Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community

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Summary: Alfie Bucks the System
Review: I found the book,Beyond Discipline, to be very insightful. Yes Alfie Kohn criticizes all other methods but I think hearing the criticisms helps one to understand the constructive points that follow. I feel his criticisms are intended to make educators evaluate the accepted methods of discipline from a different viewpoint - that of the children.

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Summary: A different perspective on "managing" the classroom.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It offered me insights into classroom discipline that I had never considered. The most powerful statement made in the book--in my opinion-- is that, instead of wondering how to make children behave differently, we should be asking ourselves what we are doing to make them behave the way they are. Too often I make decisions solely for the purpose of being the "boss". This book helped me to stop and think about why I want the children to behave a certain way. I had a very difficult class a few years ago, and I wish I would have read this book prior to that time. However, during the reading, a lot of that class's problems made more sense to me!

Rating:
Summary: Tedious to get through the first half
Review: Kohn may have valid points about the need for more student-centered and democratic practices in the classroom, but it takes him entirely too long to get there. The first half of the book just criticizes every "traditional" classroom management program, without offering any potential solutions. It's a frustrating book to read, not so much because of what Kohn has to say, but how he says it.

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Summary: Provocative ideas if you can get through the whining.
Review: My question for Mr. Kohn is,"Why did you feel the need to waste the first 72 pages of this book slinging sarcastic insults and criticism?" Although Mr. Kohn sites authors of programs no one has used in a decade for their inadequacies at a feverish rate throughout these negative pages, he gives others no credit for their positive contributions in the second half of the book. If I agreed with the foundations of Assertive Discipline, I wouldn't have bout this book to begin with! Ruth Charney and the other people from Responsive Classroom have written scads on Class Meetings, Whole School Meetings, and kids becoming responsible problem solvers. Although Mr. Kohn gives these ideas merit, he fails to give credit to their authors. Much of what Mr. Kohn professes is grounded in good teaching, but he doesn't feel any of us are capable of that. I don't know why he couldn't have written a book which rejoices in the positive ideas he has, rather than oozing sarcasm. Perhaps he didn't have enough to say in that department. Mr Kohn feels about teachers the way he claims Canter and Canter feel about kids. Just can't do anything right.

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Summary: Anecdotes galore, but no beef
Review: The subtitle captures well the thrust of the book. Alfie Kohn continues to ask probing questions to challenge our assumptions and beliefs and prods us to see things from the child's perspective. Instead of being concerned with classroom management and control--getting children to do what we want, we should first ask, "What do children need?," and "How can we meet those needs?". Very often discipline problems arise, not, as it is commonly believed, out of the students' personal problems or the need for attention or power. Rather it is just because the adults' demands may be unreasonable, or the curriculum may be irrelevant. "When students are 'off task', our first response should be to ask, 'What's the task?'" (p.19). Coercion, use of punishment and rewards, any control measures are not achieving our common goals in fostering depth of understanding, independence of thinking, continuing motivation to learn and concern for others. Students should have their say, participate in making decisions, be given autonomy and responsibility. Students must feel cared about and be encouraged to care about others. Only caring relationships build community. Competition is the worst enemy. Suggestions on building community, solving problems together were given. Also answers to ten common objections. For educators who value democracy, this is a worhtwhile book.

Rating:
Summary: From compliance to community
Review: The subtitle captures well the thrust of the book. Alfie Kohn continues to ask probing questions to challenge our assumptions and beliefs and prods us to see things from the child's perspective. Instead of being concerned with classroom management and control--getting children to do what we want, we should first ask, "What do children need?," and "How can we meet those needs?". Very often discipline problems arise, not, as it is commonly believed, out of the students' personal problems or the need for attention or power. Rather it is just because the adults' demands may be unreasonable, or the curriculum may be irrelevant. "When students are 'off task', our first response should be to ask, 'What's the task?'" (p.19). Coercion, use of punishment and rewards, any control measures are not achieving our common goals in fostering depth of understanding, independence of thinking, continuing motivation to learn and concern for others. Students should have their say, participate in making decisions, be given autonomy and responsibility. Students must feel cared about and be encouraged to care about others. Only caring relationships build community. Competition is the worst enemy. Suggestions on building community, solving problems together were given. Also answers to ten common objections. For educators who value democracy, this is a worhtwhile book.

Rating:
Summary: A different approach
Review: When I first started reading Alfie Kohn's book "Beyond Discipline" I thought it would be just another book about discipline. It turned out to be pretty good. Although he was negative toward the other methods of discipline, he did a good job explaining why he felt that those methods were not the correct way in dealing with children. I think we all, sometime in our life, have punished children for doing wrong, and rewarded them for being good. The way he explained why those methods, as well as others he listed, helped me open my eyes to see his point of view. I always thought those were good methods to use, but when he talked about building a community I seemed to like that idea better. I don't believe that method will work in every classroom because each classroom & child is different. However, it would be nice if it could work in every school; would have less problems. The part about the book that will always stick with me is where he is talking about how we need to look at our own actions to see why children are misbehaving or having problems. Kohn stated, " Label a particular child a troublemaker and watch him become one." I am not saying this book has all the answers when it comes to discipline, but it does make some interesting points. Everyone can learn something from this if they keep an open mind....it's not just for teachers.

Rating:
Summary: A different approach
Review: When I first started reading Alfie Kohn's book "Beyond Discipline" I thought it would be just another book about discipline. It turned out to be pretty good. Although he was negative toward the other methods of discipline, he did a good job explaining why he felt that those methods were not the correct way in dealing with children. I think we all, sometime in our life, have punished children for doing wrong, and rewarded them for being good. The way he explained why those methods, as well as others he listed, helped me open my eyes to see his point of view. I always thought those were good methods to use, but when he talked about building a community I seemed to like that idea better. I don't believe that method will work in every classroom because each classroom & child is different. However, it would be nice if it could work in every school; would have less problems. The part about the book that will always stick with me is where he is talking about how we need to look at our own actions to see why children are misbehaving or having problems. Kohn stated, " Label a particular child a troublemaker and watch him become one." I am not saying this book has all the answers when it comes to discipline, but it does make some interesting points. Everyone can learn something from this if they keep an open mind....it's not just for teachers.

Rating:
Summary: A different approach
Review: When I first started reading Alfie Kohn's book "Beyond Discipline" I thought it would be just another book about discipline. It turned out to be pretty good. Although he was negative toward the other methods of discipline, he did a good job explaining why he felt that those methods were not the correct way in dealing with children. I think we all, sometime in our life, have punished children for doing wrong, and rewarded them for being good. The way he explained why those methods, as well as others he listed, helped me open my eyes to see his point of view. I always thought those were good methods to use, but when he talked about building a community I seemed to like that idea better. I don't believe that method will work in every classroom because each classroom & child is different. However, it would be nice if it could work in every school; would have less problems. The part about the book that will always stick with me is where he is talking about how we need to look at our own actions to see why children are misbehaving or having problems. Kohn stated, " Label a particular child a troublemaker and watch him become one." I am not saying this book has all the answers when it comes to discipline, but it does make some interesting points. Everyone can learn something from this if they keep an open mind....it's not just for teachers.