THE TEACHER

AND THE
SCHOOL
CURRICULUM

Psychological Foundation
of the School Curriculum

Prepared By:
Paulino Marquez lll
Kristine May Solis
Jessica Delez
Jessebelle Obra
Iriz Limos
Liesly Ludivico
Mary Joy Mandapat
Wylodene Salazar
Princess Lira Ubaldo
Ria Urbano

P a g e 1 | 17
Submitted to:
Mrs Florita C. Balansay
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

TOPIC OVERVIEW

This topic will start with a basic introduction on the study of Psychological
Foundation of the school curriculum. It then goes on defining the psychology itself and it
will go deeper in the different principles and proponents.
This topic will give further emphasis on the importance of psychological
principles to the students and in knowing how students acquire knowledge effectively.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Define the term philosophy;

 Identify different theories in the psychological foundation in the school curriculum,
 Discover some different proponents with their theories, and
 Explain the importance of the psychological foundation in the school curriculum.

LEARNING CONTENTS

A crucial aspect of the teaching-learning process is psychology.

It serves as the basis for all programs relating to education. teaching
strategies, subject matter choices, learning strategies and theories,
student development generally, and instilling social norms in pupils are
all important factors. All the above stages in the curriculum creation
process benefit from psychology. How about you? What comes in your
mind when you herd the world psychology? Lot of you will say, it is the
study of mind. Yes, but there is more deeper meaning behind that and there is an
interconnectedness to this in the filed of education.
The word “psychology” is derived from two Greek words, psyche (soul) and
logos (study). So, psychology literally means a “study about soul”. Psychology is an
academic and applied discipline which deals with study of human behavior and mental
process.
Psychology is the study of scientific mental functions and behavior including:
1. PERCEPTION- Perception is a process where people take in sensory
information from the environment and make sense of the surrounding with the
information to give an appropriate response. Perception allows people to take
the sensory information and make it into something meaningful.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

2. COGNITION- is a term referring to the mental processes involved in gaining

knowledge and comprehension. Some of the many different cognitive processes
include thinking, knowing, remembering, judging, and problem-solving.
3. BEHAVIOR- the way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward
others.
4. EMOTIONS- are conscious mental reactions (such as anger or fear) subjectively
experienced as strong feelings usually directed toward a specific object and
typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.
5. PERSONALITY- refers to the enduring characteristics and behavior that
comprise a person's unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests,
drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.
6. INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP- characterized by passion, intimacy, trust and
respect is called love.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS.

Psychological Foundations of Education presents some of the principles of

psychology that are relevant to learning and teaching. It presents an alternative answer
to the problem of the bifurcation of general and educational psychology in the
curriculum of teacher preparation.
By providing a basis for understanding the teaching/learning process, educational
psychology deals with how people learn. By implication, it emphasizes the need to
recognize diversity among learners. However, it is also true that people share certain
common characteristics. Among these are basic psychological needs which are
necessary for individuals to lead a full and happy life. In this section, we shall be talking
about the major learning theories and their contribution to curriculum development.
Besides, we shall touch upon the basic psychological needs of individuals and reflect on
their translation into curriculum. We shall at this juncture remind ourselves that our main
thrust will be on the contributions made by the theories of learning for curriculum
development. Let us therefore make it clear that we are not, right now, interested in
studying the theories of learning in detail, which has already been done to some extent
in earlier courses on distance education.

For the sake of convenience, we have classified the major theories of learning
into the following groups:

BEHEVIORISM CONSTRUCTIVISM
(POVLOV,SKINNER) (BRUNER,PIAGET)

CURRICULUM
COGNITIVISM HUMANISM
(WERTHEIMER, (MASLOW, ROGERS)
KOHLER, MILLER)
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PROPONENTS.

Behaviorism. The behaviorist school, which represents

traditional psychology, is rooted in a corresponding
philosophical speculation about the nature of learning. It has
particularly dominated psychology in the first half of the
twentieth century. After a few decades of being in the
wilderness It has recently gained currency once again with the
advent of individualized education.
Without going into the details, we shall touch upon the main, characteristic
features of the behaviorist school of thought.
Essentially, learning is considered a habit-formation and teaching is regarded as
arranging learning experiences in such a way as to promote desirable behavior. Further,
behaviorism maintains that what is learnt in one situation can be transferred to other
situations as well. Broadly, behaviorists advocate that: behavior is likely to be influenced
by the conditions under which learning takes place; attitudes to and abilities of learning
can change or improve over time through the application of proper stimuli; learning
experiences can be designed and controlled to create desired learning; selective
reinforcement is essential; and rote learning and memorization of knowledge are
unnecessary.
Having thus touched upon the crux of behaviorism, we shall now turn our
attention to its contribution to curriculum development. It provides the following
significant guidelines.

A curriculum, according to behaviorists, should be based on the following concerns:

 Remedial measures, acquisition of skills, considerations of basic or advanced
learning.
 Well-defined, short-term, and long-term objectives.
 Appropriate instructional materials and media to suit the learner's abilities.
 Shaping behavior through prescribed tasks, phase by phase activities, close
supervision of activities and positive reinforcement; and The Field of Curriculum
 Diagnosing, assessing, and reassessing the learners’ needs, objectives,
activities, tasks and instruction with a view to improving the curriculum.

We can observe manifestations of these guidelines in the theories, principles or

trends related to: individualized education (and to some extent, open system of
education); instructional design and systems; teacher-training techniques such as
simulation teaching, microteaching, competency-performance based teacher education;
educational technology including programmed instruction (which provides, with
modifications, a base for self- instructional materials in use in the distance mode of
teaching/learning).

PROPONENTS OF BEHAVIORISM
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

IVAN PETROVICH PAVLOV (1849 – 1936)

Russian physiologist and psychologist, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, is best known for his
experiment in which he trained a hungry dog to drool at the sound of a bell.

Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning

However, an interesting fact about his research is that Pavlov’s initial study was
only focused on the interaction between the amount of saliva dogs produced and their
digestive process (Standridge, 2002). It was only when he was conducting his study that
he found the dogs began to salivate before they received their food. Finding this to be
very interesting, Pavlov decided him to determine if an external stimulus such as a bell
being sounded would also cause the dogs to salivate. Training the dogs to respond to
the bell resulted in what Pavlov called a “conditioned stimulus,” and the dogs’ salivation
was the “conditioned response” (Standridge, 2002).

As shared in the video, Pavlov’s experiments demonstrate three major tenets of the field
of behaviorism:

1. Behavior is learned from the environment: The dogs only learned to

salivate when they heard a specific stimulus and then were presented the
same stimulus along with food multiple times.
2. Behavior must be observable. Pavlov was able to demonstrate his findings
because he was able to observe the dogs salivating in response to a specific
stimulus.
3. All behaviors are a result of both stimulus and response. The stimulus
would cause no response in the dogs until it was associated with the
presentation of food, to which the dogs naturally responded with increased
saliva production (Brau, Fox, & Robinson, 2022, p. 1).

As a result of his research, Pavlov won the 1904 Nobel Prize for Physiology or
Medicine.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

B. F. SKINNER

Skinner is best known for the concept of operant conditioning. Based

on hisexperiment with the Skinner box, Skinner was able to determine
the following:

 Operant conditioning is the rewarding of part of a desired

behavior or a random act that approaches it.
 An operant response would be pressing a bar to receive a food pellet.
 A reinforcer is the food pellet itself.
 A punisher is the consequence that suppresses a response and decreases the
likelihood that it will occur in the future (i.e., receiving an electric shock for
pressing the bar to receive a food pellet).

Skinner is quoted as saying: “the things we call pleasant have an energizing or

strengthening effect on our behavior” (Skinner, 1972, p. 74). Through Skinner’s
research on animals, he concluded that both animals and humans would repeat acts
that led to favorable outcomes, and suppress those that produced unfavorable results
(Shaffer, 2000). The following visual, buy Standridge (2002), demonstrates the concept
of operant conditioning.

In other words, we are who we are based on the operant conditioning we have received.
Consequently, Skinner believed that an individual persons behavior could be shaped or
conditioned if the right operant responses and reinforcements were utilized.

Cognitivism and curriculum. Today most psychologists explain the phenomenon of

human growth and development in cognitive, social, psychological and physical terms.
They also note that learning is primarily cognitive in nature. Growth and development
refer to changes in the structure and function of human characteristics. Most cognitivists
believe that growth and development occur in progressive stages.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Even contemporary behaviorists incorporate cognitive processes in their theories of

learning. Because learning in schools/colleges emphasizes the cognitive domain, it
follows that most educationists feel that learning is synonymous with cognitive
development. As a corollary, a problem-solving approach in teaching-learning gains
currency. But if we take an actual teaching/learning situation into consideration we tend
to realize that this learning model is incomplete and that something is lost in its
processes of actual transfer in the classroom. The teaching/learning process boils down
to the teacher talking predominantly and students mostly responding to what is said by
the teacher.

What should be of concern to the curriculum specialists?

They should know a school/college should be a place where students are not
afraid of asking questions, making mistakes, taking cognitive risks and playing with
ideas. Further colleges/schools should be more humane places where students can
explore and fulfill their human potentials. Obviously, curriculum has to play a vital role to
actually realize this objective.

PROPONENTS OF CONSTRUCTIVISM

Learning Theories: Constructivism

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is considered the father of the

constructivist view of learning. As a biologist, he was interested in how
an organism adapts to the environment and how previous mental
knowledge contributes to behaviors. Knowledge is not a snapshot of
reality; to understand something, you don't just simply look at it and
make a mental copy of it. To truly know an object, you must act on it.
According to Piaget (1964), learning is modeling, transforming, and
understanding the way in which an object is constructed. Through interactions with
the environment, we change our internalized view of the world. Views on separate
constructs can be changed in different ways.
Instead of there being a stimulus and then a response as a means of learning,
Piaget (1964) proposed that there is a circular relationship between the two; a stimulus
can cause a response, and that response can affect the way in which the next stimulus
is viewed. One’s cognitive schema, or the way one thinks of a topic or object, is updated
by external stimuli. Schemas can be adapted to the stimuli by either assimilation or
accommodation. Assimilation takes new information from the environment and fits it
with the pre-existing schema, whereas accommodation is the process of changing
cognitive schemas to accept something new from the environment. Both processes can
be used simultaneously and alternately throughout life.

Schunk (1991) reflected on a few questions that can be applied to the constructivist
theory of learning:
● how does learning occur?
● which factors influence learning?
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

● what is the role of memory in this learning theory? ● what types of learning are best
explained by the theory?

How does learning occur?

Constructivism equates learning with meaning that is created via experience; the mind
filters input from the world to produce its own unique reality (Jonassen, 1991). Thus,
humans learn by internally constructing meaning as opposed to acquiring it. As people
learn, they continually build personal interpretations of the world from input by
experiences and interactions. The internal representation of one’s knowledge is
constantly open to change, and there is no objective reality that learners are striving.

Which factors influence learning?

Individual and environmental factors are both critical to the constructivist theory of
learning. It is the specific interaction between these two variables that creates
knowledge (Ertmer & Newby, 1993). Actual behavior is also determined by both of
these factors. Every action is an interpretation of the current situation (environment)
based upon the history of previous interactions that one has encountered (individual).
Based upon these two factors, the best learning will occur in a realistic setting that
reflects the topic being learned and will consist of tasks that are relevant to the typical
past experiences of a student. Brown et al. (1989) asks added that the culture or
specific context of the environment are the most salient and influential contributors.

What is the role of memory in this learning theory?

A memory is an ever-changing construct since it is constantly expanding its
history of interactions. Learning by memorizing rigid facts will not truly be absorbed into
a cognitive schema. Constructs become more firmly rooted in memory when there is
some teaching emphasis on the utilization of pre-existing knowledge.

What types of learning are best explained by the theory?

Piaget’s view was that there actually are not distinctive types of learning or ways
to acquire knowledge because there is far too much overlap in their function to
distinguish them (Piaget, 1964). However, Jonassen (1991) suggested that a
constructivist approach to teaching is better for more advanced types of knowledge
acquisition. Basic and intermediate levels of a topic involve learning in a more objective
way, but once the essentials are in place, then constructivism is the best means of
instilling applied knowledge.

Constructivist Theory (Jerome Bruner)

A major theme in the theoretical framework of Bruner is that
learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas
or concepts based upon their current/past know ledge. The learner
selects and transforms information, constructs hypotheses, and
makes decisions, relying on a cognitive structure to do so. Cognitive
structure (i.e., schema, mental models) provides meaning and
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

organization to experiences and allows the individual to “go beyond the information
given”.

As far as instruction is concerned, the instructor should try and encourage

students to discover principles by themselves. The instructor and student should
engage in an active dialog (i.e., socratic learning). The task of the instructor is to
translate information to be learned into a format appropriate to the learner’s current
state of understanding. Curriculum should be organized in a spiral manner so that the
student continually builds upon what they have already learned.

Bruner (1966) states that a theory of instruction should

address four major aspects: (1) predisposition towards learning, (2)
the ways in which a body of knowledge can be structured so that it
can be most readily grasped by the learner, (3) the most effective
sequences in which to present material, and (4) the nature and pacing
of rewards and punishments. Good methods for structuring
knowledge should result in simplifying, generating new propositions,
and increasing the manipulation of information.
In his more recent work, Bruner (1986, 1990, 1996) has expanded his theoretical
framework to encompass the social and cultural aspects of learning as well as the
practice of law.

Application
Bruner’s constructivist theory is a general framework for instruction based upon
the study of cognition. Much of the theory is linked to child development research
(especially Piaget ). The ideas outlined in Bruner (1960) originated from a conference
focused on science and math learning. Bruner illustrated his theory in the context of
mathematics and social science programs for young children (see Bruner, 1973). The
original development of the framework for reasoning processes is described in Bruner,
Goodnow & Austin (1951). Bruner (1983) focuses on language learning in young
children.
Note that Constructivism is a very broad conceptual framework in philosophy and
science and Bruner’s theory represents one perspective.

Cognitivism is a theory of learning that focuses on processes of the

mind. Cognitivist learning states that the way we learn is
determined by the way our mind takes in, stores, processes, and
then accesses information. When we learn new things, our brains
are able to transfer the information we have learned and apply the
information to new situations or problems. This is the main goal of
most learning theories. Cognitivism, also known as cognitive
learning theory, helps in developing better programs for learners because it uses rese
arch that focuses on the brain and mental processes for acquiring and using new
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

information. Developing a strong knowledge of cognitivism can help anyone who is

attempting to teach new information or concepts to others. Even when a student is
trying to learn something new, there is usually some sort of prior knowledge that they
can use to anchor that new information and connect the new knowledge to it. That is the
basis of cognitivism.
The mind is basically an internal processor that uses our internally stored
information and connects it to external factors in order to create new learning. Because
learning involves activating pre-existing knowledge and gathering information from
previous experiences to make sense of our world, cognitivists believe that their theory is
the primary foundation for explaining how we learn things. Cognitivism is viewed as the
mainstream for all research and foundations of learning design.

Cognitivism in Education
Cognitivism is used in education to learn new skills and strategies by making
meaningful connections in the brain. Cognitivism in the education field is the basis
for learning because it is constructive, meaning that it builds upon the knowledge that
students may already have in their brains. Cognitivism helps children to learn faster and
better because it helps to grow and connect the pathways in the brain and allows for
students to use their brains more effectively. Cognitive learning focuses on the
processes and addresses how information is received, processed, organized, and then
later retrieved by the mind. Using these processes, educators can structure their
lessons to deliver their content in a way that students can attain, process, use, and
hopefully store the knowledge long term. Because cognitive learning reinforces making
meaningful connections to schema, educators can help the process further by activating
prior knowledge or creating background knowledge for students to access and structure
the learning in their minds for future use.

PROPONENTS OF COGNITIVISM

Gestalt Theory (Wertheimer)

Along with Kohler and Koffka, Max Wertheimer was one of the
principal proponents of Gestalt theory which emphasized higher-order
cognitive processes in the midst of behaviorism. The focus of Gestalt
theory was the idea of “grouping”, i.e., characteristics of stimuli cause
us to structure or interpret a visual field or problem in a certain way
(Wertheimer, 1922). The primary factors that determine grouping were:
(1) proximity – elements tend to be grouped together according to their
nearness, (2) similarity – items similar in some respect tend to be
grouped together, (3) closure – items are grouped toget her if they tend to complete
some entity, and (4) simplicity – items will be organized into simple figures according to
symmetry, regularity, and smoothness. These factors were called the laws of
organization and were explained in the context of perception and problem-solving.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

Wertheimer was especially concerned with problem-solving. Werthiemer (1959)

provides a Gestalt interpretation of problem-solving episodes of famous scientists (e.g.,
Galileo, Einstein) as well as children presented with mathematical problems. The
essence of successful problem-solving behavior according to Wertheimer is being able
to see the overall structure of the problem: “A certain region in the field becomes crucial,
is focused; but it does not become isolated. A new, deeper structural view of the
situation develops, involving changes in functional meaning, the grouping, etc. of the
items. Directed by what is required by the structure of a situation for a crucial region,
one is led to a reasonable prediction, which like the other parts of the structure, calls for
verification, direct or indirect. Two directions are involved: getting a whole consistent
picture, and seeing what the structure of the whole requires for the parts.” (p 212).
Application
Gestalt theory applies to all aspects of human learning, although it applies most directly
to perception and problem-solving. The work of Gibson was strongly influenced by
Gestalt theory.
Example
The classic example of Gestalt principles provided by Wertheimer is children finding the
area of parallelograms. As long as the parallelograms are regular figures, a standard
procedure can be applied (making lines perpendicular from the corners of the base).
However, if a parallelogram with a novel shape or orientation is provided, the standard
procedure will not work and children are forced to solve the problem by understanding
the true structure of a parallelogram (i.e., the figure can be bisected anywhere if the
ends are joined).
Principles
1. The learner should be encouraged to discover the underlying nature of a
topic or problem (i.e., the relationship among the elements).
2. Gaps, incongruities, or disturbances are an important stimulus for learning
3. Instruction should be based upon the laws of organization: proximity,
closure, similarity and simplicity.

Kohler Learning by Insight theory

Kohler, first of all, used this term (insight) to describe the learning of
his apes. In the theory of Learning by insight, Kohler did his
experiment on chimpanzees and his name is Sultan.
Kohler conducted many experiments on chimpanzees and brought
out a book ‘Mentality of Apes’ in 1925 which was the result of his
experiments, conducted during the period 1913-17 on the Canary
Island.
Experiment of Kohler Learning by Insight Theory
This experiment shows learning by insight. Some of them are given below-
 In one experiment, Kohler put a chimpanzee (Sultan)
inside a cage and a banana was hung from the roof of
the cage. A box was placed inside the cage. The Sultan
try to reach the banana by jumpi ng but could not
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

succeed. Suddenly, he got an idea and used the box as a jumping

platform by placing it just below the hanging banana.
 In another experiment, Kohler made this problem more difficult. Now it
required two or three boxes to reach the banana. Moreover, the placing of
one box over the other required different specific arrangements.
 In another experiment, the banana was placed outside the cage of the
chimpanzee. Two sticks, one larger than the others, were placed inside
the cage. One was hollow at one end so that the other stick could be
thrust into it to form a longer stick. The banana was so kept that could not
be picked up by one of the sticks.
 The chimpanzee first tried these sticks one after another but failed.
Suddenly, he got a bright idea. The animal joined the two sticks together
and reached the banana. In these experiments, Kohler used many
different chimpanzees. Sultan, who was the most intelligent of Kohler’s
chimpanzees, could solve all the problems. Other chimpanzees could
solve the problems only when they saw the sultan solving them.
 With such experiments, Kohler concluded that in the solution of problems,
his apes did not restore to blind trial and error mechanism. They could
solve their problem intelligently. Kohler used the term “Insight” to describe
the learning of his apes.
Insight involves the following criteria:
 The situation as a whole is perceived by the learner.
 The learner tries to see and judge the relationship between various factors
involved in the situation.
 As a result, the learner is helped in the sudden grasping of the solution of
the problem.

George A. Miller delivers the Keynote Address, “The Place of

Language in Scientific Psychology,” at the first APS Annual
Convention in 1989.
The human mind works a lot like a computer: It collects, saves,
modifies, and retrieves information. George A. Miller, one of the
founders of cognitive psychology, was a pioneer who recognized
that the human mind can be understood using an information-
processing model. His insights helped move psychological
research beyond behaviorist methods that dominated the field
through the 1950s. In 1991, he was awarded the National Medal of
Science for his significant contributions to our understanding of the human mind.
Miller, who passed away on July 22, 2012, was also a leader in the study of short-term
memory and linguistics. In the Keynote Address that he delivered at the first APS
Annual Convention in 1989, Miller said that language must be a key element of any
theory of psychology because it is a means of making private or internal psychological
phenomena observable, measurable, and public. His linguistic work continues to endure
through WordNet, a publicly available lexical database of the English language, which
has been applied to the development of search engines and translating programs.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

The 1956 paper “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two” is Miller’s most
famous, and remains one of the most frequently cited papers in the history of
psychology. In this classic of cognitive psychology, Miller proposed that short-term
memory is subject to certain limits, including span and the quantity of information that
can be stored at a given time.
As these remembrances demonstrate, Miller was not only a gifted scientist, but also an
extraordinary human being, and he will undoubtedly be an inspiration for years to come.

HUMANISM
Humanistic Curriculum
The learner as human being has prime significance
for the Humanistic Curriculum which aims at development
and realization of complete human personality of the student.
The humanistic curriculum does not take student as
subservient to society, history or philosophy but as a
complete entity. The humanistic curriculum experts suggest
that if education succeeds in development of needs,
interests, and aptitudes of every individual, the students will willingly and intelligently
cooperate with one another for common good. This will ensure a free and universal
society with shared interests rather than conflicting ones. Thus humanists stress on
individual freedom and democratic rights to form global community based on “common
humanity of all people”.

The Humanistic Curriculum is based on the belief that the education that is
good for a person is also best for the well being of the nation. Here, the individual
learner is not regarded as a passive or at least easily managed recipient of input. S/he
is the choosing or self-selecting organism. To design the Humanistic Curriculum, we
have to focus on the question “What does the curriculum mean to the learner?” Self-
understanding, self-actualization, and fostering the emotional and physical well being as
well as well as the intellectual skills necessary for independent judgment become the
immediate concern of the Humanistic Curriculum. To the humanists, the goals of
education are related to the ideals of personal growth, integrity, and autonomy.
Healthier attitudes towards self, peers, and learning are among their expectations. The
concept of confluent curriculum and curriculum for consciousness are the important
types of humanistic curriculum. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseaue, Kant, and
Pestalozzi are some of the great humanists of the world history .

PROPONENTS OF HUMANISM

The humanistic theory in education.

In history humanistic psychology is an outlook or system of thought that focuses on

human beings rather than supernatural or divine insight. This system stresses that
human beings are inherently good, and that basic needs are vital to human behaviors.
Humanistic psychology also focuses on finding rational ways to solve these human
problems. At its root, the psychology of humanism focuses on human virtue. It has been
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

an important movement throughout history, from Greek and Latin roots to Renaissance
and now modern revivals.
This theory and approach in education takes root in humanistic
psychology, with the key concepts focusing on the idea that
children are good at the core and that education should focus on
rational ways to teach the “whole” child. This theory states that the
student is the authority on how they learn, and that all of their needs
should be met in order for them to learn well. For example, a student
who is hungry won’t have as much attention to give to learning. So
schools offer meals to students so that need is met, and they can
focus on education. The humanistic theory approach engages
social skills, feelings, intellect, artistic skills, practical skills, and
more as part of their education. Self-esteem, goals, and full
autonomy are key learning elements in the humanistic learning
theory.
The humanistic learning theory was developed by Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and
James F. T. Bugental in the early 1900’s. Humanism was a response to the common
educational theories at the time, which were behaviorism and psychoanalysis. Abraham
Maslow is considered the father of the movement, with Carl Rogers and James F.T.
Bugental adding to the psychology later down the line.
Maslow and the humanists belie ved that behaviorism
and other psychology theories had a negative perception
of learners—for example operant
conditioning in behaviorism psychology suggested
that students only acted in a good or bad manner
because of the reward or punishment and could be trained
based on that desire for a reward. Maslow and humanistic
psychology suggests that students are inherently good and will
make good decisions when all their needs are met. Humanistic psychology focuses on
the idea that learners bring out the best in themselves, and that humans are driven by
their feelings more than rewards and punishments. Maslow believed this and wrote
many articles to try and demonstrate it.
This belief that humans are driven by feelings causes educators who understand
humanistic psychology to focus on the underlying human, emotional issues when they
see bad behavior, not to just punish the bad behavior. The humanistic learning theory
developed further and harnesses the idea that if students are upset, sad, or distressed,
they’re less likely to be able to focus on learning. This encourages teachers to create a
classroom environment that helps students feel comfortable and safe so they can focus
on their learning. Emotions are at the center of humanism psychology.
The principles of humanistic learning theory.
There are several important principles involved in the humanistic learning theory that all
lead to self-actualization. Self-actualization is when all your needs are met, you’ve
become the best you’ve can, and you are fulfilled. While Maslow and the humanists
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

don’t believe that most people reach self-actualization, their belief is that we are always
in search of it, and the closer we are, the more we can learn.
 Student choice. Choice is central to the humanistic learning theory and
humanistic psychology. Humanistic learning is student-centered, so students are
encouraged to take control over their education. They make choices that can
range from daily activities to future goals. Students are encouraged to focus on a
specific subject area of interest for a reasonable amount of time that they
choose. Teachers who utilize humanistic learning believe that it’s crucial for
students to find motivation and engagement in their learning, and that is more
likely to happen when students are choosing to learn about something that they
really want to know.
 Fostering engagement to inspire students to become self-motivated to learn. The
effectiveness of this psychology approach is based on learners feeling engaged
and self-motivated so they want to learn. So humanistic learning relies on
educators working to engage students, encouraging them to find things they are
passionate about so they are excited about learning.
 The importance of self-evaluation. For most humanistic teachers, grades don’t
really matter. Self-evaluation is the most meaningful way to evaluate how
learning is going. Grading students encourages students to work for the grade,
instead of doing things based on their own satisfaction and excitement of
learning. Routine testing and rote memorization don’t lead to meaningful learning
in this theory, and thus aren’t encouraged by humanistic teachers. Humanistic
educators help students perform self-evaluations so they can see how students
feel about their progress.
 Feelings and knowledge are both important to the learning process and should
not be separated according to humanistic psychology. Humanistic teachers
believe that knowledge and feelings go hand-in-hand in the learning process.
Cognitive and affective learning are both important to humanistic learning.
Lessons and activities should focus on the whole student and their intellect and
feelings, not one or the other.
 A safe learning environment. Because humanistic learning focuses on the entire
student, humanistic educators understand that they need to create a safe
environment so students can have as many as their needs met as possible. They
need to feel safe physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to be able to focus
on learning. So humanistic educators are passionate about the idea of helping
students meet as many of their needs as possible.

The role of teacher and student in humanistic learning theory.

In the humanistic learning theory, teachers and students have specific

roles for success. The overall role of a teacher is to be a facilitator and
role model, not necessarily to be the one doing the teacher. The role
of the teacher includes:
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

 Teach learning skills. Good teachers in humanistic learning theory focus on

helping students develop learning skills. Students are responsible for learning
choices, so helping them understand the best ways to learn is key to their
success.
 Provide motivation for classroom tasks. Humanistic learning focuses on
engagement, so teachers need to provide motivation and exciting activities to
help students feel engaged about learning.
 Provide choices to students in task/subject selection. Choice is central to
humanistic learning, so teachers have a role in helping work with students to
make choices about what to learn. They may offer options, help students
evaluate what they’re excited about, and more.
 Create opportunities for group work with peers. As a facilitator in the classroom,
teachers create group opportunities to help students explore, observe, and self
evaluate. They can do this better as they interact with other students who are
learning at the same time that they are.
Humanistic approach examples in education.
Some examples of humanistic education in action include:
 Teachers can help students set learning goals at the beginning of the year, and
then help design pathways for students to reach their goals. Students are in
charge of their learning, and teachers can help steer them in the right direction.
 Teachers can create exciting and engaging learning opportunities. For example,
teachers trying to help students understand government can allow students to
create their own government in the classroom. Students will be excited about
learning, as well as be in-charge of how everything runs.
 Teachers can create a safe learning environment for students by having snacks,
encouraging students to use the bathroom and get water, and creating good
relationships with students so they will trust speaking to their teacher if there is
an issue.
 Teachers can utilize journaling to help students focus on self-evaluation and their
feelings as part of learning. Using prompt questions can help students better
understand their feelings and progress in learning.
 The Teacher and the School Curriculum

ELECTRONIC REFERENCES

BEHAVIORISM
 https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub/dellaperezproject/chapter/chapter-6-behaviorism/?
fbclid=IwAR2Qo8Cd_s2jcUGnDb2367FDiUMlxKMmD9dV7pVktx55sHV2VMFCC9EvML
E

CONSTRUCTIVISM
 https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1138&context=all&fbclid=IwAR0cGzCKRyGtOVQBUFoU1JmQM_S-
tvjG4tsTREFJyaBpqPuhrGysqwX98Vw
 https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/constructivist/?
fbclid=IwAR0wXyIuh85cDj_f12flUqvooVFN_iDFuKhwnxwc6NWLuEZnRsjOWzwvHmA

COGNITIVISM
 https://study.com/learn/lesson/cognitivism-education-learning-theory.html?
fbclid=IwAR2Qo8Cd_s2jcUGnDb2367FDiUMlxKMmD9dV7pVktx55sHV2VMFCC9EvML
E#:~:text=Cognitivism%20is%20a%20theory%20in,development%20and%20child
%20learning%20theories
 https://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/gestalt/?
fbclid=IwAR1CDZsP3Vna5iiBx2fXaBhW5lyVEZXwkRpDqmRzyRVdUYoAcZl5BREYgGs
 https://educerecentre.com/kohler-insight-learning-theory/?
fbclid=IwAR3p3uPUjX9sPP6p6xaMo9pPgFJaxwu9xKHcWuhQFMSJquYdgOU7CREB9
QA
 https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/remembering-george-a-miller?
fbclid=IwAR0Day5IH5Kq9DHEWNLCAWH7mBJIhqQKoti4SD095J7Im3j64-iFfvb_sw0

HUMANISM
 https://www.meshguides.org/guides/node/768?
fbclid=IwAR3hzhTBPXqfKp4e18wNJ_Tls5T5oUXKCCKKRQzvOOags69ZvECALC_Yuu
o
 https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-humanistic-learning-theory-education2007.html?
fbclid=IwAR3Lk_IWZT2CSsCYSRFVh0Vhx3BPdm5ZgvcEhWn1R1yOsbHHYoThUi5M-
wY#close