Orientation to Humanism. From the humanistic perspective, teachers are concerned with making learning more responsive to the AFFECTIVE needs of their students. Affective needs are those related directly to the student's emotions, feelings, values, and attitudes. They are evident in the following description of the major goals of Humanistic Education:
Advanced Organizer. To explore the concepts of Humanism, we will use the following Orientation. If you would like to examine a specific theory, you may click on the link to move directly to that area of the Exercise. But, be sure to review the entire exercise.
I. THE THEORISTS
B. Abraham Maslow and the Hierarchy of Human Needs
C. Carl Rogers and the Freedom to Learn
II. INSTRUCTIONAL APPLICATIONS OF HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY
III. CRITICISMS OF HUMANISTIC EDUCATION
During the late 1940's, a new psychological perspective emerged from the work of persons engaged in the application of psychology rather than from the work of those merely researching the learning process. The movement that grew our of this perspective became known as Humanistic Psychology and attempted to understand behavior from the point of view of the behaver rather than the observer. Arthur Combs was one of those early pioneer humanists. He explains how perceptual psychologists view behavior of the individual:
This statement is one of the recognized credos of the humanist. To understand another person, it is necessary to "walk a mile in his shoes" as the old Native American adage goes. To understand the behavior of a student, the teacher must determine how that student perceives the way he or she acts in a particular situation. What appears to be strange or unusual behavior may not be when considered from the student's perspective. To the student who fails in achieving recognition, status, or prestige in school, disruptive actions in the classroom may be their only plausible alternative. This is why perceptual psychologists state that to change behavior one must change the behaver's perceptions. When teachers complain that students are not motivated, the teachers really mean that the student are not motivated to do what the teachers want them to do. Teachers and students are often on different sides of the "perception" table even when both are viewing the exact same classroom behavior.
Humanism, and its emphasis on the internal perspective, also relates directly to the learning process. Humanists see two parts to learning: (1.) the ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION; and, (2.) the individual's PERSONALIZATION OF INFORMATION. According to the humanist, teachers often make the mistake of assuming that students will learn if the subject matter is properly organized and presented. But meaning is not inherent in the subject matter; it is the individual who instills meaning into the lesson. The dilemma in teaching is not how to present subject matter but how to help students derive personal meaning from the information. From the Humanistic perspective came the adage, "If a student can relate the subject matter material in some way to their personal lives, you have succeeded in teaching."
