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Rethinking Homework

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The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing

256 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2006

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The Homework Myth

How to fix schools so kids really learn

alfie kohn the homework myth

Is It Enough for Students to Be "Engaged"?

Alfie Kohn on October 10, 2022

It's good when kids are absorbed by something they're doing. It's better—and more likely to be intellectually beneficial—when what they're doing is driven by their curiosity.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Sport and Competition

The case for cooperative games.

Alfie Kohn on February 14, 2022

We've been raised to assume that playing a game means struggling to defeat other people. But activities without winners or losers actually reveal how much fun competition isn't

alfie kohn the homework myth

Schooling Is Never Values-Free or Apolitical

Alfie Kohn on November 5, 2021

Why is it "political" to teach the history of racism in this country but apolitical to ignore it? Or do conservatives actually fear kids' being taught to think for themselves?

alfie kohn the homework myth

What Makes a True Skeptic?

Alfie Kohn on September 27, 2021

When conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers, and climate science deniers claim to be brave truth-tellers and skeptics, how do we distinguish that from genuine skepticism?

alfie kohn the homework myth

The Progressive Teacher's Role in the Classroom

Alfie Kohn on May 3, 2021

What's harder than either traditional or hands-off teaching? Artfully complicating students' thinking. And being in control of putting kids in control.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Lessons About Education: Dewey, Piaget, and Frosted Mini-Wheats

Alfie Kohn on March 8, 2021

A meditation on why sugarcoating is best avoided, both literally (in cereals) and figuratively (in education and parenting).

alfie kohn the homework myth

The Tests Are Lousy, So How Could the Scores Be Meaningful?

Alfie Kohn on December 21, 2020

Why do so many teachers privilege test scores (falsely endowing them with "objectivity") over their own, more meaningful knowledge of how kids are faring?

alfie kohn the homework myth

Self-Esteem

Fame is the name of the game.

Alfie Kohn on October 16, 2020

The pervasive (and poignant) desire to be known by millions of strangers—or to bask in the reflected glory of famous people—is an intriguing psychological puzzle.

alfie kohn the homework myth

All of Us Are Smarter Than Any of Us

Alfie Kohn on September 23, 2020

There's a substantial cost to students, and perhaps especially to working-class students, of our extreme ideology of individualism.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Out of Control

Alfie Kohn on May 21, 2020

Having some control over what happens to us is a basic human need. Selfish individualism is not.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Autism and Behaviorism

Alfie Kohn on January 29, 2020

Part 3 of 3: A new review of 50 years of research finds little support for ABA. The evidence actually supports treating autistic kids as human beings, not bundles of behaviors.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Alfie Kohn on January 28, 2020

ABA can objectify and dehumanize autistic children, with mindless compliance the price for acceptance. Is it any wonder it's widely despised by the children to whom it's done?

alfie kohn the homework myth

Alfie Kohn on January 27, 2020

Part 1 of 3: Research has long shown that rewards inevitably backfire. That includes "positive reinforcement" to manipulate children with special needs.

alfie kohn the homework myth

What the Presidential Candidates Should Say About Education

Alfie Kohn on October 18, 2019

There's a big difference between being politically progressive (when talking about education policy) and also being educationally progressive.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Gener(aliz)ations

Alfie Kohn on July 16, 2019

Let's quit the Millennial bashing and, while we're at it, stop the simplistic summaries of Baby Boomers, Gen X'ers, and other huge groups that only have age in common.

alfie kohn the homework myth

The Trouble(s) with College

Alfie Kohn on May 23, 2019

The low points of higher ed: How the system for deciding who's accepted makes our society more inequitable, and how the teaching isn't always so hot for those who do get in.

alfie kohn the homework myth

Deconstructing "Scaffolding"

Alfie Kohn on March 7, 2019

Educators often use a metaphor from the construction industry to describe giving students temporary help. But a closer look suggests the idea is more controversial than it seems.

alfie kohn the homework myth

The Why Axis

Alfie Kohn on November 26, 2018

Progressive teaching is hard to do well. But describing its rationale to skeptical outsiders is also important.

alfie kohn the homework myth

When Oprah Calls, You Don't Say No

Alfie Kohn on August 24, 2018

In 1996, Oprah Winfrey did an experiment in which some kids were rewarded for evaluating puzzles, and she invited me to explain the results. Here's what happened.

The Overselling of Gratitude

Alfie Kohn on July 11, 2018

Should we really adopt a "count your blessings" stance across the board, or is it more authentic to see (and react to) circumstances as they are?

January 2023 magazine cover

Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible.

In her sketch, the artist Holly Myrick portrays a sense of peace and "lightness" in a dying patient as as counterpoint to the darker, more tumultuous side of the struggle some family members

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alfie kohn the homework myth

The Homework Myth Hardcover – August 21, 2006

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About the author

Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. He is the author of twelve books and hundreds of articles. Kohn has been described by Time Magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades and test scores.” He has appeared twice on “Oprah,” as well as on “The Today Show,” NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and on many other TV and radio programs. He spends much of his time speaking at education conferences, as well as to parent groups, school faculties, and researchers. Kohn lives (actually) in the Boston area – and (virtually) at www.alfiekohn.org.

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  6. Author of The Homework Myth, Alfie Kohn argues that homework may not be good for kids after all

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COMMENTS

  1. The Homework Myth

    In The Homework Myth, Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework – that it promotes higher achievement, “reinforces” learning, teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.

  2. Rethinking Homework

    Kohn, Alfie. The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2006). Kralovec, Etta, and John Buell. The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning (Boston: Beacon Press, 2000). Samway, Katharine.

  3. The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad T…

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.

  4. The Homework Myth

    Fame Is the Name of the Game. Alfie Kohn on October 16, 2020. The pervasive (and poignant) desire to be known by millions of strangers—or to bask in the reflected glory of famous people—is an ...

  5. The Homework Myth : Alfie Kohn

    The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn Publication date 2006-08-21 Topics Teaching skills & techniques, Parenting - General, Education (General), Family And Child Development, Education, Education / Teaching, General, Research, Educational Policy & Reform, Educational change, Homework, Parent participation, Social aspects, United States Publisher

  6. The Homework Myth: Kohn, Alfie: 9780738210858: Amazon.com: Books

    In The Homework Myth, nationally known educator and parenting expert Alfie Kohn systematically examines the usual defenses of homework--that it promotes higher achievement, "reinforces" learning, and teaches study skills and responsibility. None of these assumptions, he shows, actually passes the test of research, logic, or experience.