood.mp3) ## [Grade Inflation Is Not the Problem](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/gi-kz/) _2026-05-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ May 15, 2026 Grade Inflation Is Not the Problem When you look at student transcripts (rather than at self-reports), it s less clear that average grades are rising over time. And even if some grades are higher, that doesn t mean they re inflated (i.e., undeserved). But many conservative critics don t seem troubled by their inability to prove those claims; they re indignant whenever a lot of kids… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_25_grade_inflatn.mp3) ## [Beneath the What and the How Is the Why](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/purposes/) _2026-05-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ May 1, 2026 Beneath the What and the How Is the Why In the absence of an affirmative definition of mental health, psychology doesn t become value-free; its values and the goals of therapy are just driven underground. Similarly, if we don t reflect on the purpose of education, schooling by default is oriented just to collecting a credential. The point of this episode is not to recommend one… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_22_purpose.mp3) ## [The Best Classroom Discussions, Hands Down](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/hands-down/) _2026-04-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ April 15, 2026 The Best Classroom Discussions, Hands Down In traditional classrooms, students may contribute to a discussion only by raising their hands and waiting for the teacher to call on them. In even more controlling environments, students must contribute when the teacher calls on them, even if they d rather not. The latter practice, cold calling, puts kids on the spot and forces them to… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_21_cold-calling.mp3) ## [The Assault on Public Education](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/berkshire/) _2026-04-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ April 1, 2026 The Assault on Public Education: A Conversation with Jennifer Berkshire Public schools, says Jennifer Berkshire, are the places where we start to solve problems together and from which no child can be excluded even if she has special needs or two moms. Public education is really the foundation of a pluralistic secular democracy, which is precisely why it has long been the target of… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_20_Berkshire.mp3) ## [8.1% APY Plus Free Stock (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/hRAROartZhYc) _2026-04-01 · **Sponsored**_ Claim 8.1% APY and up to $1,030 in SK hynix and Nvidia stock. ## [Friendly Excursions into Disequilibrium](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/disequilibrium/) _2026-03-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ March 15, 2026 Friendly Excursions into Disequilibrium Enforced harmony is counterproductive. Pushing students (or employees) to come to agreement prematurely tends to undermine learning (or produce bad decisions). Sometimes that s motivated by a desire to avoid conflict. But conflict handled carefully is not only tolerable; it s valuable. What s problematic is debate disagreement where the point… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_disequilibrium.mp3) ## [Who’s Cheating Whom?](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/cheating-kz/) _2026-03-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ March 1, 2026 Who s Cheating Whom? We re often warned about an epidemic of academic cheating and urged to do more to deter and punish the devious culprits. But we ve had a century of research showing that the frequency of cheating is predicted not by the compromised morality of individual students but by the policies, priorities, and practices of schools. Specifically, cheating is far more common… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_19_cheating.mp3) ## [“Spiritual but Not Religious”? Are You Sure?](https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/spiritual/) _2026-02-18 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ FREETHOUGHT TODAY January-February 2026 Spiritual but Not Religious ? Are You Sure? By Alfie Kohn Have you ever come across someone who qualifies her opinions about gender-related issues by assuring her listener that she s not a feminist or anything ? That comment wouldn t be surprising coming from denizens of the Bible Belt or the MAGAverse who are all in for women s subservience ... Read More ## [The Whole Point Is That There’s No Point](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/play-kz/) _2026-02-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ February 15, 2026 The Whole Point Is That There s No Point Early-childhood educators remind us how vital it is for kids to have plentiful opportunities to engage in free play which, sadly, is often denied to them as academic pressures are imposed too early and too intensely. But let s consider some perspectives on play that are less obvious: how the word is sometimes applied to activities that… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP14-Play_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Beyond “Electronic Flashcards”](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/stager/) _2026-02-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ February 1, 2026 Beyond Electronic Flashcards : A Conversation with Gary Stager Computers in classrooms may have the potential to radically enrich and democratize student learning, but the reality of ed tech typically looks very different. This extended episode of Kohn s Zone features a stimulating conversation with Gary Stager, one of our foremost experts on this topic. He takes us beyond banal… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_16_Stager.mp3) ## [How to Kill Kids’ Interest in Reading](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/kill-reading/) _2026-01-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ January 15, 2026 How to Kill Kids Interest in Reading Surveys reveal that fewer children and adults are reading for pleasure. This might be due partly to social media, but certain classroom strategies and school policies likely play a role. In this episode we come at the issue backwards: What would teachers do if their goal was to extinguish kids enthusiasm about books? Well, they would adopt a… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_22_kill_reading.mp3) ## [Who Gets to Decide? – Part 2](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/decide2/) _2026-01-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ January 1, 2026 Who Gets to Decide? Part 2 Intellectually vibrant classrooms are distinguished by teachers who do a lot more asking than telling. Their motto when confronting challenges or planning lessons is Bring the kids in on it! Regular class meetings offer a significant role for students to reflect on how we want our class to be (rather than focusing on specific rules). This second of a… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP12-Who_Decides_part_2_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Who Gets to Decide? – Part 1](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/decide1/) _2025-12-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ December 15, 2025 Who Gets to Decide? Part 1 An impressive body of research shows that people of all ages including students in classrooms are happier, healthier, and more productive when they have some say about what they re doing. Indeed, the way children learn to make good decisions is by making decisions. Why, then, are so many classrooms more focused on eliciting their compliance than… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP11-Who_Decides_part_1_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [The Curious Case of the Incurious Children](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/curiosity-kz/) _2025-12-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ December 1, 2025 The Curious Case of the Incurious Children A Conversation with Susan Engel Everyone agrees that it s good to be curious, but that doesn t mean schools are committed to fostering children s curiosity. This extended episode of Kohn s Zone features a provocative conversation with early-childhood expert Susan Engel of Williams College, who draws on a deep background of theory and… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP13-Susan_Engel_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [It’s Not Just You](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/fae/) _2025-11-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ November 15, 2025 It s Not Just You The most popular initiatives in education tend to be strategies for fixing the kids. A focus on the deficits of individual students, rather than a critical analysis of systemic issues, is the common denominator of academic remediation, behavior management programs, and efforts to equip children with more self-regulation, grit, or a growth mindset. Yet the entire… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP10-FAE_FM_v2_44_1_192.mp3) ## [One Cloud, Every AI Layer (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/vdulY3wHYZxh) _2025-11-15 · **Sponsored**_ Run agents, inference, and infrastructure on one stack — economics improve as you scale. ## [Making Kids Work a Second Shift](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/hw-podcast/) _2025-11-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ November 1, 2025 Making Kids Work a Second Shift Too often the debate over homework is restricted to its quantity or, at best, its quality. But such discussions take for granted the need for some homework, as if it were impossible to question that premise. It may come as a surprise, therefore, to learn that research generally fails to support the value of, let alone the need for, requiring… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/Alfie-KZ_ep_16_homework_v2_192.mp3) ## [Seeing What Isn’t Out There](https://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/projection/) _2025-10-27 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ October 27, 2025 Seeing What Isn t Out There A Meditation on Various Forms of Projection By Alfie Kohn We re all familiar with the way some people attribute their own problematic traits or feelings to others. Projection, as described by Freud and his followers, was originally conceived as a defense mechanism that operated unconsciously. Think of the perpetually angry person who ... Read More ## [A.I., as in Anti-Intellectual](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/ai-podcast/) _2025-10-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ October 15, 2025 A.I., as in Anti-Intellectual People who express concern about the use of AI in schools often focus on how it allows students to get away with something (by using OpenAI to write their essays). But shouldn t we be talking more about its potential effects on teaching and learning than whether it will impede our ability to evaluate students? The problem is not just that we seem to… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ_ep_18_AI-final.mp3) ## [Death by Civics](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/westheimer/) _2025-10-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ October 1, 2025 Death by Civics A Conversation with Joel Westheimer About the Role of Education in Democratic Life Suppose you wanted young people to develop a commitment to democracy, particularly at a time when it s under assault. How would you do that? Not by creating a school culture in which following the rules is valued more than critical thinking. And not by offering conventional civics… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP08-Joel_Westheimer_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [The Chatbot in the Classroom, the Forklift at the Gym](https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/ai/) _2025-09-25 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ EDUCATION WEEK September 22, 2025 The Chatbot in the Classroom, the Forklift at the Gym By Alfie Kohn \[This is a significantly expanded version of the published article, which was given a different title. To listen to an episode of the podcast Kohn s Zone based on this article, click here.\] ... Read More ## [The Failure of Failure](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/failure-kz/) _2025-09-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ September 15, 2025 The Failure of Failure The notion that kids today have it too easy and would benefit from more experiences with failure is no longer a surprising, contrarian claim; it has become the conventional wisdom. But it s dead wrong on two levels: Most children deal with frustration and failure quite a lot, and those experiences tend not to be beneficial, according to research. Either… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP09-Failure_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Bad Signs](https://www.alfiekohn.org/subject/posters/badsignspod/) _2025-09-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ September 1, 2025 Bad Signs The posters and signs adorning school walls speak volumes about the people who put them there, revealing a surprising amount about their views of children, their assumptions about learning, and even their beliefs about human nature. There s the enforced positivity of slogans that basically tell students: Have a nice day .or else, the individualistic worldview of ...… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP07-Bad_Signs_FM_v2_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Education for What?](https://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/purpose/) _2025-08-25 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ August 25, 2025 Education for What? By Alfie Kohn This article is the basis for an episode of the podcast Kohn s Zone whose title is Beneath the What and the How Is the Why. To listen, click here. To talk about curriculum (what to teach) or pedagogy (how to teach) is to bump up against the question of why to ... Read More ## [Confusing Harder with Better](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/harder/) _2025-08-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ August 15, 2025 Confusing Harder with Better What do the following have in common? a) parents who don t seem particularly concerned about whether what their kids are doing in school is engaging or meaningful, but are quick to complain if their assignments aren t sufficiently challenging b) people who assume that Advanced Placement classes must be the best that a high school has to offer just… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP06-Harder_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Number Sense and Nonsense](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/number-sense-and-nonsense-a-conversation-with-jo-boaler-about-learning-maths/) _2025-08-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ August 1, 2025 Number Sense and Nonsense A Conversation with Jo Boaler About Learning Math(s) Question: Why do so many people write off math as uninteresting if not downright unpleasant, and as something they just don t have a knack for? Answer: Years of traditional instruction with textbooks and worksheets and quizzes, memorization of math facts and algorithms, direct instruction of the approved… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP04-Jo_Boaler_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Make any domain metal (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/R8x3BJqF9Qi1) _2025-08-01 · **Sponsored**_ Turn any domain into a blacked-out metal landing page with an email waitlist ## [Skip the Sugarcoating](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/skip-the-sugarcoating/) _2025-07-15 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ July 15, 2025 Skip the Sugarcoating If your company is offering unappealing food, you ll be tempted to add artificial sweetener. And if your schools are offering unengaging lessons (which students had no role in creating), you ll be tempted to use some kind of gimmick to make them seem less dreary. This episode considers how, long before gamification, John Dewey hit on the metaphor of sugarcoating… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP03-Sugarcoating_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [Little Ed Koches](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/little-ed-koches/) _2025-07-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ July 1, 2025 Little Ed Koches Grades and tests get in the way of learning for multiple reasons, but this episode digs deeper to explore how any practices that lead students to focus on how well they re doing in school as opposed to what they re doing are bad news. Policy makers who trumpet their demands for higher standards, rigor, and raising the bar may not realize that this focus on achievement… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP02-Little_Ed_Koches_FM_44_1_192.mp3) ## [The Back-to-School-Night Speech We’d Like to Hear (Ep. 1)](https://www.alfiekohn.org/podcasts/the-back-to-school-night-speech-wed-like-to-hear/) _2025-07-01 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ July 1, 2025 The Back-to-School-Night Speech We d Like to Hear This introductory episode offers an overview of education issues that will be discussed on the podcast a sort of a Cliff s Notes to what distinguishes traditional from progressive education. It takes the form of a (fictitious) principal s remarks to parents delivered one evening in a school auditorium. The premise was inspired by a… [Listen](https://media.blubrry.com/3954295/content.blubrry.com/3954295/KZ2025EP01-Back_To_School_Night_FM_v2_1_44_1_192.mp3) ## [The \*&%$!#! Baseball Study](https://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/baseball-study/) _2025-02-24 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ February 24, 2025 The \* %$!#! Baseball Study Why Are Fans of Fact-Focused Teaching Still Citing a Small, Unconvincing Experiment from the 80s? By Alfie Kohn Traditional education has more often been practiced by default than explicitly defended. For the last few years, however, we have witnessed a defensive, defiant embrace of instructional strategies that turn back the clock, notably a ... Read… ## [Heterogenius: Why & How to Stop Dividing People into Us & Them](https://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/diversity/) _2025-01-27 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ January 27, 2025 Heterogenius Why and How to Stop Dividing People into Us and Them By Alfie Kohn This essay is the basis for an episode of the podcast Kohn s Zone titled The Remarkable Benefits of Diversity. To listen, click here. How can we use each other s differences in our common battles for a livable future? Audre Lorde ... Read More ## [Less and Less Curious](https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/curiosity/) _2024-09-26 · Alfie Kohn · Alfie Kohn_ EDUCATION WEEK October 2, 2024 Less and Less Curious By Alfie Kohn When Susan Engel, a developmental psychologist and teacher-educator at Williams College, decided to spend a few months observing suburban elementary schools, she had a specific goal in mind: to study variations in rates of children s curiosity. Which kids asked lots of questions? Which classrooms tended to encourage that? ... Read…