Punished By Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes

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Summary: It made you reconsider ways you reward students.
Review: The book, Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn is about the negative aspects of the reward system. Not only are reward systems with children in the classroom discussed, but also parenting, and the work place. The author discusses the reasons why rewarding produces negative behavior, lack of motivation, or lack of teaching responsibility. He uses Pavlov and Skinner and their behavior theories to explain the system of rewards and punishment, but disagres with the outcomes. Kohn says, "rewards are not actually solutions at all; they are gimmicks, shortcuts, quick fixes that mask problems and ignore reasons. They never look below the surface." I look at this book more from a teaching and parenting aspect than from the view of the work force, so I feel that many teachers and parents both feel that rewards are beneficial. Grades are not only a reward but also a way to gage the amount of knowledge the student has gained. On the other hand Kohn uses an example with politicians taking away public assistance for studens if they don't remain in school without looking beyond the problem of why they may be dropping out. Another example considered is that people become less of a risk taker if they are rewarded. He says that when working for a reward people will do just enough to get the reward and nothing more. The idea is not to try to extend ideas and go for more, it is just to get the "goodies". I think that it is healthy to have some reward system, not to over do it, but a challenge sometimes causes us to strive harder to reach goals. I don't think that the main reason most students study is always for the grade. They are there to learn and to some, trying to achieve the best grade might be a distraction, but for others they are there for the education. One example is the Book-It program. I don't agree with his comments concerning this program. My school has done this program for many years and it encourages children who would not usually pick up a book, to want to read so they can get that free pizza. I would recommend this book because it really does make you stop and think about whether we do offer too many rewards for some things. You can often hear a mother in a store tell her child that if they behave she will buy them something. I do agree that children should learn the responsibility of good behavior without bribing. It would be a good book for both educators and parents to read. It does make you think about whether you might be harming the child with the reward ststem and are we going to make them irresponsible, less motivated, or contribute to negative behavior. Being an educator in todays world is very difficult. It is hard to know how much to reward and not to reward. I asked my teenage children the question about how much they would study if they were not given grades. They both surprised me by saying that they would study, especially if it was a subject that they liked. My daughter even used an example of something she learned last year to answer another student's question and her comment to me was "you know if I hadn't studied and learned this I couldn't have helped him". But I do think people in general should have goals to strive for and not necessarily tangible rewards.

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Summary: Interesting view on how get peole to do go above and beyond.
Review: A+'s, Incentive Pay, A Prize If You Are Good, Star Child Bumper Stickers, we have all been exposed to the rewards listed above. We have been enticed by our parents, teachers, employers and friends with "If you do this I'll do that" bargains. Bribery seems to have become the motivational force behind all the decisions we make as a society. Unfortunately, we do not see it as bribery when it is hidden under the cloak of rewards. Or so this is the position assumed by Alphie Kohn author of Punished by Rewards; The Trouble with Gold Stars Incentive Plans, A+'s Praise and Other Bribes. Mr. Kohn introduces the thought of rewards as bribery in the first part of his book. He breaks down everyday activities and dissects them into action/rewards situations. He brings these to your attention through at Work (incentive pay), Home (If you take out the garbage, I will take you out to dinner.), School (If you do not talk in class, you will get your name on the board and get to play on the playground today.), and even Religion (If you do "right in this life, when you die you will go to heaven.). He points this out with the hopes of you the reader will begin to recognize these situations in our everyday life. How we perform these rituals on others and how they are performed on us. As you read, slowly but surely you begin to see that to get us motivated, we have become a society that acts on a "What will you do for me?" basis. Considering we are not a society of slackers, this theory must work right? Not according to Kohn. He puts up persuasive arguments to the contrary. Action/Reward may get someone to produce but that this does not make him or her successful. Nor does it help you the teacher or manger because there is no true joy in doing the action. The other person is not doing it for their long-term benefit; they are only doing the action for the short-term reward. He cites Threatened, Watched and Expecting to be evaluated are three of the predominant feelings people who are on the receiving end of the action/reward mentality have. He does an exceptional job bringing the behaviors and how the affect their subject to your attention. The second part of the book is Kohn's recommendation for breaking the circle of behaviors. Basically, he shows the way to get the behaviors and actions you want without the bribery. In the section called Beyond Rewards, he gives us the tools to begin the changes within others and ourselves. He breaks the changes down into the different areas of our lives; Work, Home, and School. And the proper way to correct them slowly but surely. The main theory behind the changing of behaviors is giving back control and choice. Give the people options and let them be able to make their own decisions about the choices facing them. Once we begin to do this, we will see more production but on a less superficial level. The decisions our students, employee and friends will be making them based on a more long term outcome instead of the short term Now! Now! Now! What can I get it out of it now. This is when we will truly begin to see the change we are looking for and have wanted all along. We may not agree with one hundred percent with Kohn however he does make valid points as far as getting peoples behaviors to change. Give them some of the control in what is going on around them and they begin to act as we wanted them to in the first place. Punished by Rewards makes very valid points. If you have an employee, student, family member that just is not responding to the action/reaction method, I recommend reading this book. The tactics listed inside are well worth a try.

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Summary: An interesting and well-documented analysis of behaviorism
Review: Alfie Kohn, in his book Punished by Rewards, uses extensive documentation to support his conclusion that behaviorism is an ineffective tool when dealing with people, whether employees, students, or children. He argues that the using the carrot method of "do this and you'll get that" leads to extrinsic motivation, where the reward is obtained by any means. This leads to less intrinsic motivation and people ultimate lose interest or care about the quality of work, or amount of learning achieved. He seems to want to over-turn the mainstream theory that the only way to achieve success is by one person over-powering another through their authority and bribes. Current beliefs in education include: teacher-centered classrooms, behavior-management programs, and learning achieved through bribes and grades. Mr. Kohn wishes to completely change this method of thinking, and instead create a "3C" classroom, with: collaboration, content, and choice. These classrooms eliminate rewards as the basis for learning, and instead create classrooms where kids want to learn for the sake of knowledge itself. The teachers and students work together, often through cooperative learning groups, to obtain knowledge and understanding relevant and interesting to the students in their day-to-day lives.

I think that Mr. Kohn's theory was well researched, explained, and is believable. He clearly explains the basic problem existing throughout American society with the use of rewards. As a future teacher, thinking about ideas to use in the classroom, I am eager to try his methods with "kids today." I would definitely recommend this book to anyone dealing with kids, who wants them to start caring about each other, or the material they are learning, rather than just doing the work to get the "A" and then forgetting about it. I support his assessment of education strategies today, especially the honors students on the "fast-track" to college. Having just graduated with such a group, I know all about the all-night crams, cheating, copying, and generally doing anything besides learning the material to obtain the grade. Although I agree with the problem he addresses, I wonder if his solution of a school without grades is feasible. He does not require this as part of his "formula for success," merely suggests it. Additionally, I would like to see the argument and supporting evidence against his theory. Obviously, he believes that the mainstream theory does this constantly in the real world, so he need not show the opposite side. However, I was left wondering what studies and success stories the behaviorists might pull out to prove his theory wrong.

Overall, I believe that each teacher needs to create an individual learning environment in his or her classroom. Creating a "perfect mold" for all successful teachers will lead to cookie-cutter teaching. The diversity of American teaching should be as diverse as American society. Teachers need to sort through the various theories and beliefs, and pick out those which best suite their style and ability of teaching. No matter how revolutionary and possibly effective Mr. Kohn's theories might be, some teachers may simply fail when trying to implement them. This does not make them bad teachers, only people with different beliefs on what education is and how to effectively relate learning to students. I, however, hope to find a way to implement Mr. Kohn's ideas in my classroom, because I think that some of them might help me move my students from empty minds to fill with knowledge into excited and active learners.

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Summary: Rewards are Punishing
Review: This book written by Alfie Kohn is basically trying to reverse techniques used in a majority of classrooms. Many classrooms in America rely on rewards to control behavior, improve performance, and to please those who want to be rewarded. Are children today doing schoolwork or acting a certain way just to be rewarded? If so, we are failing to educate and are focusing on an easy way to get the work completed and the child quiet. Kohn feels that extrinsic motivators are not useful, and teachers, parents and bosses use rewards, bribes, and other ways to get their way. In actuality the child is not learning, but doing whatever he or she can to get a prize or reward of some sort. Kohn talks of people who use the saying "do this and you'll get that", and this is a way of persuading a person to do what the teacher, parent, or boss wants. In a class I am observing my teacher uses candy to try to control behavior problems. If the children are in good behavior all day they receive candy before they leave school. Kohn feels that motivators like this cause more harm in the long run. Kohn's purpose for writing the book was to show the effects of extrinsic motivators in the classroom, workplace, and at home. When children are rewarded or bribed they often get used to getting something in return for a behavior or a job well done. Rewarding a child is a learned behavior. The person may feel he or she can not do something without the reward or prize. Kohn presents that in most classrooms teachers use rewards as an incentive to do better, but teachers could also be failing the child this way. In most classrooms around the world a reward or gold star is used to show how great the child has done. Kohn feels that a gold star could make other children feel that they are not as smart or not achieving what they need to achieve. In the book he discusses how the use of checks and minuses are effective. What is a grade? A grade shows academically how well a student is performing in a certain subject or area. If a child fails then what have they learned. If you are given a second chance to review your mistakes then most likely the person will achieve education instead of failure. Kohn also talks about letting children have a choice in the classroom. Many children today may get bored with the same routine. Kohn suggests that children should help decide how something is going to be taught. One example is cooperative learning. Children can teach each other. In perspective Kohn fells that gold stars, bribes, and praise can offer more effects on children then people today may think. One of the chapters in his book talks about how rewards punish. I have never really thought about it, but I guess if rewards are being dangled in that child's face then they do what they can to receive the treat or prize. Kohn states that children should be motivated to learn, and not bribed or told "If you do this...I'll give you that." Kohn also states that the more a person uses rewarding in their environment the more that reward is needed. For example, a child that is often rewarded expects a reward when he or she acts well. The problem well lie within the person who is rewarding when he or she tries to take some rewards away. By this time it might be too late. Kohn worked with many people and did some experiments. Kohn saw that a child given a reward would score lower than a child without a reward. He also saw that children were scared of failing, and would not finish their work. Kohn fills that grades should not be exploited as much in a classroom, but trying to motivate children about learning. I agree with Kohn that motivating children and putting less emphasize on grades will make a difference in the log run. I also agree that rewards should not be held over a child's head to control them. This book should be recommended so teachers, parents and managers in a workplace can motivate things instead of flashing rewards or threats. If a child feels like they are not doing good work then they should not be punished for failing but encouraged to be motivated about the subject and what connection it has to the world and to yourself. I also agree that a student should be able to help in deciding what would be good to help choose how we study a subject. When you put a student in a position to help make decisions in how he or she learns, they become more interested in what they are doing and not on what grade or reward they are receiving. American education is valuable to the world. I feel that when a stereotype of "do this and you'll get that" is stated to a child it does not focus on what we are trying to teach the children of our future. When teachers use many different approaches to learning the child may benefit greatly. Children who feel secure and excited about learning do not have to be bribed by rewards. Children are our future. To bring education to where it should be teachers and others should keep focus off grades, forget and slowly decrease the use of extrinsic motivators and to emphasize the importance of what students are learning and not on the grades, praise, or bribes we are commonly using today.

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Summary: Negative effects of reward systems.
Review: Rewards are not the source that give children or adults the motivation to perform tasks to the best of their ability, but the feeling of self satisfaction that comes from performing tasks to the best of their ability. Alfie Kohn's point of view differs from mainstream thinking about education. Reward systems used to promote good behavior are an easy way out for teachers. It is easier to reward the good behavior and ignore the bad behavior. Reward systems for homework will only work or last as long as the student desires the reward offered. Kohn also believes students tend to focus more on the reward than the actual task, therefore students not expecting a reward usually perform better. Kohn's point of view on rewarding a child to perform a task makes the child see the task as dreadful since an incentive has to be offered. Kohn also believes that a child may experience negative effects while performing to the best of their ability, when the reward is withheld due to not meeting the reward givers expectations. I loved this book. I would recommend every teacher and parent to read it. It will help you as a teacher and a parent examine your own motivations for using reward systems, and explain the negative effects from it. Kohn's point of view may answer some questions of why our reward systems work for a while and then fail. As teachers and parents we may not be dealing with the real issues of our children in the classroom and at home.

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Summary: Aternatives to Rewards
Review: Alfie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, should be seen as a tool for all employers, parents, and educators. Kohn attempts to chip away at the established theory of Behaviorism and show how ineffective and often detrimental rewards can be. He gives the reader a logical path to follow toward new strategies of motivation in the home, work place, and schools that allow us "Freedom...what we have to learn".

Kohn begins his discussion by introducing the "pop-behaviorism" that saturates every aspect of our lives. He feels that this use of rewards has made the USA a nation that prefers acting to thinking. Examples of this include meaningless praise that begins to sound hollow and promises of candy treats at the check out counter for good behavior. This excessive use of rewards is objectionable because this distribution destroys individual motivation and establishes tight controls over the individual in all arenas. The consequences of these practices may be long term. People eventually change the way they feel about what they do and may not perform after the rewards are removed. One example that does seem to work is the "Book It" program used in our county. I feel that the pros of rewards far outweigh the cons. If we have to use rewards, this is perhaps one example that does work. This program gives child recognition in the classroom by the use of the certificate. Then, the child will have increased family interaction because the family must get the pizzas together. Finally, just as Mr. Kohn says, if you have to reward them do it with another book. In this case the students goes to a restaurant with the opportunity to read a menu and make a decision.

At this point, Kohn does not abandon us in this system of failure. He gives us alternatives to our deep-rooted use of rewards. He does warn us that implementation should be a combined effort: Teachers should let "students set their own standard and succeed at them". Some practical methods include terminating grading practices. He does temper this statement with the fact that students must still be assessed. This can be done daily while teaching the concepts and observing a student's progress. I feel this is mildly optimistic in the over crowded classrooms of our public schools. Using some of his suggestions in grading (i.e. reducing the number of grades and grades not taken while a student is still learning) may be more realistic. Another suggestion regards the use of praise. I am guilty of the very practice that Mr. Kohn highlights. We as parents of the 90's have been encouraged to be involved in all aspects of our busy children's lives. Quickly asking for a grade on a test or just commenting on how "wonderful" they are often does this. I have to agree with the author that this method is quick but hollow. The use of positive feedback and using leading questions as facilitators will be more productive. Probably the best approach Kohn offers to educators is the use of the three C's: Collaboration (learning together), Content (things worth knowing), and Choice (autonomy in the classroom). I agree with these techniques when used in an appropriate setting! I have seen these innovative works in the schools. Now we just need to see wide spread implementation.

When I first picked up this book I was somewhat hesitant to even read any new ideas. I, as my parents before me, had been bribing success into our kids with a great deal of success. We never seemed unmotivated. But I decided to read it any way. I'm glad I did! This book's criticism of rewards is severe yet constructive. The author doesn't ask you to abandon the complete system of rewards. I feel his alternatives to the system can be implemented at even the earliest stages of a child's life. Also, as an educator I found this book organized and easy to follow. Even before you finish the preface you have an idea of what concepts will be presented and where they can be found in the book. I will use this book as a quick reference at home and in the classroom.

Alfie Kohn's book has only briefly touched on the idea that permeates our society: If you do this, you get that. The "this' and "that" may vary from culture to culture but he bottom line is always the same. We must think, even if there is no reward. Was Edison thinking about how much he would be paid to invent the light bulb? Probably not! The ability to think and do for the sake of thinking and doing is what made our country strong and unique. Let's hope the easily rewards that beckon us today won't take our "Freedom...what we have to learn" away.

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Summary: It's all just a game of bribery and wisdom.
Review: In the book "Punished by Rewards" author Alfie Kohn touches on some major points that maybe rewarding a child isn't always the best policy. But who is she to tell another parent or teacher that what our society has been doing for so many years is wrong? Praising a child to a certain extent without going beyond the average praise is a great way to show a child that what they are doing is good work. And giving a child a gold star isn't telling a child to work only when they get something out of it, but it makes a statement that occasionally when a child does something that is great work it won't go unnoticed. How many times in our lives have we worked and worked so hard on either an assignment in class, or a presentation at work and no says anything about how proud they were that you worked so hard? It's times like these, and not every time, that all a person needs is that extra "well done, I am proud of you" and the whole reason for working is put back into perspective.

Alfie Kohn did make a point though that rewards can become a problem. Many times parents and teachers use the "rewards" idea as more of a way to control children. When a child throws a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store the parent is quick to tell a child that if they get up and behave then they can have a toy, or a cookie. This isn't rewarding, this is bribing. Children are smart people and realize that if they can do something that they know is wrong but get something out of it that they want, why should they stop doing that? Rewarding becomes a problem when the confusion sets in between rewards and bribes. As adults, we spend much of our time with children bribing them to get them to do something that we want them to do. If we didn't teach them this process of "do and you shall receive" from the beginning then we wouldn't have to worry about it at all. When it comes to people's work and children's schooling humans are only motivated by one thing, rewards. On page 67 of Alfie Kohn's book she states "Do rewards motivate people? Absolutely. They motivate people to get rewards." If a person is motivated to get a reward then they must be being bribed from the get go. Why would a person believe that they are going to get something in return from their work if they weren't promised anything from the start? As people we need to realize that every time we do something it will not always be noticed. And as children we need to learn that even without praise, an assignment that took lot's of time wasn't a waste. In the real world we look for reasons to do work, not because we want to or just because we have to, but because at the end we will get something. My friends, Alfie Kohn has made a great point in this book that we may not be going about the process of rewarding the right way. I agree with her that to the extent we take the rewarding process it may be going a little to far. But I disagree with her that all rewarding is bad and punishes a child. For in fact, if we praise a child a little they will work hard to hear that praise again. We need to keep working on the area of praise and rewards because if we keep up rewarding people as much as we do now and for everything we do, our whole society will be made up completely of bribery.

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Summary: Is rewarding a good or bad thing?
Review: This book is mainly about the negative effects of rewards on people. Kohn feels that people, who are rewarded in the way of praises, A's, gold stars, etc., affects their behaviors that result in a way because of the rewards. This is because of the theory of behaviorism. Kohn tries to show how rewards can be "a way out" for teachers and parents. Everyone needs reinforcements just the same no matter what way they get them. I am not against or for the book totally. Kohn states some important issues to think about, but at the same time I feel rewarding can benefit the child. Kohn's points that rewarding affects all people no matter the age is true, but taking away or lessening the rewards I feel is not the answer. I can understand the point about people expecting more rewards for their work more and more, but going cold turkey is not the way either. I feel that if rewards were taken away from people, that they would not strive to be better. The facts and experiments Kohn presents are very convincing about rewards are not healthy to the growth of one's behaviors, but surprising them every now and then with rewards of their good efforts are good for anyone. Kohn also stated that letter grades may not be the to way to evaluate the student's abilities, but to use check plus or check minus does not give much leeway. I do not believe that everyone is inferior to others all the time just because they are rewarded for their good efforts on a job, but some do use that to keep going. I think this book would be good for everyone to read. This book gives people a chance to see the issues Kohn presents and how it can be negative. This approach shows how rewards affect the everyday life of people and their lives. I now realize that giving rewards can damage a child's behavior later in life if not done correctly. This can be a way to teach others that different rewards and the effects they have on people. Parents and teachers my then realize a particular method of rewarding may not be the best route to use. In conclusion, this book would be good for anyone wanting to learn more about the affects of rewarding has on people. It also helps anyone in the teaching field to think twice about how to reward a student. Understanding the issues of rewarding can only benefit a person using them or ways of other uses. Overall the book does state good ideas, but they are not as easily used as they are stated. This book can be a valuable tool to anyone wanting to understand rewards and the theory of behaviorism.

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Summary: Intelligent,insightful,profound
Review: This is a fascinating book. I bought it when I recently began to homeschool my six year old son and ran into rocky ground. It has helped me to understand my job is to assist my son in his intrinsic motivation to learn, as opposed to teaching him. An unexpected surprise was the insightful information on childhood behavior in general. He challenges and discards many sacred cows in the area of childhood discipline. I highly recommend this book to all homeschoolers and all parents.

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Summary: every parent &educator will be enlightened reading this book
Review: I have just ordered another 12 copies of Alfie Kohns'Punished by Rewards to share with friends and associates having already given away 24 copies. I only wish I were in a position to send one to every school principal and school teacher in our country to help them to see the error of our carrot and stick mentality that infects us from early childhood and continues into our adult years.A new awareness of the ills of Skinners'behavoirism is monumentally clear in Alfie Kohns'contribution to all of us.