Author Alfie Kohn to discuss provocative parenting topic January 8 in Palo Alto

Oshman Family JCC welcomes acclaimed author Alfie Kohn for an evening of discussion entitled, “Performance vs. Learning: The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement.”

In this provocative discussion, Kohn argues that the problem with standardized testing is not only how bad the tests are, but also how much attention is paid to the results.

Focusing on achievement may paradoxically undermine this very goal because of what happens to students’ motivation in the process. He further points to recent research suggesting that there is a significant difference between getting students to think about their performance and getting them to think about learning itself.

Kohn argues, “When the point is to prove how smart you are, to get a good grade, or a high test score, there is less inclination to engage deeply with ideas.”

This talk will take place 7:30pm, Saturday, January 8, 2015, at the Schultz Cultural Arts Hall of the Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto.

Alfie Kohn is an author and lecturer who writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education and parenting. Ever since handing in a paper in the fifth grade with the defiant heading “Busywork,” Kohn has been arguing against traditional systems of education.

He is known for his criticism of mainstream ideas about education and achievement, emphasizing that knowledge should be taught “in a context and for a purpose” as opposed to the widespread educational practice of teaching to a test.

He advocates for an educational system that aims to instill understanding and critical thinking, rather than the rote memorization and skill-based education prevalent in many test-driven schools.

Kohn’s work has appeared in a vast selection of publications includingJournal of Education, The Huffington Post, The Nation and Harvard Business Review, and has published thirteen books on parenting, education, and human behavior.

He regularly lectures at universities, parent and community groups, and corporations, in addition to conducting workshops for teachers and administrators on various topics such as child behavior, control, and learning. Kohn’s criticisms of how competition and rewards affect children have been widely discussed and debated, and he has been described in Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.”

His most recent book, The Myth of the Spoiled Child, was released in June 2014, and deals with what he believes to be a widely held misconception that “kids these days” are coddled, entitled, and over-protected.

He argues against this notion, positing the idea that children are more negatively affected by excessive control than by indulgence. The Boston Globe wrote of The Myth of the Spoiled Child, “With his trademark blend of skepticism and idealism, [Kohn] dismantles most of the hype surrounding motivation and competition, failure and success.”

For tickets ($25 in advance, $30 at the door) the public may visit www.paloaltojcc.org/kohn or call (650) 223-8664