I suspect the first 18 pages (chapter 1) of Punished by Rewards either resonated with you and had you saying, “Yes, Yes,” or irritated you so much you put the book down and labeled Kohn a naïve idealist. Perhaps there is some middle ground there but this is a book that can evoke strong opinions both ways. I look forward to the discussion our book group will have on Monday, January 29 at 3:45 in the HS library.
Listed below are the names of those who have signed up to join us in the discussion. If your name is not listed, you may still join us, but you will need to get a copy of the book on your own. I know the public libraries have copies.
Also, here are some questions to think about based on the first chapter, just to get your thoughts rolling. Feel free to post a response also. Posts encourage other people to post and exchanging ideas is always a good thing!
- Is behaviorism a philosophy that is compatible with Christianity?
- What implications does Skinner’s statement on p.6 that people were different from other species only in the degree of their sophistication have?
- Is recognizing the concept of a “self” vital for Christianity and Christian schooling?
- Kohn distinguishes between causes and reasons on p. 9. Do you agree with this distinction?
- On p. 10 Kohn writes, “Behind the practice of presenting a colorful dinosaur sticker to a first grader who stays silent on command is a theory that embodies distinct assumptions about the nature of knowledge, the possibility of choice, and what it means to be a human being.” What kind of assumptions is Kohn presuming? And what is your reaction to this statement?
- What is your reaction to Kohn’s correlation on p.14 between behavioralism and and Jesus’ statement in Luke 14?
- Finally, what would you say to Kohn after his statement on p.16 that real instruction takes patience and courage while rewards are simply the easy way out?
Group Participants
Troy McIntosh
Bill Williams
Leslie Hejduk
Adam Heath
Tim Adams
David Stoll
Kristen Yaiko
Mike O’Neill
Judy Bechtel
Lyndsey Chan
Sandy Cupp
Gretchen Swift
Tanya Cordial
Jason Crary
Linda Hall
Judy McElroy
Laura Beres
Sharon Dumit
Toni Turoff
Beth Heisey
Tom Anglea
Buzz Inboden
posted by Troy McIntosh @ 1:48 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Did anyone see the story on 10TV news about the Coshocton school program offering up to $100 to students for good grades? It is not real cash, but rather what they call "Coshocton Bucks," which students can spend in area businesses like cash. This is the third year of a three year pilot study they are doing to see if this will motivate students enough to raise their standardized test scores.
I wanted to post the link, but it's not working very well. If you want to read the short article they put on the website, here's how:
Go to www.10tv.com
Click "News"
Scroll down to article "Paying for Good Grades"
Thanks for the link, Kristen. I was a little taken aback because the superintendent doesn't appear to know the difference between extrinsic and instrinsic motivators.
Superintendent Wade Lucas says, "If we can get one child to take intrinsic motivation and turn them into extrinsic motivators, then we've been successful."
Why on earth would you want to turn instrinsic motivation into extrinsic? Or is he just confused and have them turned around?
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