Kingdom of Saudi ArabiaThe Royal Commission at YanbuYanbu University CollegeYanbu Al-Sinaiyah x

Perspectives on Learning-:The humanistic approach

EDU 301Educational Psychology

Semester 1112011-2012

Agenda

• Humanistic views.

• How these views are translated into the classroom practice.

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The humanistic approach

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Carl Rogers (1902-1989) A leading figure in the development of humanistic approaches to education.

Principally known as the founder of person-centered (non-directive) client-centered) psychotherapy

He was interested in what learning was, what real learning felt like and what learning strive to be.

The humanistic approach

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Focuses on the unobservable private mental world of an individual.

Emphasizes on holism: the need to study the whole person.

Emphasizes the "natural desire" of everyone to learn.

The humanistic approach

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So the teacher relinquishes a great deal of authority and becomes a facilitator.

Focuses on the hidden internal experiences and emphasis the role of feelings must be incorporated into the learning experience.

They maintain, that learners need to be empowered and to have control over the learning process.

Self-actualisationThe main goal of human existence is self-actualisation:(becoming all what we are capable of)

All students are intrinsically motivated to self actualize or learn.

Self-actualisation

How is Rogers theory Non-directive/client- centered / self-directed/ self-centered?

By giving control to the client.

Humanistic views in teaching

a. Learning which influences behavior is self-discovered and self- appropriated.

b. Learnt experiences are relatively inconsequential and does not influence behavior.

So?

No to teaching

No to exams or grades

No to degrees

People gather learn when they only want to learn

focus is on inconsequential type of learning

Continuing process of learning

Traditional vs. Person-centered teaching modes

• Rogers views developed over time.

• Review Table 2.2 p. 31(Comparison between traditional and person-centered modes of teaching)

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Application of Humanist approach

The approach refers to many other approaches.(Kirschenbaum 1975)

1. Humanistic Content Curricula. (Students’ lives)

2. Humanistic Process Curricula.(life skills-the whole)

3. School and Group Structures.(restructuring learning environment to pursue humanistic aims)

Application of Humanist approach

On whole school level: Open classrooms , class meetings, alternative modes of assessment.

On class level: would support:

-Students having control over daily activities.-Students monitor their own progress, andsSelf-evaluation.-Teacher does not control learning process, only a facilitator.-Integrating personal and communications skills ( Cooperative learning)

Values:

1. Balancing teaching and achieving academic skills with the need to acquire personal and life skills. (Snow and Swanson, 1992, Johnson and Johnson 1992)

2. Helping to involve children with disabilities in mainstream class(Putnam, 1993).

Applications within the humanistic approach: 1.Co-operative learning

Values:

1. Balancing teaching and achieving academic skills with the need to acquire personal and life skills. (Snow and Swanson, 1992, Johnson and Johnson 1992)

2. Helping to involve children with disabilities in mainstream class(Putnam, 1993).

Applications within the humanistic approach: 1.Co-operative learning

p.33:Read the example and study about the four components of cooperative learning

Applications within the humanistic approach: 2. Emotional literacy classes

Teaching emotional skills will:1.Improve children academic skills.2.Enhances schools’ ability to teach. (Goleman (1996)Emphasizes the role of emotional intelligence.

Aims at teaching emotional skills, not acknowledging the role of feelings and emotions in learning.

Evaluation of humanistic approach

o Ambiguous and vague: students learn what they want to learn.(Is it teaching competency?)

o Could be applied to the:• content of the curriculum,

• methods of teaching and • teaching styles.

Lecture round –up

In today’s session, we have learnt about:

o.o.o.

Next class discussion

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1. Read: progress exercise 2.

1. Prepare Review exercise p.36 to prepare for assignment 1 next week.