A successful indictment of capitalism, competition and the social order as we know it, No Contest offers much for the average University student to consider. Schools, sports, families and society in general have reiterated that competition is not just the way, but the only way; the only way to "get ahead," to "get into a good college," or to prove one's value as a person. As Kohn so succinctly states, "life for us has become an endless succession of contests. ... [Competition] is the common denominator of American life" (1). So where does this leave the average University student? Presumably, those who are thinking rather than grabbing at phantom "A"s are in a bit of a tumult, for no matter how we personally despise or desire competition there is a realization that the entirety of our lives has been built on competition, and that the foundation of competition is neither healthy nor stable.
             Obvious instances of competition in an average University student's life include competitions for scholastic accolades, extracurricular accomplishment, personal/familial acceptance, approval and attention. This abbreviated laundry list of daily competition could be extended to almost infinite proportions to show the extent to which competition envelops our lives.
             Even though competition is constantly reinforced, evidence of cooperation's success abounds. One method of cooperation discussed by Kohn is the "jigsaw method" (51) of cooperative learning, where each person does part of the work, and successful completion of each part is imperative for successful completion of the whole project. This method of accomplishing a task is cited as one of the most productive methods for learning. Unfortunately, my experience has shown the jigsaw method to be grossly underutilized, vehemently discouraged, and disparaged as cheating.
             In elementary school, students in LEP (the Learning ...