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Raegan Maloy

Professor Burris

EDU 221

September 14, 2022

Benjamin Bloom and Alfie Kohn

Educational theorists all have one thing in common: a love for the field of education. In

the past, men and women have dedicated their time, money, talents, and ideologies to the

betterment of education. These theorists introduced their researched perspectives into the world

of learning and then those ideas were turned into theories that are commonly adopted in the

modern classroom. Two of those theorists are Benjamin Bloom and Alfie Kohn. Their

contributions to the field of education are unique in their own ways but somehow still

compliment each other in other ways. For a better understanding, we will compare and contrast

Bloom and Kohn’s theories and then look into the impact those theories do and will have in

modern day classrooms.

Benjamin Bloom is most famously known for Bloom’s taxonomy. Bloom’s taxonomy “is

a framework for learning, teaching, and educational achievement in which each level depends on

the one below. It’s often depicted in the form of a pyramid” (Persaud). This pyramid includes six

levels of thinking. Those levels are remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing,

evaluating, and creating. Each level is designed to build off of the previous one. This structure

permits educators to “precisely focus curricula throughout the year on specific parts of the

framework, ensuring that students demonstrate the proper cognitive abilities in each assignment

and exam before moving on to the next” (Persaud). That being said, Bloom believed that mastery

could be achieved so long as subjects are taught in order of those six steps. Once a student is able
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to create inside a topic, the topic is then mastered. Educators can spend less time on topics that

do not require that level of understanding and more time with the topics that do by using

Bloom’s taxonomy.

As for Alfie Kohn, his educational theories did not include an easy-to-use step-by-step

system. Rather, he was more progressive in his ideas. Alfie Kohn spent a lot of time discussing

character education that is built off of extrinsic rewards over intrinsic rewards. He argues in his

paper, “How Not to Teach Values” that children today are less likely to retain good behaviors if

they are taught those behaviors through reward systems. He argues that “Extrinsic motivation, in

other words, is not only quite different from intrinsic motivation but actually tends to erode it”

(Kohn 3). To combat this, Kohn argues that teachers should leave traditional reward systems

behind. It is an innate human desire to make sense of things, students love to learn. Kohn taught

that teachers should develop curriculum with the students in mind, allow their students to be

confused, remember that learning is a process, and that that process is more important than the

results (Milnes). All in all, Alfie Kohn believes that education is a journey that should be led by

students and that rewarding students for unrealistic behaviors is damaging to their desire for

knowledge. Therefore, he asks that teachers focus their attention on letting the students guide the

curriculum.

More often than not, Bloom’s taxonomy is easier to observe at it is a structural guide to

help with the direction of lessons and learning, whereas Kohn’s ideologies are more so adopted

by a teacher’s behavior and approach to their class. However, even though one is structural and

the other is a concept, they work hand in hand. Kohn promotes a life-long love of learning

through a student-led practice. With that idea implemented alongside Bloom’s taxonomy,

students can master subjects by following along the six steps to measure their own
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understanding. Looking at classrooms today, Bloom’s taxonomy is easily observed as it has been

used by teachers for several years to formulate and create lesson plans. Additionally, Kohn’s

theories can be seen in different classrooms where the teachers remain flexible and allow

students to guide the direction of lessons and provide different ways concepts can be practiced.

For example, my junior English class, we followed the state standards in learning about a

specific genre of literature, in that, Bloom’s taxonomy was used by my teacher to measure that

we could create from our knowledge of that genre, then, we were allowed to demonstrate that

learning by writing a story, drawing a picture, creating a video, etc. about something in that

genre. Students were then excited to learn more and showcase their understanding because their

learning was led by them. The teacher provided the foundation for the learning and the students

were able to take over for the second part.

Despite the excellence in both theories, Alfie Kohn’s theories on character education,

reward systems, and student-led education, really resonated with me. I am a huge believer that

students should lead their learning. It is like when you are going to clean your room and you are

motivated until your mom walks in and says to clean your room, then you do not want to do it.

The same goes for anything. If a student desires to learn about something because they want to,

they are more likely to develop a love for learning. A teacher can provide that starting point, then

the students guide it from there. In light of that, I will definitely be incorporating Kohn’s theories

in my future classroom. My goal as a teacher is to teach my students how to love learning. To do

that, they have to want to learn.

On the whole, Benjamin Bloom and Alfie Kohn introduced phenomenal ideas and

practices into the world of education that teachers are using today to guide their lessons and

classrooms. Bloom’s taxonomy allows teachers to formulate lesson plans based on the level of
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understanding necessary for the topic. Kohn encourages teachers to inspire their students to

appreciate learning by letting them lead the direction the learning is taking. Even though the

theories appear different in application, the combination of both ideas creates opportunity for

mastery and a life-long desire to learn in students. I know I will be applying these concepts in my

future classroom, especially Kohn’s theories, as I have seen teachers in my past use them

themselves and have experienced the successes firsthand.

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Works Cited

Kohn, Alfie. “How Note to Teach Values; A Critical Look at Character Education.” Microsoft

Word, Phi Delta Kappan, Feb. 1997, https://www.overcominghateportal.org/uploads/

5/4/1/5/5415260/how_not_to_teach_values-alfie_kohn.pdf.

Milnes, Joseph. “Educational Theory of Alfie Kohn.” Gallery of Educational Theorists, New-

Foundation, 18 Aug. 2011, https://www.newfoundations.com/GALLERY/Kohn.html.

Persaud, Christine. “Ultimate Guide to Implementing Bloom's Taxonomy in Your Course.” Top

Hat, Higher Ed Trends, 11 May 2022, https://tophat.com/blog/blooms-taxonomy/.