Alfie Kohn
@alfiekohn.bsky.social
author and lecturer on topics in education, parenting, and human behavior....
(Personal messages more likely to be read if left on http://alfiekohn.org)
He/him
(Personal messages more likely to be read if left on http://alfiekohn.org)
He/him
Merit is defined by proximity to Epstein
February 8, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Merit is defined by proximity to Epstein
3/3
This is just the latest in a long line of research showing that direct (explicit) instruction falls short across ages (from preschool to college), subjects, and student backgrounds - even on standardized measures but especially using more meaningful criteria. Yet tradtl tchg still predominates.
This is just the latest in a long line of research showing that direct (explicit) instruction falls short across ages (from preschool to college), subjects, and student backgrounds - even on standardized measures but especially using more meaningful criteria. Yet tradtl tchg still predominates.
February 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM
3/3
This is just the latest in a long line of research showing that direct (explicit) instruction falls short across ages (from preschool to college), subjects, and student backgrounds - even on standardized measures but especially using more meaningful criteria. Yet tradtl tchg still predominates.
This is just the latest in a long line of research showing that direct (explicit) instruction falls short across ages (from preschool to college), subjects, and student backgrounds - even on standardized measures but especially using more meaningful criteria. Yet tradtl tchg still predominates.
2/3
From the study: "The traditional 'transmission' model of instruction...may be suboptimal for supporting students’ ability to think and communicate in sophisticated ways, demonstrate creativity...and transfer their skills, knowledge, and attitudes to new contexts"...
From the study: "The traditional 'transmission' model of instruction...may be suboptimal for supporting students’ ability to think and communicate in sophisticated ways, demonstrate creativity...and transfer their skills, knowledge, and attitudes to new contexts"...
February 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM
2/3
From the study: "The traditional 'transmission' model of instruction...may be suboptimal for supporting students’ ability to think and communicate in sophisticated ways, demonstrate creativity...and transfer their skills, knowledge, and attitudes to new contexts"...
From the study: "The traditional 'transmission' model of instruction...may be suboptimal for supporting students’ ability to think and communicate in sophisticated ways, demonstrate creativity...and transfer their skills, knowledge, and attitudes to new contexts"...
It's only ironic if the principle is something like fairness. But if the principle is "We on the right are entitled to maximize our power, whereas all liberals and leftists are illegitimate," then there's no inconsistency or irony.
February 7, 2026 at 5:01 PM
It's only ironic if the principle is something like fairness. But if the principle is "We on the right are entitled to maximize our power, whereas all liberals and leftists are illegitimate," then there's no inconsistency or irony.
Still a great, accessible teaching tool: 2-minute video on John Oliver's show asks: "Columbus Day: How Is This Still a Thing?": ow.ly/Cv1n4
Last Week Tonight: Columbus Day
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
ow.ly
February 6, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Still a great, accessible teaching tool: 2-minute video on John Oliver's show asks: "Columbus Day: How Is This Still a Thing?": ow.ly/Cv1n4
What she's feeling great about is her AI lover
February 6, 2026 at 9:08 PM
What she's feeling great about is her AI lover
Meet Donald "Staffer" Trump
February 6, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Meet Donald "Staffer" Trump
Superseded by the newly invented all-purpose presidential immunity?
February 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Superseded by the newly invented all-purpose presidential immunity?
In the hopes that we'll assume the email refers to someone else with a short name who runs SpaceX?
February 5, 2026 at 4:58 PM
In the hopes that we'll assume the email refers to someone else with a short name who runs SpaceX?
8/8
In sum: If one camp is saying misleading things about phonics and another camp is saying misleading things about comprehension (which they falsely equate with background knowledge), we needn't cast our lot with either. Nor should we adopt a hybrid that amounts to the worst of both worlds.
In sum: If one camp is saying misleading things about phonics and another camp is saying misleading things about comprehension (which they falsely equate with background knowledge), we needn't cast our lot with either. Nor should we adopt a hybrid that amounts to the worst of both worlds.
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
8/8
In sum: If one camp is saying misleading things about phonics and another camp is saying misleading things about comprehension (which they falsely equate with background knowledge), we needn't cast our lot with either. Nor should we adopt a hybrid that amounts to the worst of both worlds.
In sum: If one camp is saying misleading things about phonics and another camp is saying misleading things about comprehension (which they falsely equate with background knowledge), we needn't cast our lot with either. Nor should we adopt a hybrid that amounts to the worst of both worlds.
7/8
I'm at work on a lengthy critique of the bunch o' facts movement. Their claims about the value of a knowledge-based curriculum run way beyond what the data show - although many journalists seem to take their claims (as well as those of SOR propagandists) on faith. Preview here: is.gd/sbQIXm
I'm at work on a lengthy critique of the bunch o' facts movement. Their claims about the value of a knowledge-based curriculum run way beyond what the data show - although many journalists seem to take their claims (as well as those of SOR propagandists) on faith. Preview here: is.gd/sbQIXm
The *&%$!#! Baseball Study
February 24, 2025 The *&%$!#! Baseball Study Why Are Fans of Fact-Focused Teaching Still Citing a Small, Unconvincing Experiment from the ’80s? By Alfie Kohn Traditional education has more often been ...
is.gd
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
7/8
I'm at work on a lengthy critique of the bunch o' facts movement. Their claims about the value of a knowledge-based curriculum run way beyond what the data show - although many journalists seem to take their claims (as well as those of SOR propagandists) on faith. Preview here: is.gd/sbQIXm
I'm at work on a lengthy critique of the bunch o' facts movement. Their claims about the value of a knowledge-based curriculum run way beyond what the data show - although many journalists seem to take their claims (as well as those of SOR propagandists) on faith. Preview here: is.gd/sbQIXm
6/8
On the one hand, reading skills shouldn't be reduced to phonemic awareness. Nor should those skills always be taught directly and explicitly. On the other hand, comprehension shouldn't be reduced to the transmission of factual knowledge.
On the one hand, reading skills shouldn't be reduced to phonemic awareness. Nor should those skills always be taught directly and explicitly. On the other hand, comprehension shouldn't be reduced to the transmission of factual knowledge.
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
6/8
On the one hand, reading skills shouldn't be reduced to phonemic awareness. Nor should those skills always be taught directly and explicitly. On the other hand, comprehension shouldn't be reduced to the transmission of factual knowledge.
On the one hand, reading skills shouldn't be reduced to phonemic awareness. Nor should those skills always be taught directly and explicitly. On the other hand, comprehension shouldn't be reduced to the transmission of factual knowledge.
5/8
But we also ignore that truth if we just say, "Comprehension matters, too" - or, worse, jump from affirming the importance of comprehension to assuming that it's best promoted by giving kids a pile of background information.
But we also ignore that truth if we just say, "Comprehension matters, too" - or, worse, jump from affirming the importance of comprehension to assuming that it's best promoted by giving kids a pile of background information.
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
5/8
But we also ignore that truth if we just say, "Comprehension matters, too" - or, worse, jump from affirming the importance of comprehension to assuming that it's best promoted by giving kids a pile of background information.
But we also ignore that truth if we just say, "Comprehension matters, too" - or, worse, jump from affirming the importance of comprehension to assuming that it's best promoted by giving kids a pile of background information.
4/8
Literacy at its core is about making meaning. It's a function of the reader's motivation and choices. The degree of a child's *interest* in a text is a much stronger predictor of comprehension than are the features of that text. To ignore that by teaching decoding devoid of context is folly.
Literacy at its core is about making meaning. It's a function of the reader's motivation and choices. The degree of a child's *interest* in a text is a much stronger predictor of comprehension than are the features of that text. To ignore that by teaching decoding devoid of context is folly.
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
4/8
Literacy at its core is about making meaning. It's a function of the reader's motivation and choices. The degree of a child's *interest* in a text is a much stronger predictor of comprehension than are the features of that text. To ignore that by teaching decoding devoid of context is folly.
Literacy at its core is about making meaning. It's a function of the reader's motivation and choices. The degree of a child's *interest* in a text is a much stronger predictor of comprehension than are the features of that text. To ignore that by teaching decoding devoid of context is folly.
3/8
The SOR faithful, impervious to contrary evidence, just parrot a few talking points, but anyone with an open mind should take the time to read all the sources listed here:
The SOR faithful, impervious to contrary evidence, just parrot a few talking points, but anyone with an open mind should take the time to read all the sources listed here:
February 5, 2026 at 1:50 PM
3/8
The SOR faithful, impervious to contrary evidence, just parrot a few talking points, but anyone with an open mind should take the time to read all the sources listed here:
The SOR faithful, impervious to contrary evidence, just parrot a few talking points, but anyone with an open mind should take the time to read all the sources listed here: