What to Look for in a Classroom by Alfie Kohn

    Alfie Kohn’s What to Look for in a Classroom challenges our society’s education norms by advocating for student-centered learning environments that support autonomy, cooperation, and intrinsic motivation. Kohn’s work relates to other discussions on systemic inequities in education, especially how discipline, standardized tests, and teacher-student relationships can get in the way of authentic learning.

    My biggest take away from Kohn’s ideas is how they align with other frameworks we’ve looked at, like Delpit’s argument about power dynamics in education or Finn’s analysis of literacy and social class. Where Kohn emphasizes curiosity rather than compliance, Delpit said that abandoning structure entirely could negatively impact students from marginalized backgrounds. Progressive pedagogy is valuable, but it has to be responsive to the realities of systemic inequities. Kohn’s ideas also go along with critical pedagogy. His idea for collaborative classrooms mirrors Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which views education as a tool for liberation instead of indoctrination. The difference is Kohn focuses more on psychological motivation, whereas Freire groups learning within a larger socio-political struggle.