HUMANISM

April 8, 2023

2

April 8, 2023

3

Focus of Humanism

• Focus placed on the affective dimension of the learning process

April 8, 2023

4

View of Learning

• Cognitive skills must be developed within the context of the learner’s feelings, needs and emotions

April 8, 2023

5

View of Learning

• Education is the development of the whole person not merely the transmission of knowledge and skills

April 8, 2023

6

Erik Erikson

• Identified 8 predetermined stages in human psychological development, each with its particular challenges.

April 8, 2023

7

Erikson’s Stages

• Each stage deals with thoughts, emotions, feelings that must be handled appropriately to facilitate a person’s learning

April 8, 2023

8

• Challenges well handled – moves smoothly to the next stage, in a strong position to deal with the challenges there

April 8, 2023

9

Dealing with the Challenges

• Challenges well handled – moves smoothly to the next stage, in a strong position to deal with the challenges there

April 8, 2023

10

Dealing with the Challeges

• Challenges inadequately handled – will constantly reappear throughout the person’s life, hindering his being able to deal appropriately with subsequent stages and their challenges

April 8, 2023

11

Competence, Fidelity

• Challenge (Adolescence) – search for personal identity

• Successfully handled – develops a strong sense of self-identity / self acceptance, less susceptible to peer pressure, has high hopes for the future

April 8, 2023

12

• Inadequately handled – role confusion, anti-social behaviour, aimlessness, no fixed goals towards which to aspire

April 8, 2023

13

Implications for learning

• Encourage learners to think for themselves, come to conclusions, to express themselves in constructive ways

April 8, 2023

14

Bases of Maslow's theory

• Human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs

• Certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed.

April 8, 2023

15

Abraham Maslow

• Follow the link for an illustration of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and some related factors

April 8, 2023

16

Deficiency needs

• Psychological, biological needs. If these are not satisfied or fulfillment is disrupted the higher order needs cannot be met

April 8, 2023

17

Being Needs

• Personal fulfillment in terms of cognitive and aesthetic development and the realization of one’s full potential

April 8, 2023

18

Revised Structure

– Self actualization– Aesthetic needs– Cognitive needs

– Need for self-esteem– Need for interpersonal closeness– Need for safety / security /

belonging– Basic biological needs

April 8, 2023

19

Implications for the Classroom

• Learners may experience difficulties in learning because basic needs are not catered for either at home or at school

April 8, 2023

20

Implications

• Importance of establishing a secure environment where learners feel that they belong, receive / give respect, encouraged to be creative

April 8, 2023

21

Implications

• Should be able to experience a sense of freedom with a counterbalancing sense of responsibility

April 8, 2023

22

Implications

• Activities should be challenging, encourage curiosity, structured to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills, to help learners realize their potential

April 8, 2023

23

Application

• Maintain a low affective filter

• Cater for psychological elements – feelings, emotions. Treat errors tactfully

April 8, 2023

24

Application

• Design purposeful tasks

• Encourage creativity and initiative

• Enable learners to develop as individuals in their own right

April 8, 2023

25

Social Interactionism

• Combination of Cognitive and Humanist perspectives of learning processes

• Cognitive, social and emotional development inextricably linked in the learning process

April 8, 2023

26

• Focus placed on the importance of the learning context (climate, environment) and the nature of social and communicative interaction in the classroom

April 8, 2023

27

Domains of the Learning Environment / Context

• Physical – physical aspects of the classroom

• Social – competitive, cooperative, individualistic

• Instructional – selection of content, materials, methods, teaching and assessment strategies

April 8, 2023

28

• Psychological – concerns the creation and maintenance of a positive and warm classroom environment which supports learning and the development of confidence and self-esteem. Learners are willing – to use the language, to learn from

mistakes

– try out new ways to express meanings

– make mistakes without feqr

April 8, 2023

29

Lev Vygotsky

• Children are born into a social world and learning occurs through interaction with people

• Supports a communicative approach to language teaching – learning the language through using the language for meaningful communication

April 8, 2023

30

• Effective learning results from the interaction between two persons with different levels of knowledge – teacher or more competent peer / learner

April 8, 2023

31

SUMMARY

• Learning is a complex process with cognitive, affective and social dimensions. It is linked with feelings, attitudes and self-concepts

• Learning cannot take place in a vacuum. Physical and psychological conditions must support learning

April 8, 2023

32

• Learning is influenced by the context in which it occurs (physical, psychological, social, learning task)

• Learning differs from individual to individual

• Learning is a lifelong process

April 8, 2023

33

Forms of Learning

• A quantitative increase in knowledge

• Rote learning, memorization

• Acquisition of facts and procedures to be retained and / or applied

• Abstraction of meaning

• Interpretive process

April 8, 2023

34

Factors affecting Learning

LEARNING

CognitiveDimension

Affective Dimension

Piaget, Bloom, AusubelLearning styles

Psychological Factors - emotions, attitudes, motivation

Phys and soc aspects of the learning env,C/room culture