Per some requests, I’m pulling together some material related to the credibility and accuracy of some of Alfie Kohn’s work, and in particular his work on the effects of punishment and rewards. Some I wrote, some others.
Some comments on Alfie Kohn, Punished By Rewards
I’ve read thousands of blog posts and Tweets praising Twitter and how powerful it is as a customer service tool. It’s not, and it’s SO obvious that it’s not that it’s baffling why otherwise seemingly intelligent people don’t seem to see through this. Twitter offers NO advantage over any other means of providing customer service. It’s not technologically advanced. If anything it’s old technology recycled and re marketed. Participation on Twitter and other social media platforms GENERALLY increases overhead, and while it may be seen as a business necessity (perhaps wrongly), it sure as heck cannot be shown as a superior tool.
Here’s an example. You. Go here and read this anecdote about Westjet. Yes, it’ll open a new window so you won’t lose your place. Go on. Shoo.
McGraw-Hill will be releasing the 2nd edition of Perfect Phrases for Customer Service and I’ll be adding sections on social media and one for managers/owners.
I would really like input from those delivering customer service via social media, and customers using it. Please comment to this (below). ANYTHING of relevance is appreciated, and if I find what you write informative YOU will (if you like) receive credit in the acknowledgment section of the book. If you want that credit leave your name and affiliation in comment.
Robert Sternberg is a cognitive psychologist and Dean at Tufts University, and is known for his theories on intelligence and creativity. In these segments Robert and Rx Jung talk about:
Percontations: Intelligence and Beyond
Dr. Russell Ackoff is considered by many to be the father of systems thinking. Definitely worth getting into and understanding. Here are some videos of him speaking. We’ve posted the series so you don’t have to hunt them all down.
1) Systems Thinking – Part I
Just posted a comment on Why Elearning DOES Work It’s a partial answer to the title of this post.
I’ve reproduced it below: Continue reading
This will resonate with many people, and in particular old hippies and the new generation of fanatics who believe that social networking will replace schools, and who want to dismantle the existing school system. Ackoff and Greenberg are the real deal, smart, great to listen to, personable.
Here is the problem. What they have to say is no different than what was said in the ’60′s by people like A.S. Neill (Summerhill) and other reformists including Illich (Deschooling), and in general the comments are both as valid and as useless as they were then, and will have the same impact. They demonstrate the problems that happen when people who have little understanding of history and sociology of mass education jump in. As a final note, there have always been, and always will be very small scale examples of forms of schooling that “make more sense” and that have been demonstrated as successful with a small number of students, and when those students are selected (rather than having to take everyone). In fact I used to hang out at just such a school to help out. Continue reading
If you are looking for a fairly good overview of the major approaches to Instructional Design, check out this slideshow on the topic. It includes a nice chart referencing, classroom, product and systems approaches to the design of instruction. Ideal for teachers, designers and trainers, since any person involved in helping others learn should understand the basics of design so they can modify instruction on the fly if necessary.
In a virtually rambling and incoherent blog post, BFChirpy seems to write about metrics, knowledge and such stuff. Take a quick look. A great example of self-indulgent writing and thinking, AND the common extreme self-centeredness of almost all the most active social media pundits and fringe members.
I posted a response on the blog, but you never know what sticks so here’s mine: Continue reading
Thought I’d pass this along. It’s based on something in our Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook, but it pertains to how people handle negative emotions.