So, one of my current housemates is a third grade teacher who recommended I read What Does it Mean to Be Well Educated? And Other Essays on Standards, Grading, and Other Follies, by Alfie Kohn. I’ve been devouring the book and have found Kohn’s insight fascinating. I’m going to post some quotes in upcoming blogs so I’ll keep this review brief.

I think every educator should read this book, or at least some of Kohn’s work (most probably have). I’m not sure that everyone will agree with his opinions, but I think he has brilliant insight that will help you see a different perspective and consider things from an angle you hadn’t before. Kohn manages to step back from the current debates that are often polarized to two sides and lends a whole new perspective the questions some of the very assumptions we currently take for granted.

The ideas are pretty radical at times, but I find I agree with much of what he says. He’s extremely critical of standardized testing, national standards, business and politicians involved in education decisions, and a huge opponent to grades.

Here are a couple quotes and links to a lot of the complete essays!

From Confusing Hard with Better:

But how many adults could pass these exams? How many high school teachers possess the requisite stock of information outside their own subjects? How many college professors, for that matter, or business executives, or state legislators could confidently write an essay about Mayan agricultural practices or divergent plate boundaries? We would do well to adopt (Deborah) Meier’s Mandate: No student should be expected to meet an academic requirement that a cross section of successful adults in the community cannot.

A list Two Cheers for an End to the SAT on why to ditch the SAT:

• The SAT is a measure of resources more than of reasoning.
• Aggregate scores don’t reflect educational achievement.
• Individual scores don’t reflect a student’s intellectual depth.
• SAT’s don’t predict the future.
• SAT’s don’t contribute to diversity.

And finally From Degrading to De-Grading on why to do away with grades:

Grades tend to reduce students’ interest in the learning itself.

Grades tend to reduce students’ preference for challenging tasks.

Grades tend to reduce the quality of students’ thinking.

Grades aren’t valid, reliable, or objective.

Grades distort the curriculum.

Grades waste a lot of time that could be spent on learning.

Grades encourage cheating.

Grades spoil teachers’ relationships with students.

Grades spoil students’ relationships with each other.

Feel free to read the complete essays linked above and let me know your thoughts.