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I Won`t Learn from You The Role of Assent in Learning
I Won't Learn from The Role of Assent in Learning by Herbert R. Kohl. Milkweed Editions,1991
Unknown Binding
First published January 25, 1991
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About the author
Herbert R. Kohl
73 books17 followersEducator best known for his advocacy of progressive alternative education and as the author of more than thirty books on education. He founded the 1960s Open School movement and is credited with coining the term "open classroom."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
June 26, 2007
One of the most inspiring, brilliant, subversive books I've read in a while. It opened my eyes to a lot of issues public educators face right now, but I could also relate to a lot of the red tape bullshit that goes on in schools through my experience as a volunteer in a middle school this year. This book made me feel hopeful for the future of public education - if only it could be a required professional development book... and if only teachers would support each other in their creative maladjustment endeavors... ::sigh::
May 3, 2008
Anyone who is interested in education, social justice or racial issues in anyway should read this book. It is fantastic. I totally agreed with its explanations of the motivations of inner-city adolescents. Thos book has a lot of heart and a powerful message that I've found is too often overlooked in schools: students need to treated with respect and humanity, so that they can maintain their integrity while also getting an education.
January 28, 2009
This book changed my perspective on how I want to approach being a teacher and focus more on being an active participant in the lives of my students. This book is an exemplary muse for me to model humanity and encourage hope in a screwy society, with ever changing educational standards. I liked that I was able to relate to style in which the book was written, more of a reflection than preaching.
July 18, 2021
A lot of material and concepts to work through. I’m excited to revisit this book as I spend more time in the education field.
Read
June 7, 2018This book's cover looks very weird but this book gives you details of how a kid not wanting to learn is. How his thinkings work. THis character can be very relatable because a lot of kids are not like this
July 12, 2008
One of the most inspiring books for educators or those who are interested in inspired learning.
April 30, 2015
Educators who are tired of the mainstream, standardized approach will want to keep this book handy.
August 18, 2021
better title: How and Why to be a Punk in Education
April 16, 2020
Focused on three liberating topics—not-learning, hopemongering, and creative maladjustment—Kohl’s collection of five engaging essays is the radical text that every passionate and well-intentioned pre-service teacher, in-service teacher, and teacher educator needs to read.
Kohl is not at all concerned with knowledge and skills, although he does acknowledge the need for both of these elements in creating equitable learning opportunities for students. He concerns himself—and his teaching—with affect, dispositions, and creating mutually respectful and supportive relationships with students.
He argues in favor of the romantic, power-giving aspirations of teachers and cleverly deconstructs the belief that students need to be educated for the “real world.” He reframes student behavior that is often considered oppositional and inappropriate as the only sensible reaction to an unjust and inequitable system, describing this response as intentional not-learning. He extols the virtues of hopemongering, which he views as necessary for true education in a democratic society. As he explains, “A decent world can only be made by people whose growth has not been stunted by the imperatives of others” (p. 88). His analysis of creative maladjustment offers wise advice to those “rebel” teachers who refuse to conform to oppressive and inequitable aspects of the public school system and shows that revolution against unfair practices is best achieved from within the system itself. The wisdom contained in these 153 pages is far more valuable than that which is found in any thick methods text.
This book is, in short, the text I wish I had read when I started teaching. I will make it my mission to share it with every teacher candidate and colleague I know.
Kohl is not at all concerned with knowledge and skills, although he does acknowledge the need for both of these elements in creating equitable learning opportunities for students. He concerns himself—and his teaching—with affect, dispositions, and creating mutually respectful and supportive relationships with students.
He argues in favor of the romantic, power-giving aspirations of teachers and cleverly deconstructs the belief that students need to be educated for the “real world.” He reframes student behavior that is often considered oppositional and inappropriate as the only sensible reaction to an unjust and inequitable system, describing this response as intentional not-learning. He extols the virtues of hopemongering, which he views as necessary for true education in a democratic society. As he explains, “A decent world can only be made by people whose growth has not been stunted by the imperatives of others” (p. 88). His analysis of creative maladjustment offers wise advice to those “rebel” teachers who refuse to conform to oppressive and inequitable aspects of the public school system and shows that revolution against unfair practices is best achieved from within the system itself. The wisdom contained in these 153 pages is far more valuable than that which is found in any thick methods text.
This book is, in short, the text I wish I had read when I started teaching. I will make it my mission to share it with every teacher candidate and colleague I know.
May 2, 2020
Goes into an explanation of the failure of schools to engage all children, and how a paradigm shift is needed for educators to become transformative. Teachers need to “creatively maladjust” to the broken system from within in order to perpetuate meaningful change.
“It also implies learning how other people are affected by those systems, how personal discontent can be appropriately turned into moral and political action, and how to speak out about the violence that thoughtless adjustment can cause or perpetuate.
“Create a library of good practice for yourself and your school. One form of creative maladjustment is to be literate and knowledgeable about what is going on in public education throughout the country and to share that knowledge with teachers’ organizations and the community. In addition, it is our responsibility as educators to examine all of the categories of educational stigma and to stand against anything that damages our students or limits their life possibilities.”
“It also implies learning how other people are affected by those systems, how personal discontent can be appropriately turned into moral and political action, and how to speak out about the violence that thoughtless adjustment can cause or perpetuate.
“Create a library of good practice for yourself and your school. One form of creative maladjustment is to be literate and knowledgeable about what is going on in public education throughout the country and to share that knowledge with teachers’ organizations and the community. In addition, it is our responsibility as educators to examine all of the categories of educational stigma and to stand against anything that damages our students or limits their life possibilities.”
October 15, 2019
I will journal about, reread and share this essay collection again and again. The combined reflection and research approach provides a candid look at the political positions of public school teachers. While we may feel hesitant or even exempt from the political aspect of the public school environment, we fail our students, our communities, and ourselves when we choose to be complicit or indifferent to the issues within and around our curriculum.
July 4, 2021
Summary: While some may think it stems from laziness or stupidity, the author describes “not learning” as a choice made intentionally by students to rebel against the system. This book highlights many of the ways the American education system is failing students.
Takeaways: An interesting take on a professional development book for educators. The author focuses largely on preservation of student dignity.
Takeaways: An interesting take on a professional development book for educators. The author focuses largely on preservation of student dignity.
August 2, 2023
A few of the essays were genuinely interesting to read, and I think they hold a lot of significance for teachers. On the other hand, "The Tattoed Man: Confessions of a Hopemonger" was long and winding, and it felt out of place within the context of the other essays. Kohl's assertion that ADD (now known as ADHD) was constructed and (in effect) not a valid diagnosis was definitely the worst part of this book.
March 2, 2018
I loved 3 of the 4 essays, hence the 3-Star rating. I thought The Tattooed Man could have been a little more concise and a little less self indulgent. The other three essays were so worth reading and enlightening.
July 11, 2020
This book contains the classic title essay which explains that some ‘failure’ among minorities is a choice not to join in a relationship with the ‘oppressor’ as well as other well written essays by one who has continued to challenge our thinking on teaching and learning for four decades.
June 4, 2021
Such an interesting book, especially from the perspective of a future educator. You have to look past some of the outdated references (especially as they relate to mental health disorders) but overall this was an inspiring read that gave a unique take on how to be an effective teacher.
March 29, 2025
I wish I could give this book 100 stars. This should be a prerequisite for all those who want to teach and an annual read for every teacher. It is the blunt reminder of what true public education is all about and what we need to do to make it successful.
December 18, 2017
Kohl is the sort of man you want teaching any child. This book is a treasure, and should be read by all educators.
August 13, 2019
This should be required reading for teachers and school staff. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of this until now. If you work in a school, read it now.
December 20, 2020
Essential reading for teachers.
November 6, 2012
When a teacher grades a student’s test, sees the student answered everything incorrectly, and writes a giant, red “F” on the corner of the paper, the teacher should consider two reasons for this occurrence. The first, most commonly accepted explanation for the poor grade is the student failed to learn; after all, “F” means failure. However, this is usually not the case. The most likely reason is the student actively refused to learn the material. Herbert Kohl’s “I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment analyzes this issue in-depth and concludes that students are not failing to learn; they are simply refusing to learn. Through Kohl’s convincing evidence from his own teaching experiences, “I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment succeeds at tackling the problems of the educational system and offers a reasonable solution for effective teaching.
Kohl’s teaching experiences help him determine the reasons students refuse to learn. He discovers students, as well as adults, choose not to learn because they fear losing their identities, morals and cultures. For instance, Wilfredo, the grandfather of one of Kohl’s fifth grade students, refuses to learn English so his grandchildren will have to remember Spanish in order to communicate with him. When Kohl tells his friends about Wilfredo, they believe the main reason he says he refuses to learn English is because he has failed to do so. However, Kohl believes that “by attributing failure to Wilfredo and by refusing to acknowledge the loss his family would experience through not knowing Spanish, [his friends] turned a cultural problem into a personal psychological problem: they turned willed refusal to learn into failure to learn,” (2). Kohl’s respect for Wilfredo’s decision not to learn English highlights the book’s main point that teachers should not confuse students’ conscious refusal with failure. Teachers may be unaware of the circumstances students face leading them to decide not to learn. Keeping these circumstances in mind, Kohl suggests a new teaching technique that he believes will engage students in the material
The primary method Kohl proposes to counter “not-learning” is to find a way for each student to connect with the material. For instance, in one of Kohl’s high school social studies classes, he must find a way to engage Akmir, a skilled “non-learner”, in class discussions. Akmir, who is passionate about civil rights, refuses to learn because of the racist views of the textbook. Kohl determines the best way to engage Akmir in the material is to allow him to express his anger about the textbook’s views. Every night, “Akmir [reads] everything, [studies] it thoroughly, and [comes] to class prepared to argue,” (18). By allowing him to express his opinions, Kohl keeps Akmir concentrated on his schoolwork, while simultaneously grasping the attention of the other students, which contributes to the productive learning of the entire class. Through Kohl’s experience with Akmir and other children with similar situations, Kohl learns that a “considerable part of the craft of teaching well is learning to attend to the needs of many children...It takes skills and practice to maintain a personal relationship with each child while having to orchestrate a group,” (79). Kohl’s effective teaching style contrasts the characteristics of the lemon dance teachers in Waiting for Superman. While Kohl eagerly tries to engage everyone in the material, the lemon dance teachers in Waiting for Superman don’t care about grasping the attention of their students, or teaching them at all. Instead of teaching, the lemon dance teachers read newspapers and pay minimal attention to their students. Kohl refuses to follow the examples of the slacking, lemon dance teachers by forming unique bonds with his students, creating ways for them to connect with the material, and passionately teaching his students.
“I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment is an eye-opening book that presents both students’ and educators’ perspectives on a common idea - the education system. Students who read it will gain awareness of how difficult a teacher’s job is everyday, learn the characteristics of an effective teacher, and appreciate the teachers who have made positive impacts on their lives. Teachers will gain insight on the reasons students choose not to learn, and discover a valuable technique that engages everyone in the classroom. Informative, heart-warming, and moving, “I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment sends a compelling message: “F” shouldn’t mean failure, but should stand for mastered forbearance to learn the material.
Kohl’s teaching experiences help him determine the reasons students refuse to learn. He discovers students, as well as adults, choose not to learn because they fear losing their identities, morals and cultures. For instance, Wilfredo, the grandfather of one of Kohl’s fifth grade students, refuses to learn English so his grandchildren will have to remember Spanish in order to communicate with him. When Kohl tells his friends about Wilfredo, they believe the main reason he says he refuses to learn English is because he has failed to do so. However, Kohl believes that “by attributing failure to Wilfredo and by refusing to acknowledge the loss his family would experience through not knowing Spanish, [his friends] turned a cultural problem into a personal psychological problem: they turned willed refusal to learn into failure to learn,” (2). Kohl’s respect for Wilfredo’s decision not to learn English highlights the book’s main point that teachers should not confuse students’ conscious refusal with failure. Teachers may be unaware of the circumstances students face leading them to decide not to learn. Keeping these circumstances in mind, Kohl suggests a new teaching technique that he believes will engage students in the material
The primary method Kohl proposes to counter “not-learning” is to find a way for each student to connect with the material. For instance, in one of Kohl’s high school social studies classes, he must find a way to engage Akmir, a skilled “non-learner”, in class discussions. Akmir, who is passionate about civil rights, refuses to learn because of the racist views of the textbook. Kohl determines the best way to engage Akmir in the material is to allow him to express his anger about the textbook’s views. Every night, “Akmir [reads] everything, [studies] it thoroughly, and [comes] to class prepared to argue,” (18). By allowing him to express his opinions, Kohl keeps Akmir concentrated on his schoolwork, while simultaneously grasping the attention of the other students, which contributes to the productive learning of the entire class. Through Kohl’s experience with Akmir and other children with similar situations, Kohl learns that a “considerable part of the craft of teaching well is learning to attend to the needs of many children...It takes skills and practice to maintain a personal relationship with each child while having to orchestrate a group,” (79). Kohl’s effective teaching style contrasts the characteristics of the lemon dance teachers in Waiting for Superman. While Kohl eagerly tries to engage everyone in the material, the lemon dance teachers in Waiting for Superman don’t care about grasping the attention of their students, or teaching them at all. Instead of teaching, the lemon dance teachers read newspapers and pay minimal attention to their students. Kohl refuses to follow the examples of the slacking, lemon dance teachers by forming unique bonds with his students, creating ways for them to connect with the material, and passionately teaching his students.
“I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment is an eye-opening book that presents both students’ and educators’ perspectives on a common idea - the education system. Students who read it will gain awareness of how difficult a teacher’s job is everyday, learn the characteristics of an effective teacher, and appreciate the teachers who have made positive impacts on their lives. Teachers will gain insight on the reasons students choose not to learn, and discover a valuable technique that engages everyone in the classroom. Informative, heart-warming, and moving, “I won’t learn from you”: And Other Thoughts on Creative Maladjustment sends a compelling message: “F” shouldn’t mean failure, but should stand for mastered forbearance to learn the material.
December 5, 2016
With both The Tattooed Man and The Masked Rider, I was learning to move through and beyond the world as I knew it and imagine other, more congenial and exciting possibilities. Over the years, I've also encouraged my students to learn how to dream beyond the world they lived in and imagine ways in which life can be made fuller and more compassionate. The ability to see the world as other than it is plays a major role in sustaining hope. It keeps part of one's mind free of the burden of everyday misery and can become a corner of sanity as one struggles to undo the horrors of an unkind and mad world" (38).
"There are times when I've wondered whether the idea of being a teacher of young children isn't intimately connected with my admiration for the Masked Rider and my desire to be as nurturing to others as he was to me. I know that encountering new children, a new class or school, has been an adventure to me that is more exciting and challenging than almost all of the actual physical voyages I've ever taken" (47).
"It is hard for many people to realize that what is ordinary for them, a matter of common experience, can be a revelation to other people. Throughout my teaching life my first encounter with Mozart has been a metaphor for the joy of discovering that the world is larger and more beautiful than you imagined it...I refuse to judge students on the basis of what they can't do or don't know. Rather, one of my roles as a teacher is to insinuate complexity into the lives of my students, to present them with new experiences and ideas whether they be contemporary or ancient, local or global...I know that worlds created by individuals are tiny and that children need to connect with culture and history as much as they need to be free to contribute to them" (58).
"Creative maladjustment consists of breaking social patterns that are morally reprehensible, taking conscious control of one's place in the environment, and readjusting the world one lives in based on personal integrity and honesty- that is, it consists of learning to survive with minimal moral and personal compromise in a thoroughly compromised world and of not being afraid of planned and willed conflict, if necessary. It also means searching for ways of not being alone in a society where the mythology of individualism negates integrity and leads to isolation and self-mutilation. It means small everyday acts of maladjustment as well as occasional major reconstruction, and it requires will, determination, faith that people can be wonderful, conscious planning, and an unshakable sense of humor.
Creative maladjustment is reflective. It implies adapting your own particular maladjustment to the nature of the social systems that you find repressive. It also implies learning how other people are affected by those systems, how personal discontent can be appropriately turned into moral and political action, and how to speak out about the violence that thoughtless adjustment can cause or perpetuate" (130).
"The whole question of identifying at-risk students is itself risky business. To identify children as 'at-risk' is to pick them out for special treatment not for what they have done but for what they might do. A child who is merely doing poorly in school is not necessarily at-risk. Nor is a child who has a strong will and a sense of cultural pride and self-respect that she or he feels is violated by the circumstances of schooling.
What makes a child at-risk? What is the hidden agenda of the people who have manufactured the 'at-risk' category? What are at-risk children at risk of going? In plain language, at-risk children are at risk of turning the poverty and prejudice they experience against society rather than learning how to conform and take their 'proper' place. The children are maladjusting, and it is their teachers' role to make that maladjustment functional and creative rather than to suppress it" (152).
"There are times when I've wondered whether the idea of being a teacher of young children isn't intimately connected with my admiration for the Masked Rider and my desire to be as nurturing to others as he was to me. I know that encountering new children, a new class or school, has been an adventure to me that is more exciting and challenging than almost all of the actual physical voyages I've ever taken" (47).
"It is hard for many people to realize that what is ordinary for them, a matter of common experience, can be a revelation to other people. Throughout my teaching life my first encounter with Mozart has been a metaphor for the joy of discovering that the world is larger and more beautiful than you imagined it...I refuse to judge students on the basis of what they can't do or don't know. Rather, one of my roles as a teacher is to insinuate complexity into the lives of my students, to present them with new experiences and ideas whether they be contemporary or ancient, local or global...I know that worlds created by individuals are tiny and that children need to connect with culture and history as much as they need to be free to contribute to them" (58).
"Creative maladjustment consists of breaking social patterns that are morally reprehensible, taking conscious control of one's place in the environment, and readjusting the world one lives in based on personal integrity and honesty- that is, it consists of learning to survive with minimal moral and personal compromise in a thoroughly compromised world and of not being afraid of planned and willed conflict, if necessary. It also means searching for ways of not being alone in a society where the mythology of individualism negates integrity and leads to isolation and self-mutilation. It means small everyday acts of maladjustment as well as occasional major reconstruction, and it requires will, determination, faith that people can be wonderful, conscious planning, and an unshakable sense of humor.
Creative maladjustment is reflective. It implies adapting your own particular maladjustment to the nature of the social systems that you find repressive. It also implies learning how other people are affected by those systems, how personal discontent can be appropriately turned into moral and political action, and how to speak out about the violence that thoughtless adjustment can cause or perpetuate" (130).
"The whole question of identifying at-risk students is itself risky business. To identify children as 'at-risk' is to pick them out for special treatment not for what they have done but for what they might do. A child who is merely doing poorly in school is not necessarily at-risk. Nor is a child who has a strong will and a sense of cultural pride and self-respect that she or he feels is violated by the circumstances of schooling.
What makes a child at-risk? What is the hidden agenda of the people who have manufactured the 'at-risk' category? What are at-risk children at risk of going? In plain language, at-risk children are at risk of turning the poverty and prejudice they experience against society rather than learning how to conform and take their 'proper' place. The children are maladjusting, and it is their teachers' role to make that maladjustment functional and creative rather than to suppress it" (152).
July 16, 2014
Kohl's collection of essays struck a chord with me this summer break, and it's nice to have a theoretical basis to tie back to what I see in my classroom each day.
I've had plenty of students who refuse to complete projects or classwork, but it's nice to now have a term like maladjusting or not-learning, whereby a student willfully rejects some portion of schooling in order to keep hold of their identity that is threatened. OK, fine. I often talk about students in terms of engagement: this student is disengaged or checked-out, that student is always really engaged. Sometimes I dig into reasons behind the disengagement, sometimes I don't. There isn't always time for interviewing students past a simple, "What's going on?" in class, and speculation is just that--speculation.
And yet while the cynical side of my was rolling my eyes as I began to read the opening essay, "I Won't Learn From You," it is again refreshing to think about that time when a student really is resisting an assignment or a directive because it is belittling, prejudiced, or downright idiotic, rather than they simply don't want to play the game of school that day. And this is where teachers come in, says Kohl. We need to recognize when it's the former, and then help the student find a way to function within the context of school without losing a portion of their identity or self-respect in the process.
"The children are maladjusting, and it is their teachers' role to make that maladjustment functional and creative rather than to suppress it" (Kohl 152).
This is where the trust that teachers can build in our classrooms and schools comes in handy, because, as Kohl points out, it takes both a decent human connection as well as some real savvy to speak to students effectively when you only have three minutes between periods and another class is already entering the room. Getting past the standard answers of students is the first step, and most times I don't get beyond that. Step two is helping the student to maladjust without letting them off the hook, though sometimes this requires a bending of the the rules or standards. As teachers, we can model this behavior for our students in our interactions with the complex of school ourselves.
If something really bothers you in the setting of your school or classroom, you do have the choice to find a creative way to somehow flip it on its head. Channel-1 is lame and there are too many commercials advertising sports drinks and the military, so unplug the TV and show a different news story each day on the classroom's smartboard. Simple enough, and my maladjustments aren't nearly as gutsy as Kohl's examples, but then again I haven't been transferred to another school yet, either (he was after his first year). This sets an example for students, and they see it immediately, regardless if they're not told why some decision has been made. It's never good for a teacher to be transferred or a student to be expelled or fail a class through willful refusal to follow a directive, but it's likely that you can find another way to reduce the harm made by the idiotic or demeaning demand, while still towing the line. Kohl points out that this is a matter of balancing one's conscience with one's judgement.
I've had plenty of students who refuse to complete projects or classwork, but it's nice to now have a term like maladjusting or not-learning, whereby a student willfully rejects some portion of schooling in order to keep hold of their identity that is threatened. OK, fine. I often talk about students in terms of engagement: this student is disengaged or checked-out, that student is always really engaged. Sometimes I dig into reasons behind the disengagement, sometimes I don't. There isn't always time for interviewing students past a simple, "What's going on?" in class, and speculation is just that--speculation.
And yet while the cynical side of my was rolling my eyes as I began to read the opening essay, "I Won't Learn From You," it is again refreshing to think about that time when a student really is resisting an assignment or a directive because it is belittling, prejudiced, or downright idiotic, rather than they simply don't want to play the game of school that day. And this is where teachers come in, says Kohl. We need to recognize when it's the former, and then help the student find a way to function within the context of school without losing a portion of their identity or self-respect in the process.
"The children are maladjusting, and it is their teachers' role to make that maladjustment functional and creative rather than to suppress it" (Kohl 152).
This is where the trust that teachers can build in our classrooms and schools comes in handy, because, as Kohl points out, it takes both a decent human connection as well as some real savvy to speak to students effectively when you only have three minutes between periods and another class is already entering the room. Getting past the standard answers of students is the first step, and most times I don't get beyond that. Step two is helping the student to maladjust without letting them off the hook, though sometimes this requires a bending of the the rules or standards. As teachers, we can model this behavior for our students in our interactions with the complex of school ourselves.
If something really bothers you in the setting of your school or classroom, you do have the choice to find a creative way to somehow flip it on its head. Channel-1 is lame and there are too many commercials advertising sports drinks and the military, so unplug the TV and show a different news story each day on the classroom's smartboard. Simple enough, and my maladjustments aren't nearly as gutsy as Kohl's examples, but then again I haven't been transferred to another school yet, either (he was after his first year). This sets an example for students, and they see it immediately, regardless if they're not told why some decision has been made. It's never good for a teacher to be transferred or a student to be expelled or fail a class through willful refusal to follow a directive, but it's likely that you can find another way to reduce the harm made by the idiotic or demeaning demand, while still towing the line. Kohl points out that this is a matter of balancing one's conscience with one's judgement.
March 4, 2017
5 excellent essays that really made me think about the madness of the boring curriculum we are often expected to serve up to children. Education is often a "one size fits all" model that peddles information to students without first taking time to consider who the students are and what they may have to offer. Kohl also offers some great ideas about "maladjusting" as a teacher to a ridiculous system: keeping your job while serving students in ways that would traditionally be looked down upon.
October 4, 2014
I enjoyed reading this piece in graduate school at Gonzaga University's Department of Education more than 11 years ago. Rereading it today after recommending it to a colleague was a refreshing reminder of one of the little understood teaching battlefields: the will of the student who refuses to learn from you. Mr Kohl, a graduate of my high school, The Bronx HS of Science, then Harvard followed by a graduate degree from Columbia University's Teachers College depicts the problem well. "I am just beginning to understand the importance of not-learning in the lives of children, and I urge other people to think and write about roads people chose to
not-travel and how those choices define character and influence destiny.
In rethinking my teaching experience in the light of not-learning, I realize that many youngsters who ask impertinent questions, listen to their teachers in order to contradict them, and do not take homework or tests seriously are practiced not-learners. The quieter not-learners sit sullenly in class, daydreaming and shitting out the sound of their teacher's voice. They sometimes fall off their chairs or throw things across the room or resort to other strategies of disruption. Some push things so far that they get put in special classes or thrown out of school. In all of these cases the youngsters' minds are never engaged in learning what the teacher is trying to teach. On that level no failure is possible since there has been no attempt to learn. It is common to consider such students dumb or psychologically disturbed. Conscious, willful refusal of schooling for political or cultural reasons is not acknowledged as an appropriate response to oppressive education. Since students have no way to legitimately criticize the schooling they are subjected to or the people they are required to learn from, resistance and rebellion is stigmatized. The system's problem becomes the victim's problem. . . . Until we learn to distinguish not-learning from failure and to respect the truth behind this massive rejection of schooling by students from poor and oppressed communities, we will not be able to solve the major problems of education in the United States today."
not-travel and how those choices define character and influence destiny.
In rethinking my teaching experience in the light of not-learning, I realize that many youngsters who ask impertinent questions, listen to their teachers in order to contradict them, and do not take homework or tests seriously are practiced not-learners. The quieter not-learners sit sullenly in class, daydreaming and shitting out the sound of their teacher's voice. They sometimes fall off their chairs or throw things across the room or resort to other strategies of disruption. Some push things so far that they get put in special classes or thrown out of school. In all of these cases the youngsters' minds are never engaged in learning what the teacher is trying to teach. On that level no failure is possible since there has been no attempt to learn. It is common to consider such students dumb or psychologically disturbed. Conscious, willful refusal of schooling for political or cultural reasons is not acknowledged as an appropriate response to oppressive education. Since students have no way to legitimately criticize the schooling they are subjected to or the people they are required to learn from, resistance and rebellion is stigmatized. The system's problem becomes the victim's problem. . . . Until we learn to distinguish not-learning from failure and to respect the truth behind this massive rejection of schooling by students from poor and oppressed communities, we will not be able to solve the major problems of education in the United States today."
August 22, 2011
Kohl discusses the possibility that students sometimes choose not to learn things. It can be hard to tell the difference between a student who wants to learn and isn't getting the right support, and a student who is strategically choosing not to learn something, but both are possible. It brings up some (possibly unanswerable) questions about what "choice" actually is (choice in the face of coercion and choice in the face of lack of viable alternatives, as we so often see in schools, start to blur the definition). He begins by telling the story of his childhood decision to consciously avoid learning Hebrew. He goes on to explore the role of assent in learning.
p. 15: "Failure is characterized by the frustrated will to know, whereas not-learning involves the will to refuse knowledge. Failure results from a mismatch between what the learner wants to do and is able to do. ... the results of failure are most often a loss of self-confidence accompanied by a sense of inferiority and inadequacy. Not-learning produces thoroughly different effects. It tends to strengthen the will, clarify one's definition of self, reinforce self-discipline, and provide inner satisfaction. Not-learning can also get one in trouble if it results in defiance or a refusal to become socialized in ways that are sanctioned by dominant authority."
(may be caused by "challenges to her or his personal and family loyalties, integrity, and identity." Somebody needs to do some gender analysis about boys who get lower grades in school than girls yet somehow go on to be successful in larger numbers in the most selective and highest-paying jobs. Maybe schools aren't "failing boys," as some claim...)
p. 15: "Failure is characterized by the frustrated will to know, whereas not-learning involves the will to refuse knowledge. Failure results from a mismatch between what the learner wants to do and is able to do. ... the results of failure are most often a loss of self-confidence accompanied by a sense of inferiority and inadequacy. Not-learning produces thoroughly different effects. It tends to strengthen the will, clarify one's definition of self, reinforce self-discipline, and provide inner satisfaction. Not-learning can also get one in trouble if it results in defiance or a refusal to become socialized in ways that are sanctioned by dominant authority."
(may be caused by "challenges to her or his personal and family loyalties, integrity, and identity." Somebody needs to do some gender analysis about boys who get lower grades in school than girls yet somehow go on to be successful in larger numbers in the most selective and highest-paying jobs. Maybe schools aren't "failing boys," as some claim...)
July 14, 2012
Perhaps its unfair to judge a book that was written over 20 years ago, but critically speaking, the moral philosophies (albeit hopeful) are incredibly destructive to modern teaching approaches, especially in his piece "I Won't Learn From You" - the title item of the book. Kohl suggests, with no evidence-based and purely antidotal examples, that students are making a choice to not learn and that relevant curriculum will be more successful than a specialist teacher providing individual instruction. Kohl places himself on a pedestal insisting that his empathy towards students is more effective than hundreds of teachers working to provide specialized services. I found this assumption that students choose not to learn over students that legitimately have disabilities insulting. Positively speaking, I do agree that we need to never give up on our students ability to grow, integrate their cultural heritage into our instruction and change our instruction to suit their needs.
His final few pages recommend we eliminate the "at-risk" label because it indicates they will failure. Rather (and although with the growth and focus on prevention with such programs as RTI in the last decade), it's more important to see "at-risk" as a factor that research has indicated puts the student at a disadvantage and requires services to prevent failure and increase success. His critique of this term, today, appear antiquated and accusatory without evidence.
While some of the ideas in this book are good foundations for teachers working towards social justice (I would recommend reading only the final two essays), his lack of research-based evidence made his examples weak and unfounded.
His final few pages recommend we eliminate the "at-risk" label because it indicates they will failure. Rather (and although with the growth and focus on prevention with such programs as RTI in the last decade), it's more important to see "at-risk" as a factor that research has indicated puts the student at a disadvantage and requires services to prevent failure and increase success. His critique of this term, today, appear antiquated and accusatory without evidence.
While some of the ideas in this book are good foundations for teachers working towards social justice (I would recommend reading only the final two essays), his lack of research-based evidence made his examples weak and unfounded.
December 17, 2010
totally. the idea of "not-learning" things.
in the intro he talks about how his dad knew yiddish and his mom didn't, and he knew that learning would mean he would be privy to conversations that his mom wasn't in on. so he just refused to learn it. and if he did ever find himself retaining something, he would actively try to forget it.
another story was about a student whose grandfather refused to learn english and only spoke in spanish to his kids and grandkids. the author points out that people would try to bribe him, and viewed his refusal as immature, that he was just too proud. but he turns it around, pointing out that we could stand by the grandfather's choice, and see it as an action rather than in-action. i really like that. i had never thought of it in that way.
he is a teacher i believe. he stands by his students when they refuse to learn things. he listens to them. and i think that's just great.
and it makes me wonder what things i could "not-learn". Or maybe what things I'm already refusing to learn. yaaaaaaaay this book!
in the intro he talks about how his dad knew yiddish and his mom didn't, and he knew that learning would mean he would be privy to conversations that his mom wasn't in on. so he just refused to learn it. and if he did ever find himself retaining something, he would actively try to forget it.
another story was about a student whose grandfather refused to learn english and only spoke in spanish to his kids and grandkids. the author points out that people would try to bribe him, and viewed his refusal as immature, that he was just too proud. but he turns it around, pointing out that we could stand by the grandfather's choice, and see it as an action rather than in-action. i really like that. i had never thought of it in that way.
he is a teacher i believe. he stands by his students when they refuse to learn things. he listens to them. and i think that's just great.
and it makes me wonder what things i could "not-learn". Or maybe what things I'm already refusing to learn. yaaaaaaaay this book!
June 18, 2012
I wanted to like this book and during the first chapter I really thought I would. The first chapter and even parts of the second were stories and accounts of students struggles and the inspiring message of those who helped these students overcome their struggles. I hoped that the book wouldn't turn into a podium from which kohl could to try push his ideals on us. Unfortunately thats exactly what it was. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people try and brag about how smart they are or disguise this into their writing and that was kohl. I wouldn't read this book unless you are extremely liberal and love to be preached at. There was no need for him to tell us his political views or attack anyone else's to have a successful book or to inspire future and fellow teachers. Maybe the reason his students won't learn from him is because he won't step off his podium long enough to listen.
August 22, 2015
Two of the articles in this book (the first and the last) were really interesting and thought provoking. I sent the title essay to one of my education professors and told him he should use it in class, because I wish I had read it earlier and in an educational setting where I could discuss it with other people. The concepts of "creating maladjustment" and "not-learning" as ways to maintain integrity in a flawed system were intriguing, and he used multiple specific examples of students and teachers who have employed these methods. Unfortunately, the other essays were nowhere near as good. The second one in particular was long and meandering, without anything to attract my interest. So, overall the book gets four stars, because "I Won't Learn From You" and "Creative Maladjustment and the Struggle for Public Education" were excellent, "The Tattooed Man: Confessions of a Hopemonger" was a two star article, and the other two were average but not exceptional.
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