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INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY
In the recent past and now, the quest by man in the circles of education has been to find some media through which teaching and learning can be easily achieved among learners. In this quest, therefore, a number of theories have been proposed among which is the Humanistic learning theory which came to effect after the behaviourist and the psychoanalysis theories. Hence, it is the duty of this section to discuss the Humanistic learning theory by looking at what it is, key principles and its influence on education.
The Humanistic learning theory as already alluded to, is one that came after the Behaviourist and Psychoanalysis theories where the later sought to understand human beings by analysing the deep unobservable unconscious processes and the former sought to understand human beings by looking at the changes in the outward observable behaviour.
Humanism is a paradigm, a philosophy
and pedagogical approach that believes learning is viewed as a personal act to
fulfill one’s potential. The Humanistic learning theory’s birth is
traceable from the likes of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. It is worth noting
that this theory took a different approach in the study of human beings.
Humanistic is understood in the principles of humanism; a belief
in human based morality which is a system of thought that is based on the
values, characteristics and behaviour that are believed to be best in human
beings rather than on any super natural authority, a concern with the needs,
wellbeing, and interest of the people. Hence Humanistic theory is a
principle based on the appreciation of other human beings, unconditionally, for
their self-fulfilment in life.
It
is also known as the ‘Third Force Psychology’ (Munsaka,
2011) as represented in the work of American psychologist Carl Rogers, which
views personal growth and mental health as the natural condition of human life.
The humanistic school view every human being to possess a drive toward
self-actualisation which is the fulfilment of a person’s greatest potential.
The works of Maslow (1970) and Santrock (2008) attest to the fact that human
beings have the potential to attain or move toward self-actualisation. It is
this inner propensity to grow and develop in every person that makes humanistic
psychology to remain with no option apart from it embracing a positive or
optimistic view of all people. As a result of people’s ability to move towards
self-actualisation humanistic psychology, therefore, attaches a lot of emphasis
on having an unconditional positive regard toward all people.
The
Humanistic theory as already alluded to, is one that came after the
Behaviourist and Psychoanalysis theories where the later sought to understand
human beings by analysing the deep unobservable unconscious processes and the
former sought to understand human beings by looking at the changes in the
outward observable behaviour. The Humanistic learning theory’s birth is
traceable from the likes of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. It is worth noting
that this theory took a different approach in the study of human beings.
MAIN CONCEPTION OF THE HUMANISTIC THEORY OF LEARNING
Humanism is the school of thought that lays emphasis on human behaviour
and human-centred education. It is concerned with the individual’s feelings,
perceptions, beliefs and purposes. Humanist psychologists believe that human
beings determine their own behaviour. One of the main proponents of this theory
was Carl Rogers.
CARL ROGERS HUMANISTIC LEARNING PRINCIPLES
1. The desire to learn
Human beings have a natural desire to learn. Therefore, failure to learn
is not due to the person’s inability to learn, but rather it is due to problems
with the learning situation or environment. In the humanistic classroom,
learners are given the freedom to satisfy their curiosity, to pursue their
interests and to discover for themselves what is important and meaningful about
their environment.
2. Significant learning
Significant or meaningful learning takes place when it is perceived by
learners as being relevant to their own needs and purposes. The humanists
regard learning as a dual process that involves both the acquisition of new
information and the personalization of this information. Students learn best
when learning is personally significant.
3. Learning without threat
Rogers argued that learning is best acquired and retained in an
environment that is free from threats. The learning process is enhanced when
students test their abilities, try new experiences or even when they make
mistakes without experiencing any criticism.
4. Self-initiated learning
Learning makes sense when it is self-initiated and when it involves both
the feelings and mind of the learners. Choosing one’s own learning is highly
motivating and provides the student opportunity to “learn how to learn” and
a sense of independence.
5. Whole-person learning
Learning must involve all aspects of the person: the cognitive,
practical and affective aspects. This creates a feeling of total accomplishment
or all –round development.
6. Learning and change
Learning must be suitable to the changing environment. Since knowledge
is in a constant state of change every day and that yesterday’s learning may
not enable a person to function successfully in the modern world, an individual
must be capable of learning in a changing environment.
Carl Rogers identified two categories of learning, namely, meaningless
(cognitive) and meaningful (experiential) learning.
Meaningless or cognitive learning
It involves academic knowledge and there is no personal learning for the
individual. Since it only involves the mind, this type of learning has no
relevance for the whole person.
Meaningful or Significant or Experiential Learning
This learning involves applied knowledge, such as how to repair
something (e.g. a car). It is the learning that addresses the needs and wants
of the learner, and thus has the qualities of personal involvement,
self-initiation, self-evaluation and long –last9ing effects.
To Rogers, experiential learning is equivalent to personal development.
In his view, all human beings have the natural propensity to learn. And so it
is the teachers role to facilitate that learning by encouraging, clarifying and
organizing learning resources, but not to impose their own view of knowledge on
their students. Rogers suggested that learning is facilitated: -
1.
When the student
participates in the learning process, having control over its nature and
direction;
2.
When learning is
primarily based on confrontation with real problems, whether they are social,
personal, scientific or practical problems;
3.
When learners are
required to use self-evaluation to assess their progress.
Experiential education, or “learning by doing” is the process
of actively engaging learners in an authentic experience that has benefits and
consequences. Learners make discoveries and experiment with knowledge
themselves, instead of hearing or reading about the experiences of others.
Learners also reflect on their experiences, thus developing new skills,
attitudes and ways of thinking. Experiential education also empowers learners
to take responsibility for their own learning.
Instructional implications of humanistic theory
Learning should be person-centred. The curriculum, content and teaching
methods should be responsive to the learners’ feelings and personal
development. There must be good interaction between the learners and teachers
during teaching and learning. In order to further promote humanistic learning,
the following instructional strategies and methods may be used:
·
Provide learners
with a variety of resources that can support and guide their learning
experiences.
·
Make use of peer
tutoring. This involves learners teaching one another for the mutual benefit of
the student tutor and student tutee.
·
Use discovery
learning to allow learners to seek answers to real questions, make their own
discoveries and become involved in self–directed learning.
Role of the humanistic teacher
Carl Rogers made significant contributions to the field of education
with his theory of experiential learning. Experiential learning’s key idea
involves engaging student voice in active roles for the purpose of learning.
The experiential learning mindset changes the way the teachers and students
view knowledge. Knowledge is no longer just some information on paper. It
becomes active, something that is dealt with in real-life situations. It starts
to make teachers become experience providers, and not just transmitters of the
written word. Students become knowledge creators as well as knowledge
gatherers.
Besides changing the roles of students, experiential education requires
a change in the role of teachers. Teachers become active learners too,
experimenting together with their students, reflecting upon the learning
activities they have designed, and responding to their student’s reactions to
the activities.
In humanistic education, the teacher’s role is mainly that of the
facilitator. Teachers have to create a conducive learning atmosphere by
encouraging students, clarifying issues and organizing learning resources. They
also have to have to demonstrate realness or genuineness, i.e., to be honest in
their relationship with learners.
Teachers also need to be trustworthy so that learners can feel free to
explore with support from teachers. Teachers need to be empathetic to the
learners, i.e., to put themselves in the place of learners and experience the
learners’ perceptions and feelings.
To conclude, it should be noted that the humanistic theory of learning
emphasizes democratic and discovery methods of teaching and learning. It
encourages the involvement of pupils in the learning process. There should be
unconditional positive regard because people function well when accepted as
they are. Therefore, positive attitudes like love, respect, tolerance and
acceptance are important in the learning-teaching process.
How does learning comes about;
There are three main divergent views among psychologist on how learning
comes about: these are categorised as:
(i)
behaviourism
(ii)
Social
constructivism
(iii)
cognitivism
Munsaka
(2011:53) writes: “Humanistic psychology
was designed as a general theory to explain how the full human potential can be
tapped from all human beings, regardless of who or what they are”. In this,
it is seen that the Humanistic theory can be appreciated that it is one theory
that is designed to give room to human beings in the category of learning so
that self-actualisations, a paramount parameter in the development of human
beings is realised. This is in line with what Maslow (1970) contributed that
the focus of the Humanistic perspectives is on the self which translates
individuals’ perception into their experience thereby individuals have the
freedom to choose their own behaviours rather than reacting to environmental
stimuli and reinforcers.
It is worth learning that the Humanistic theory is aimed at tapping the full potential of human beings where the whole rounded development of learners is sought for. This is also supported by Woolfolk (2010) where he observes that Humanistic theory is concerned with personal growth and the full development of each human’s potential not just at intellectual level but also at emotional, psychological, creative, social, physical and spiritual levels.
With this, the
physiological needs, psychological needs, spiritual needs, social needs,
creative needs and emotional needs can be monitored. In all these needs, it
will be to the knowledge of the teacher to understand that limitations in any
of the above-mentioned needs will result in impaired learning. Hence, under the Humanistic theory of learning, a teacher is better positioned because learners’
achievements or failures will be understood accordingly where a moderated room
for learning is created for the less privileged so that the full potential of all
learners is achieved.
Humanistic
theory is different from other theories bordering on the three key principles
as observed by Munsaka (2011:53-54):
-
Humanistic
psychology unlike other theories takes a positive or optimistic view of all
people.
-
Humanistic
psychology views each human being as a unique whole.
-
Humanistic
psychology believes each person’s perspective or point of view should be
respected. It places a lot of emphasis on having an unconditional positive
regard toward, all people...
In this, it
is learnt that every child has the potential to learn; hence the teacher should
not judge negatively or positively depending on the outward appearance. They
should instead strive to motivate learners into complete use of their full
potentials.
Principles of Humanistic Education
There are
five basic principles of humanistic education:
1. Students should be able to choose what they want to
learn. Humanistic teachers believe that students will be motivated to learn a
subject if it is something they need and want to know.
2. The goal of education should be to foster students'
desire to learn and teach them how to learn. Students should be self-motivated
in their studies and desire to learn on their own.
3. Humanistic educators believe that grades are
irrelevant and that only self-evaluation is meaningful. Grading encourages
students to work for a grade and not for personal satisfaction. In addition,
humanistic educators are opposed to objective tests because they test a
student's ability to memorize and do not provide sufficient educational
feedback to the teacher and student.
4. Humanistic educators believe that both feelings and
knowledge are important to the learning process. Unlike traditional educators,
humanistic teachers do not separate the cognitive and affective domains.
5. Humanistic educators insist that schools need to
provide students with nonthreatening environment so that they will feel secure
to learn. Once students feel secure, learning becomes easier and more
meaningful.
APPLICATION OF HUMANISTIC THEORY TO EDUCATION SYSTEM
Appreciating
the fact that the Humanistic theory was designed as a general theory to explain
how human beings’ full potential can be tapped, Munsaka (2011: 86) writes to
acknowledge the importance of the theory in the classroom:
Facilitator
helps to establish the climate of the class attitude towards learning.
(1)
The facilitator
unconditionally helps the class or individuals classify their purposes.
(2)
The facilitator
helps each student utilise her/his own drives and purposes as the driving force
in learning.
(3)
The facilitator
provides a wide range of resources for learning.
(4)
The facilitator
provides students with content which is relevant to the learner’s needs and
interests, to give them control over their own learning and to equip them for
the future by teaching them how to learn and how to solve problems.
In
addition to the above stated application of humanistic theory to the learning
environment, educators who embrace humanistic theory of learning should not
condemn learners based on their past mistakes or behaviour, but instead focus
on the present state of the learners and see how best to help them progress.
After all, humanistic psychology holds the belief that the present is the most
important aspect of the person thereby focusing on the here and now rather than
looking at the past or trying to predict the future.
Furthermore,
teachers should create a learning environment that will enable pupils become
psychologically health. At the same time, educators should train learners to
take responsibility over their own achievements. This is due to the fact that
humanistic theory is reality based where learners should be responsible for
their actions whether those actions ate positive or negative.
Lastly
but not the least, the aim of educators should not only centre on making pupils
obtain super grades during examinations but also to create a conducive learning
environment where learners will be able to achieve personal growth and
understanding through self-improvement and self-knowledge.
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