Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Royal Commission at Yanbu Yanbu University College Yanbu Al-Sinaiyah x

Perspectives on Learning-: The humanistic approach

EDU 301 Educational Psychology Semester 111 2011-2012

Agenda
Humanistic views. How these views are translated into the classroom practice.

8/19/2013

EDU 301-111 Dr. Hala Fawzi

The humanistic approach

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

Principally known as the founder of personcentered (non-directive) client-centered) psychotherapy He was interested in what learning was, what real learning felt like and what learning strive to be.
EDU 301-111 Dr. Hala Fawzi 3

The humanistic approach

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

Focuses on the unobservable private mental world of an individual.

Emphasizes the "natural desire" of everyone to learn.

The humanistic approach

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.

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

5

Self-actualisation
The main goal of human existence is selfactualisation:(becoming all what we are capable of)
Valued

Accepted Selfexploration Prized Selfactulisation

All students are intrinsically motivated to self actualize or learn.

Self-actualisation
How is Rogers theory Non-directive/clientcentered / self-directed/ self-centered?
Valued Accep ted Prize d Selfexplorat ion Selfactulisati on

By giving control to the client.

Humanistic views in teaching

a. Learning which influences behavior is selfdiscovered and self- appropriated. b. Learnt experiences are relatively inconsequential and does not influence behavior. So?
No to teaching

People gather learn when they only want to learn

No to exams or grades

focus is on inconsequential type of learning

Continuing process of learning

No to degrees

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)

8/19/2013

EDU 301-111 Dr. Hala Fawzi

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)

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

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).

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

Applications within the humanistic approach: 2. Emotional literacy classes

Aims at teaching emotional skills, not acknowledging the role of feelings and emotions in learning. Teaching emotional skills will: 1.Improve children academic skills. 2. Enhances schools ability to teach. (Goleman (1996) Emphasizes the role of emotional intelligence.

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 todays session, we have learnt about: o. o. o.

Next class discussion

1. Read: progress exercise 2.

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

8/19/2013

EDU 301-111 Dr. Hala Fawzi

17