Rating: 
Summary: Misunderstandings galore
Review: Most of the reviewers seem to confuse rewards with reinforcers. An extrinsic reward is not guaranteed to be a reinforcer. Skinner made it very clear in SCIENCE AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR that the determination of reinforcers in human beings was often complex. I rate this book 3 stars because the author did not make it clear enough that his work was about "amateur" behaviorism and not necessarily a condemnation of scientific behavioral analyses and interventions. Most teachers are probably not qualified to analyze operants and reinforcers with enough skill to determine a schedule of reinforcement such that behavior is modified. Somehow, I feel this author is culpable when so many people can't get the point--that is, unless his point was to provoke controversy in the first place!
Rating: 
Summary: Good theory doesn't always make good practice
Review: Alfie Kohn, In his book Punished by Rewards, makes some very useful observations in opposition to using rewards to reinforce behavior. He has, however, discussed some very arguable points somewhat dogmatically. One premise that I adhere to, is one that Kohn fails to point out: some motivation is naturally intrinsic, and yet some activities will not inspire intrinsic motivation, nor are some of these activities worthy of such motivation.In discussing children and rewards Kohn has made some faulty assumptions. Firstly, he has assumed that all controlled behaviors lead only to a response, not a learned and habitual behavior, even when the reward is removed. In reality rewards can truly teach a motivation that may, in fact, become intrinsic. In essence Kohn is ironically supporting, rather than refuting (as he claims) Skinner's "repertoire of behaviors" theory. Secondly, he cites studies that are ill applied to children and rewards. Many of his studies attempt to "bribe" intelligence when this is obviously not possible. No amount of reward can cause a child to develop a skill of which he is simply not capable (p. 42). Motivation yes, skill, no. Extrinsic motivation, clearly, but there is nothing inherently wrong with disliking an activity that requires extrinsic motivation. Thirdly, Kohn implicitly asserts that ultimate motivation can only be intrinsic or extrinsic, not both. I personally am motivated intrinsically to learn. But extrinsically, I am motivated to work towards and read the information necessary to earn high grades, whether they be in the form of A's, B's, or checks and check-plus'. In this situation, which, I feel, is more prevalent than Kohn would like to admit, rewards would be extremely beneficial since the instructor could use external motivators to skillfully guide the already (intrinsically) motivated student, regardless of age. With this last statement in mind I will not deny the claim that extrinsic motivators can, to some degree, undermine intrinsic motivation, especially when used improperly. A teacher, or parent, must be sure to use rewards in the proper context and not without discrimination. Finally, the premise that all things merit intrinsic motivation hereby rendering all extrinsic motivators evil, is simply not true. Rarely will you find a student who will tell you that all of the subjects are his favorite. He is likely to dislike at least a few of his classes, but this is commonplace. It is also normal that all people are intrinsically motivated, but at different activities or subjects. The truth of this premise is important since Kohn does not address it, or avoids it altogether. Kohn's assessment of incentives in the workplace is on target. Grown people, people who know the difference between right and wrong, people whose intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have long since jelled, are more apt to view incentives as a way to manipulate their production in the workplace. This differs from children since children must be taught that certain actions will bring certain consequences. Adults, to a large degree, already possess this knowledge. An adult knows, for example, what will happen if he places his hand on a hot stove. A young child must learn this. Kohn's assertion that the adult level of consciously recognizing the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivators is present, is correct. His assertion of the same for children is incorrect. Piaget has asserted that most young children, specifically infants, simply do not understand, or have, intrinsic motivation other than eat, drink, and sleep. Motivation to engage in different activities will grow as the child's reasoning develops. I use the word reasoning simply because I feel that the power to reason and the power to be intrinsically motivated, to do things adults consider important, studying, learning, thinking, etc, develop in parallel. Kohn would seemingly agree as he asserts that children feel that they are worth less if extrinsic motivators are exercised. This "feel" we can safely assume would also mean "reason." The cognitive process of feeling worthless as a result of something you perceived as extrinsic would, no doubt, require reason. Therefore the simple difference is that incentives will not produce worthy results when implemented on adults simply because adults can "see through" our intentions and can easily identify with our "reasoning" for applying extrinsic motivators, thus feeling manipulated or controlled, as Kohn has pointed out. In the last few chapters Kohn did present some very worthy ideas. Encouraging children, praising the action, not the child, and various active learning strategies are definitely worth implementing. One that is not however, is his suggestion of using checks, and check-plus' for grading. Soon these would be understood, for what they really are (grades in disguise), and a Kohn-esque author would publish a book suggesting letter grades as opposed to the high-pressure checks and check-plus'. One suggested strategy that would appear very useful is that of de-emphasizing grades (or any type of grade mark) and putting less pressure on the student to perform. Moving about the classroom, working in groups, and utilizing more than one modality are all effective ways of learning and should be developed by all educators . Bottom line is that Kohn gives no credit to teachers and parents in that he assumes a reward is given with no attempt at explanation and reasons for obeying. This is simply not so. Most parents and teachers will explain to a student first, then enforce or re-enforce with punishment and rewards. One should, however, be careful how rewards are used as Kohn is convincing when he argues that they can be damaging. However, I feel that use with a young child could prove effective providing the reward is removed once the child begins to show signs of higher reasoning abilities and an understanding of more challenging concepts. Kohn's warnings should be read by teachers and should be heard by parents, but should also be taken with a grain of salt. It might suffice to say that I would not want to teach Kohn's children nor would I look forward to his parent-teacher conference.
Rating: 
Summary: So rewards don't always work -- that upsets the apple cart!
Review: As a teacher, I have always argued that we need to maintain high
grade standards in order to motivate our students to do their
best work. The assumption behind my position is that students
want to get A's and will work to avoid F's (at least most will). This doesn't seem too radical. As parents, we make similar
assumptions. We reward our children when they behave in ways we
approve, and we punish them when they misbehave. We might argue
about whether spanking is a good punishment or whether sending a
high school student to his or her room is effective, but we agree
about the efficacy of rewards and punishment. Employers and supervisors would agree. We reward our employees
with pay raises when they do a good job; some jobs even provide
merit pay for their for the best workers. But after reading Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn, I have some
reservations. According to Kohn, rewards are not only
ineffective; they even prevent the behavior we want to encourage! The book starts off with a review of the psychological school of
determinism and the work of B.F. Skinner. It's a bit technical
here, but it is clearly enough written that most readers can wade
through it with no problems. Then comes the heart of the argument
- offering rewards is actually counter-productive. In one study, for example, pre-kindergarten children were given
the chance to draw with Magic Markers, something almost all
children love to do. When one group was told they would receive
gold stars if they drew pictures, however, their interest seemed
to drop, and when the gold star rewards were withdrawn, many of
the children quit drawing! The reward took the pleasure out of
the task, making it a job that was done only for the sake of the
reward. What does this say about our summer reading programs, where we
give students hamburgers (or other rewards) for reading. Will it
make reading less desirable? What happens when parents give their children dessert as a reward for eating their Brussel Sprouts?
(One experimenter did try to rewards students with Brussel
Rewards when they ate their cake, but the children didn't fall
for that one!) The same phenomenon occurs in the workplace. Employees who are in
merit pay programs often indicate that their interest in the work
they do drops off, and indeed the quality often falls off after a
few months of the merit pay program. So what's the solution? Ah, here is the weakness, as Kohn himself admits. If the high school were to tell our students that we
wanted the joy of learning to be their reward, I fear the vast
majority would quickly find other joys instead! The enthusiasm
that kindergarten children often exude ("Guess what we learned
today!") gets lost somewhere along the way. We can't simply drop
our reward/punishment schemes without carefully considering how
we will restructure our homes, schools, and jobs. This is a book that parents, teachers, and employers will all
find interesting. It should cause some interesting debates.
Rating:
Summary: Must read for all educators, employers, and parents
Review: Any teacher, parent or boss who wants to know the best way to be a leader, to motivate, to encourage positive behavior, or to better enjoy their leadership role needs to read this book. Kohn makes a bold argument, supported by a hundred or more psychological studies, that people are not motivated by behaviorism. Kohn shows that there is much more to leadership than to get people to do what YOU want them to do. Even though it is a non-fiction book- it was actually a page turner! Kohn is an excellent writer. This book has improved my quality of life, and made me a better teacher!
Rating:
Summary: Where did the motovation go?
Review: If you want to know why your child or children, once in school, go from a jest to learn to avoiding school; this book will tell you why!
Hint: Just think about how time flys, how exciting it is, when you are doing something you love.
Set aside your opinions for a moment and just consider what the author tells you, and you'll comeaway with either reinforcement for your thoughts or an entirely new outlook..either way, you have nothing to loose! Personally, I think this is a FANTASTIC book!!
Rating:
Summary: Business Implications
Review: Alfie Kohn's conclusions seem incontrovertible. The evidence is clear: You can't create instrinsic value with extrinsic motivators. The use of carrots and sticks will result in inferior performance. Rewards teach people to dislike the very activity that they were supposed to encourage! These seem like astounding assertions, but this book is not simply a baseless theory. It is a set of conclusions based on a huge volume of research performed by dozens (hundreds?) of unrelated researchers. The studies speak for themselves. While our educational institutions seem hopelessly mired in a system unable to extract itself from rewards and punishments, you will at least find discussion of Alfie Kohn's work in this arena. In the world of business, this thought is not even entertained. The implications for the business world are profound. Most of what we do to motivate people is doomed to failure! Management techniques and incentive compensation cannot succeed in bringing the kind of results that business desires! If anyone knows of any business that has applied Alfie Kohn's work, write a review here. The business world needs to know about it.
Rating:
Summary: Rewards Backfire
Review: Punished by Rewards is a thought provoking book written for a general audience that argues that use of rewards undermines efforts to teach students, manage workers, or raise children. About one third of the book is devoted to educational issues, one third to parenting concerns, and one third to business concerns. This review is from an educator's perspective. In this well-researched book, Alfie Kohn takes on the educational establishment dominated by experts who advise behavioristic classroom management plans. He challenges many current classroom management practices such as the contingent use of stickers, prizes, parties, gold stars, grades, honor rolls, awards assemblies, and praise. Any teacher working on improving classroom management and motivating students will benefit from reading this refreshingly original and persuasive book and will have a new perspective on some entrenched educational practices that often go unquestioned. As the author says, you don't have to accept everything he says to see the value in making some changes. Kohn's central thesis is that it is misguided for teachers (and parents and bosses also) to rely on extrinsic motivators and reinforcers to assure quiet, orderly classrooms and manipulate students to behave in ways that are for the teacher's convenience. It is well acepted that punishment is not a way to motivate students. He contends that punishment and rewards are merely two sides of the same coin--and the coin doesn't buy much. Both approaches are applied and popularized behaviorism, a theory attributed to B. F. Skinner and his followers. Citing current research, he backs up his idea that rewards only succeed in the short term. Changes usually do not persist when there are no more "goodies" to be won. Many studies he cites show that performance is not improved and may actually be impaired by use of reward strategies.
Rewards fail for five reasons. First, rewards punish and control by seduction. The failure to win a reward or the threat to remove a reward is functionally identical to the threat to employ a punishment. Second, rewards rupture relationships both vertically (student/teacher) and horizontally (student/student). Both rewards and punishment are really about someone maintaining power and control over another and they induce a behavior pattern whereby the subordinate tries to curry favor and impress the rewarder rather than encourage a relationship of trust and openness. Also, rewards lead to destructive competition. Third, employing rewards can change superficial behavior effectively, but it ignores the underlying reasons for the problem behavior and so does not effect long-term change. Rewards are not solutions, they are gimmicks, shortcuts, quick fixes that mask problems. Fourth, rewards discourage risk taking, creativity, and taking on challenges because the task is now just something that stands in the way of gaining the prize. Finally, and most tragically, rewards change the way people approach the task. To reward someone for something that many find intrinsically interesting and enjoy doing is to destroy motivation. For example, the Pizza Hut "Book It" reading incentive and summer library reading incentive programs are, according to Kohn, very destructive. Reading is presented not as a pleasurable experience, but as something one has to be bribed to do with a food reward or other token. Kohn devotes an entire chapter to the proposition that praise itself can have toxic effects upon the recipient. Praise is often given for the convenience of the praiser and to manipulate the recipient. It can impede performance by signaling low ability, making people feel pressured, inviting a low-risk strategy to avoid failure, and reducing interest in the task itself. Children can be hooked on praise and become too extrinsically motivated, too dependent upon approval from others. Kohn offers five or six solid and practical strategies for employing encouraging words and providing feedback without praising. This chapter of the book is eye opening, especially for parents. So what is the alternative to manipulation by praise and tangible rewards? That depends upon the goals one wishes to achieve and the problem to be solved. Unlike the behaviorist method, the Kohn method offers no quick, easy solution to classroom management and student motivation problems. To his credit, Kohn devotes the last third of his book to addressing how to get beyond rewards. He fits himself into the constructivist philosophy with his emphasis on learning as discovery, enhancing student control and choice through class meetings, encouraging collaboration and revising content to follow students' natural interests. He points out that young children learn naturally because they are curious about how the world works. They are always seeking to solve their own questions to make sense of their world. Schools need to rethink curriculum and content. Teachers need to rethink whether they really need the control they seek with behavior management plans. Teachers will find this book very useful. After explaining the theoretical underpinnings of his position, Kohn has many useful examples of the negative results from using reward strategies. Yet Kohn is realistic and recognizes that even if one agrees with him, change will take a long time. He presents many interim strategies teachers can use to reduce the negative impacts of entrenched practices and recognizes that teachers cannot single-handedly effect change if their entire school system depends upon manipulation through rewards. He recognizes that teachers are often judged by their superiors in ways that encourage them to go with the cheap behaviorist tricks that offer temporary solutions. He offers many specific ways teachers can slowly reduce their own dependence on such tactics. In conclusion, this book offers a useful guide for action for any teacher who recognizes the limitations of the behaviorist methods in place in almost every classroom in America. For those who are unconvinced, Kohn says he'll be satisfied if they are at least questioning their teaching, parenting, or supervising after they close the book. In a sincere yet lighthearted way he invites the reader to "Ride my train as far as you can and get off when you have to. Maybe later you'll hop aboard again, a little closer to'working with' than 'doing to' and we can continue the journey." Interested readers will find it easy to continue journeying with Kohn as he is a prolific author of both books and articles and maintains a website.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and Inspiring
Review: I used Kohn's book as a resource in a Masters (education) thesis. There is so much literature out there that validates his writings. I wish all my children's teachers would read this book, as well as Haim Ginott's books on parenting and teaching (the ones that Faber and Mazlish base their work on) that describe how to do what Kohn proposes. The world would be a better place. In addition, this book really made me look at how I talk with and interact with my own children, as well as how they are treated at school. I immediately stopped using the "token economy" system I had devised to get my kids to do what I wanted them to do (and what they needed to be doing anyway). Kohn was right, the behaviors I was trying to induce did not continue after I stopped using the system, and the kids' biggest worry was how they were gonna get the goodies now!
Rating: 
Summary: Punished by Kohn: The trouble with Punished by Rewards
Review: The science of human behavior, behavior analysis, studies observable behavior for almost 100 years. Many principles and techniques for measuring, understanding and changing behavior have been developed. Everyman claims to know about human behavior. We are all lay psychologists. In order to sell a book, the writer has to find connection with an audience. Alfie Kohn did that with lay psychologists. A lot of people don't want to hear that laws of behavior have been discovered. They feel inhibited in their freedom. So does Alfie Kohn. He does not understand the basic principles of human behavior. Especially two aspects: One. The definitions of reinforcement and reward. Reinforcement is a consequence that increases behavior. If a reward does not increase behavior, then it is not a reinforcer and behavior analysis has not been applied well. Two. Schedules of reinforcement. Intrinsic motivation means that natural reinforcement have take over the power of contrived reinforcement. If you reward intrinsic motivated behavior, then you can destroy intrinsic motivation. Kohn is right in that. But it does not undermine behavior analysis, because it explains this phenomenon. Alfie Kohn should study behavior analysis more extensively before critisising it and make a lot of money from that. Kohn's behavior probably will not change because of this large contrived reinforcer and the social reinforcers that come from all the attention he got (including this one, but this is a warning to potential readers).
Rating:
Summary: From control to true democracy
Review: This is a paperback edition of the 1993 original. All the well-researched arguments against incentives, rewards and even praise, are still just as valid today. Most people may hesitate to use explicit punishment but hold such deep-rooted beliefs in using rewards. "Punished by Rewards" is a captivating title and it shocks people into some awareness of such futile and self-defeating behavior. The author has a fundamental belief in the goodness of the human nature, the intrinsic desire to learn and he attempts to lay a true foundation for democratic attitudes and practices. Praise is all right as feedback, but any external means of control is counter-productive to fostering true learning and community building. He has the vision of "Good Kids Without Goodies", education not based on rewards, grades and competition and he advocates the 3 Cs: collaboration (learning together, content (things worth knowing) and choice (autonomy in the classroom). Some may feel he is too utopian. But such a clear-thinking, passionate, challenging and persuasive writer deserves careful study, debate and reflection.
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