Humanistic education

Humanistic education (also called person-centered education) is an approach to education based on the work of humanistic psychologists, most notably Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers.[1][2] Rogers is regarded as the founder of humanistic psychology[3] and devoted much of his efforts toward applying the results of his psychological research to person-centered teaching where empathy, caring about students, and genuineness on the part of the learning facilitator were found to be the key traits of the most effective teachers[citation needed]. He edited a series of books dealing with humanistic education in his "Studies of the Person Series," which included his book, Freedom to Learn[4] and Learning to Feel - Feeling to Learn - Humanistic Education for the Whole Man, by Harold C. Lyon, Jr.[5] In the 1970s the term "humanistic education" became less popular after conservative groups equated it with "Secular Humanism" and attacked the writings of Harold Lyon as being anti-Christian. That began a successful effort by Aspy, Lyon, Rogers, and others to re-label it "person-centered teaching", replacing the term "humanistic education." In a more general sense the term includes the work of other humanistic pedagogues, such as Rudolf Steiner,[6][7][8] and Maria Montessori. All of these approaches seek to engage the "whole person"[citation needed]: the intellect, feeling life[clarification needed], social capacities, and artistic and practical skills are all important focuses for growth and development. Important objectives include developing children's self-esteem, their ability to set and achieve appropriate goals, and their development toward full autonomy.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Power, F. Clark (2007). Moral Education. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 218. ISBN 978-0313336478.
  2. ^ Hall, Eric; Carol Hall (1988). Human relations in education. Psychology Press. p. 14. ISBN 041502532X.
  3. ^ "History of Social Work, details". www.historyofsocialwork.org. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  4. ^ Rogers, Carl R. Freedom to Learn. Columbus, Ohio: Charles E. Merrill, 1969
  5. ^ Lyon, Harold C. Jr. Learning to Feel - Feeling to Learn. Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill. 1971.
  6. ^ "The Waldorf Schools offer an approach to humanistic education which has stood the test of time." Sarah W. Foster, "An Introduction to Waldorf Education", The Clearing House, Vol. 57, No. 5 (Jan., 1984), pp. 228-230
  7. ^ Timothy Leonard, Pedagogies of the Imagination: Mythopoetic Curriculum in Educational Practice, Springer 2008, p. 232
  8. ^ R. C. S. Trahair, Utopias and Utopians: an historical dictionary, Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 348