Humanist view of learning
is holistic, seeing the learner as a whole person. This view sees individuals as each having great and individualized potential that they can contribute to a classroom as well as cultivate further in a classroom setting.
There is a lot of emphasis in the classroom to allow the students to make their own goals & have autonomy in their learning. This is a very student-centered approach, so what motivates and interests a student as well as that student's feelings and beliefs are a central component of the teaching and learning process.
central ideas of Humanist view of learning
Learning should be self-directed. Schools should produce students who want and know how to learn. Meaningful evaluation is self-evaluation. Feelings, as well as knowledge, are important in the learning process.
Students learn best in a nonthreatening environment.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
is an example of taking a student's needs and his or her individual being into consideration. Essentially, this theory states that our lowest levels are physiological needs of which we cannot live without, for example, food and sleep amongst other necessities. The highest level is self-actualization and only upon satisfying the lower levels can we be motivated to achieve this.
Because the lower levels are more necessary the motivation for those is always stronger than for the higher levels. So, according to this theory, if you have a student in your classroom that isn't getting adequate nutrition and sufficient sleep you can't possibly expect that student to be motivated to learn & perform in the classroom.
Attribution Theory
is a theory of motivation that attempts to systematically describe learners' explanation for their successes and failures. People have both internal and external attributions.
Locus of Control
is a personality trait that refers to the location of the attribution, so it determines whether people attribute responsibility for their own failures &/or successes to internal or external factors. Internal factors are things that we can control such as effort and ability. External factors are outside of the control of the learner such as luck and task difficulty. For instance, someone who attributes a bad grade on a test to effort will likely say that she didn't try hard enough and should study harder next time. A person who attributes a bad grade on a test to the level of difficulty of the test would say the test was too hard. On the contrary, a student who receives a good grade on a test and attributes that grade to ability would say she did well because she is smart or good at the content area on which the test focused.
A student who attributes a good grade on a test to luck would say she just got lucky when taking the test. As teachers, we want our students to have internal attributions for success and controllable attributions for failures.
Three of the following are examples of learning. Which one is not? a. Abigail cries when she steps on a sharp stone? b.
After many hours of heated debate, Brian begins to advocate political practices he has previously opposed. c. Cara suddenly recognizes how the division fact 24/4 = 6 is related to the multiplication fact 6x4 = 24. d.
David has been running away from German Shepherds ever since he was bitten by a German Shepherd two years ago.
Abigail cries when she steps on a sharp stone
Jennifer has trouble tracing a complex shape with a pencil when she is in kindergarten, but she can do it quite well by the time she is in 2nd grade. Is this an instance of learning? a. Yes, because her behavior changed.
b. No, because the circumstances are too dissimilar. c. Maybe, although the change may simply be due to physiological maturation. d.
Maybe, but only if she is being reinforced for tracing accurately.
Maybe, although the change may simply be due to physiological maturation.
Xavier finds playing the fiddle to be a wonderful outlet for self-expression. In terms of Maslow's hierarchy, Xavier is striving to fulfill: a. His need to self-esteem b. His need for esteem from others c.
His need for self-actualization d. His love and belongingness need
His need for self-actualization
From Maslow's perspective, which one of the following best reflects a deficiency need? a. Izaiah writes and plays folk songs as a way of expressing himself b. Cyrus finds ancient civilizations fascinating. c. Bill is curious about her science experiment didn't turn out the way she expected.
d. Mike is worried that Coleen might beat him up on the way home from school.
Mike is worried that Coleen might beat him up on the way home from school.
Which of the following is consistent with Maslow's hierarchy of needs? a.
Occasionally remind students that they can only get good grades if they study on a regular basis. b. Let students release pent-up energy before asking them to watch an educational video. c. Tell students they must finish an assignment before going to lunch.
d. Reinforce students consistently for appropriate classroom behavior.
Let students release pent-up energy before asking them to watch an educational video.
If you were to incorporate Maslow's hierarchy of needs into your teaching practices, you would be most likely to: a.
Emphasize the importance of getting good grades. b. Remind students frequently about how their current achievements in school will affect their success as adults c. Make sure your students feel safe and secure in school d.
Focus on the use of intrinsic reinforcers rather than extrinsic reinforcers for all students.
Make sure your students feel safe and secure in school
David has just failed a test. In a sense his test performance has been punished. From the perspective of attribution theory, is David likely to work harder to pass this next test? a. Definitely not b.
Absolutely yes c. Yes, provided that he believes his test performance is the result of something he didn't do, but could do next time. d. Yes, provided that his low test score is accompanied by information about strengths and weaknesses pertaining to his performance.
Yes, provided that he believes his test performance is the result of something he didn't do, but could do next time.
Which of the following attributions can be classified as internal, stable, & uncontrollable? a. Believing that getting the highest test score in class was all a matter of luck b. Knowing you did poorly on an assignment because you didn't give it your best shot c. Thinking your teacher is too hard of a grader d. Concluding that you just weren't cut out to be an athlete
Concluding that you just weren't cut out to be an athlete
