The Humanistic Approach

and Constructivist
Point of Views on learning, and their
application in the classroom
# What is Humanistic approach?
# Objectives of Humanistic Theories
# Principles of Humanistic Theories
# Applications in the classroom
# Contributors to the growth of humanistic education
Review of constructivism…
# Constructivists
# Constructivist point of view on learning
# What is constructivism?
# Constructivist theories
DEFINITION

• HUMANISM - a method of beliefs concerned with

the needs of people and not with
the religious ideas
• APPROACH - a method of doing something or
dealing with the problem

• HUMANISTIC APPROACH –

A method of doing something that concerned with

the needs of people
The basic objectives of humanistic approach in
education are to encourage students to :
• Be self-directed and independent
• Take responsibility for their learning
• Be creative and interested in the arts
• Be curious about the world around them
There are 5 principles of Humanistic Approach in
education :
(i) Self-direction
(ii) Wanting and knowing how to learn
(iii) Self –evaluation
(iv) The importance of feelings
(v) Freedom from threat
# Students can choose what they want to learn
# The teachers should not interfere or determining
students’ decision
# Let the students to initiate the activity they want
and then ask teachers simply to provide information
and equipments for them to use in their activity.
 how to learn!

# Learning how to learn is more important than

acquiring factual knowledge
# Teachers can play their role by helping the students
learn how to learn
# Should emphasize more on thinking process rather
than teaching determination
# Humanistic educators believe that grading systems
are irrelevant
# The students will not achieve their personal
satisfaction
# According to Holt (1964),
“Comparisons and grades are seen as humiliating
the child”
# Humanistic educators believe that both feelings and
knowledge are important to the learning process
# As teachers, we should concern about our students’
feelings
# The learning can be easiest and meaningful if it takes
place in a non-threatening situation
# Non-threatening situation is when the students feel
unstressed and able to overcome their pressure
 in the classroom

(1) Teacher as a facilitator

# teacher guides the activity which has been done by the
students
(2) Enhance critical thinking
# the whole class will take part in the activity by having
critical thinking process
# by practicing critical thinking system, we’ll produce
students who are able to express their views and able to
think deep beyond
(3) Establish privacy files
# privacy files so that the students will know their level
# can only be opened by the individual itself
(4) Fair learning
# teachers should apply a fair learning process
which every student is given chance to show their
ability and free to express their view
# everything being taught by us must be explain to
all and not to particular person only
(5) Provide non-threatening environment
# instead of giving the task individuality, the teacher
can set the task in group but evaluate individually
 To the growth of
Humanistic Education

(1) CARL ROGERS

5 learning theories  (i) Personal experience
(ii) Perfect self-esteem
(iii) The reality of self-esteem
(iv) Build one-self
(v) The choice of behaviour
that not against one’s
belief
(2) ABRAHAM MASLOW
 Hierarchy of human needs
There are 5 learning theories by Carl Rogers :
(1) Personal Experience
# Each individual has their own experience which
depends on one’s surrounding
# One’s experience and thought can’t be perceived by
others
(2) Perfect Self-Esteem
# Every person has desired to be successful and happy
# ‘Intrinsic motivation’ is important in order to
encourage students to excel
(3) Realization of Self-Esteem
# as teachers, we must try to understand the students’
behaviour
# the best way to understand a person is through
communication

(4) Self-development
# we know ourselves based on our experience, ability and
strength
# if the experience that have been faced is negative, so his
individual concept will be negative too

(5) The choice of behaviour that is not against one’s belief

# we should show behaviour that based on our belief
 HIERARCHY OF
HUMAN NEEDS

To achieve / compete
To be with others

To feel secure and safe

Hunger / thirst
Reminders of Constructivism….
 CONSTRUCTIVIST POINT OF VIEW
ON LEARNING

CONSTRUCTIVISM

WHAT IS FORMS
THE
CONSTRUCTIVISM?
CONSTRUCTIVIST
CLASSROOM
THEORIES COGNITIVE

PIAGET’S VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL

APPLICATION
What is constructivism?
- a view of learning based on the belief that
knowledge is not a thing that can be simply
given by teacher.
- knowledge is constructed by learners
through an active, mental process of
development
- learners are the builders and the creators of
meaning and knowledge.
 is important…..

- as the educational curricula are changing

TRANSMISSION TRANSACTIONAL
CURRICULUM CURRICULUM

Traditional curriculum - Students are actively

students are passively listen, involve - to reach new
acquire facts information
Students do not simply memorise or take on other’s
conceptions of reality – students create their own
meaning and understanding.
Learning as the result of mental
construction; fitting new information +
present information = construct own
understanding

Learning affected by the context and

beliefs and attitudes of the leaner –
is encouraged to invent own
solutions, hypotheses, and try out
ideas.
 PIAGET VYGOTSKY

Learning occurs by an active Personal construct- which

construction of meaning, propose about the look at
rather than by passive around the world through
recipience. patterns which we create.

Students make
sense of the new Students create their own
information ways of seeing the world in
which they live
 COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM &
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

i) COGNITIVE CONSTRUCTIVISM:
It is based on Piaget’s work
Focus on individual, internal constructions of
knowledge
Emphasizes on individual’s search for meaning as
they interact with the environment
-E.g: the learner’s background knowledge,
where more knowledge provided by parents,
thus - better understanding for learners.
ii) SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM
It is influenced by Vygotsky’s work
It suggests that knowledge is 1st constructed in
a social context
Emphasizes the process of sharing individual
perspectives; collaborative elaboration –
learners constructed understanding wouldn’t be
alone
Emphasizes on teacher’s role – in encouraging
collaborative work among students
Social interaction – students-teacher, students-
students – both will gain benefits
 CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

STUDENT-CENTERED

More focus on students

LEARNERS learning than a teachers TEACHERS
teaching

Active, Researchers/
independent Focus on speaking and supporters only
learners listening
 LEARNERS STUDENT-CENTERED TEACHERS

In a central Interactive nature Provide

position students with
Sharing responsibility experiences
Are perceived as among teachers and
meaning-maker students Promotes
communication
Demonstrate
mutual respect
Creates
Active/meaningful flexibility
learning
The Teachers should:
Listening to students’ ideas and encouraging them
Encouraging students to actively participate in doing,
discussing and creating
Providing more than one source of information so
students can see different perspectives and have
many inputs
Encouraging students to compare and contrast ideas
Including writing, so that students can think through
their ideas
APPLICATION IN THE CLASSROOM
• 1) Inquiry and Problem-based Learning

– Problem launches students’ inquiry

– The problem presented – has ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

• 2) Group Work and Cooperation in learning

– Several students working together

– All members in group must be cooperative
– Evolving constructivist perspectives on learning
• 3) Making Cooperatives Learning Work

– 5 elements that define true cooperative learning group (David &

Johnson, 1999) :

i) face-t-face interaction
ii) positive interdependence
iii) individual accountability
iv) collaborative skills
v) Group processing

e.g.: Jigsaw – an early format for cooperative learning that

emphasizes high interdependence
• 4) Dialogue and Instructional Conversations
– instructional conversations because they are designed to
promote learning but it includes conversations not lectures
– Teacher’s goal – to keep everyone cognitively engaged in a
substantive discussion