Alfie Kohn in Australia - November 2016

One of the most popular strategies for raising children – and teaching students -- can be summarized in six words: “Do this and you'll get that.” After all, aren't people motivated by the promise of a reward? The more important question, as it turns out, is: What kind of motivation do rewards create? And the answer is: Precisely the wrong kind. To offer rewards (or punishments, for that matter) is a way of doing things TO children rather than working WITH them. Consequently, as American author and lecturer Alfie Kohn will explain, it becomes less likely that children will grow into generous, responsible people, or that students will come to think deeply and love learning. Offering the equivalent of a doggie biscuit for pleasing or impressing us can never elicit anything beyond temporary compliance.

In his first-ever visit to Adelaide, Kohn will invite teachers and parents to understand the outdated assumptions about motivation that lead smart, well-meaning people to resort to carrot-and-stick tactics – and he'll outline more respectful and effective strategies for dealing with people of any age.

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