Quick Definition of the Humanistic Theory in

Education
1.Describe the four philosophical pillars from humanistic point of view, which
guide the teacher’s beliefs.

Definition: The humanistic theory of teaching and learning is an educational theory

that believes in teaching the ‘whole’ child. A humanist approach will have a strong
focus on students’ emotional wellbeing and eternally view children as innately
good ‘at the core’.

A humanist educator’s teaching strategy will have four philosophical pillars. These
pillars will guide the teacher’s beliefs and, ultimately, how they teach. These four
pillars are:
 Free Will: We have free choice to do and think what we want;
 Emotions impact Learning: We need to be in a positive emotional state to
achieve our best;
 Intrinsic Motivation: We generally have an internal desire to become our
best selves;
 Innate Goodness: Humans are good at the core.

Humanism believes that a learner is free-willed, fundamentally good, and capable

of achieving their best when the ideal learning environment is produced. The ideal
learning environment should caters to the social, emotional and cognitive needs of
the learner (Crain, 2009; Duchesne et al., 2013; Veugelers, 2011).

What is the origin of Humanist Education?

In the early 20th Century (early 1900s), behaviorism and psychoanalysis were the
dominant educational theories. Humanists thought both these theories had very
negative perceptions of learners. These theories tried to diagnose and ‘fix’ learners.

In reaction, humanistic education emerged. Humanists argued that people

should stop seeing learners as ‘defunct’ or ‘in deficit’. Instead, humanists
focussed on how we could help learners bring out the best in themselves.
Another thing humanism rejected was the assumption that learners were easily
controlled by rewards and punishments. Humanists thought this ‘behaviorist’
approach of rewards and punishments failed to see that humans are complex
thinkers. We’re driven by many different factors, and one major one is of course
our emotions: how we’re feeling.
You can’t just punish someone when they do something wrong. No, no, no!
To humanists, you need to explore the factors underpinning their bad behavior.
Maybe they’re cold, hungry or feeling unsafe! If we fix the underlying problem,
the person will probably start behaving more appropriately.
So, humanists emerged largely as a reaction to the negativity and simplicity of
behaviorist beliefs about childhood. If you want to learn more about
behaviorism, check my post on behaviorism out here.

How do emotions influence our learning according to humanist theory?

Our emotions are important to humanists. Emotions (or what we often refer to in
educational psychology as ‘affect’) will shape how, what, when, and how well we
will learn something. So, humanists think we should pay attention to emotions and
make sure our learners are feeling positive, relaxed and comfortable. These are
emotions that will make us ready to learn.

In fact, humanists think other theorists like

behaviorists, cognitivists and sociocultural theorists don’t pay enough attention to
emotions. While other theories pay attention to things like social and cognitive
(mental processes) learning, they seem to overlook that our emotions have a really
important impact on how well we learn.
Emotions impact learning in four ways. They impact our levels of
motivation (motivational impact). Positive emotions can help a student engage
with learning longer because they stay motivated. Emotions during learning also
impact our feelings toward education (psychological impact). If we have positive
experiences, we are more likely to enjoy our schooling and develop a love of
learning. Emotions can also make group work run much more smoothly (social
impact). However, we need to keep in mind that learning sometimes requires
confusion and frustration when we are learning difficult but necessary
concepts (cognitive impact).

1. Psychological Impact: Positive emotions make you feel better about

learning

Some cognitive psychologists believe that students who have positive attitudes
toward education also feel as if they are in control of their own learning, which
leads to increased effort. This is an upward spiral. Students who put in more effort
will feel additional positive results, which will lead to even more effort being put
in. Such students have developed what Carol Dweck calls a ‘growth mindset’
toward education.
Unfortunately, many people who speak English as a second language or are from a
minority cultural background feel extra barriers towards schooling. These learners
risk ending up resenting education and falling behind. This has flow-on effects like
worse job prospects and a higher chance of going into poverty. They may also pass
on negative attitudes toward schooling to their children, which can lead to a
poverty spiral. To prevent this, educators should work hard to make sure
vulnerable student populations have positive learning experiences in the classroom.
2. Motivational Impact: Positive emotions make you more motivated

Positive feelings toward learning can make students more motivated. This in turn
can help students engage with learning materials longer.

With positive emotions, we should expect to see less students skipping classes or
dropping out altogether. Students will want to engage with the learning materials,
which will be very good for student learning in the long run.
People with positive emotions toward learning also require less bribes, rewards or
punishments to encourage them to learn. People with negative emotions, on the
other hand, will not feel an internal drive to learn (what we call ‘intrinsic
motivation’). Instead, they will only be motivated by extrinsic factors such as
bribes. Using extrinsic motivators is an inferior way to learn and would likely lead
to poorer results in the long run.

Examples of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the Classroom

Most teachers expect you to use examples in your essays. So, let’s take a look at
some examples of each of Maslow’s needs in education:

a) Examples of Maslow’s Physiological Needs in the Classroom

 Food – If a child comes to class hungry, they may not be in a fit state to
study. To address this, teachers can implement Crunch n Sip time, start
a Breakfast Club, or develop a partnership with a local food bank.
 Water – Teachers can encourage students to drink water before entering the
classroom or encourage students to have a clear water bottle sitting on their
desk.
 Clothing – I once had a student who started coming to class wearing a
hoodie in the middle of the summer. Why? Because her mother had recently
left the family and the father wasn’t coping. He hadn’t done the washing in
weeks and my poor student didn’t have any shirts to wear. The
solution? Our school parents’ committee had a clothing collection that the
student could ruffle through to find a shirt she liked, while I contacted the
appropriate liaison officer to get the dad some support.
b) Examples of Maslow’s Safety Needs in the Classroom
 Safe from Guns – As an Australian-Canadian, I was shocked when an
American Grade 1 teacher relayed how worried she was about gunmen
entering her school. I knew it was a worry in an abstract sense for teachers in
the US. But I’d never put myself in the shoes of a worried teacher who felt
that it might happened to her students any day. I feel for the poor students
who have to have this thought go through their minds while trying to study.
  Safe from Strangers – Most schools these days required all visitors to
school grounds to head to the front office to get a nametag and sign-in. This
is to ensure students feel safe and don’t have strangers walking in and out of
their classrooms for no reason.
 Safe from Harm – Classrooms need to keep sharp or dangerous materials a
safe distance from students. Cords that could trip students up and tables with
splinters need to be replaced so students can concentrate on learning rather
than being exposed to harm.
c) Examples of Maslow’s Belongingness Needs in the Classroom
 Memberships – Inclusion of students in table groups in class, afterschool
clubs and class research groups can help give them a sense of ownership
over the classroom.
 Democratic Class Rules – Students who create their own classroom rules
may feel a greater sense of belonging and ownership in the classroom.
 Display Walls – Having exemplary artworks or photos of students on the
walls of the classroom can make students feel as if the classroom is a place
where they are included and belong.
 Diversity in class books – Students who are of minority backgrounds may
feel as if their identities are underrepresented in the classroom. Diverse
protagonists in books and diverse representation in imagery around the
classroom can help students feel as if their identity is included and
respected.
d) Examples of Maslow’s Esteem Needs in the Classroom
 Celebration of Successes – When a student succeeds, feel free to publicly
promote that success. When students see their peers spoken about positively,
your example may rub-off. Be the leader in having high regard (‘esteem’)
for your own students.
 Promotion of Self-Belief – Encourage students to believe in their own
abilities to succeed. Teach students about growth mindsets which emphasize
that success comes from effort. When students internalize this attitude, they
will begin to see themselves as powerful and capable learners.
 High Expectations – Set high expectations for students and praise them
only when something is praiseworthy. If you overdo praise, students will not
respond well – so give praise genuinely!

Examples of Carl Rogers’ Humanistic Theory in the Classroom

If we are to follow Rogers’ humanistic teaching approach, we would do some of

the following things:

 Not to use a Curriculum: Throw out the learning outcomes and help

students learn things that are motivating and inspiring in their own lives.
  Encourage Choice: Ask the students not only how they want to learn
but what they want to learn.
 Encourage Inquiry Learning: When students have chosen a topic to learn
about, give them rich resources and an inquiry-based learning
environment so students can explore their interests without having them
stifled by nasty worksheet printouts!
 Act as a Facilitator: Don’t stand out the front of the class and teach in a
teacher-centered manner that you might find from behaviourist theory.
Instead, facilitate learning by creating the right learning environment for
students to explore.
 Express Unconditional Positive Regard: Even when students are playing
up, we need to have positive regard for our students by being empathetic,
positive and supportive as educators. Our language should show students we
have high regard for them: “This is not like you, I know you as a lovely
person usually!”, “Let’s start tomorrow fresh and believe in ourselves that
tomorrow will be a better day where you go back to being your well-
behaved self.”

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Humanist Theory of Education

Strengths of humanism in education include:

 Unlike many theories that attempt to diagnose weaknesses, humanism sees
the best in everyone and works hard to promote it;
 It is an empowering philosophy that sees young people as powerful and
capable;
 It considers emotional states and how they impact learning, unlike many
other theories;
 It is holistic, meaning it sees the ‘whole child’. It will look at cognitive,
social and emotional aspects meaning it has many pedagogical overlaps with
cognitive and social constructivist theories, but also adds the ‘emotional’
elements;
Weaknesses of humanism in education include:
 It does not follow a set curriculum. This aspect of humanism may be
incompatible with contemporary schools which usually have a standardized
curriculum that students need to learn from;
 If it were implemented in schools, every student would leave school having
different knowledge. Sometimes students need to learn things like
mathematics even if they don’t have intrinsic desire to learn about it!
 Some students require structure and routine to learn effectively. With its
emphasis on choice-based learning, aspects of humanism may not work well
for such students.