Xiaolan Rong
ED 690
Dr. Lauren B. Birney
Reflection The Deadly Effects of Tougher Standards by Alfie Kohn
On his lecture, I was attracted by Mr. Kohn’s passion in his speech. Alfie Kohn was considered by Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores” This humorous scholar on the lecture platform at Pace University denied some fundamental principles in which I believe all though my life. For example, challenging high stakes testing will make deadly effects on students, as the title of his lecture. He also holds the ideas that homework may not bring lots of academic achievements, praise may reduce students’ motivation, and self-discipline may not be desired in some contexts. Kohn denies some conventional positive ideas in education about tests, homework, praise and self-discipline.
Listening to Kohn’s lecture, I kept thinking that thank God his lectures only target at educators not students. Lots of his ideas will encourage students to ignore homework, tests and even teachers’ instructions. I keep a conservative attitude towards Kohn’s ideas. First, tests and homework are both methods to integrate new knowledge. It’s hard to imagine how much knowledge students can master when they leave schools if we cancel tests or homework. Secondly, tests and homework exert some pressure on students. Moderate pressure is good for any person, including students, to make progress. Finally, tests and homework are both efficient ways to evaluate students’ performance. Kohn’s negative ideas about tests and homework deny any kind of assessment system more or less.
Kohn used an example of a math class teaching Measure Units to present how a good teacher manages classrooms. I acknowledge the teaching methods applied in the math class are creative and provocative. However, I noticed that the teaching content in a 45-minute math class in China would consume teachers ten 45-minute periods if using the similar teaching methods. The cost of the application of inviting teaching methods in classrooms is a waste of time.
As for his idea on praise, I am on his side. As a foreigner, I noticed the “misuse” of praise here when I first got to the USA. At the beginning, I was so excited about getting praise. I thought I really did good work. Praise reduces my motivation to make self-improvement. Gradually, I realized sometimes praise implies that I have done this work. It has nothing to do with my performance when doing this work. It baffles my ability to judge myself.
Finally, students are facing a global competition. The elites in the future might be educated in various educational environments. Frankly, I doubt students growing up in the educational mode promoted by Kohn could perform better on the world stage in the future.
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