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], devoting much of his efforts toward applying the results of his psychological research to person-centered teaching. This teaching style is guided by empathy, where student well-being and genuineness on the part of the learning facilitator were found to be the key traits of the most effective teachers^[4]. He edited a series of books dealing with humanistic education in his "Studies of the Person Series," which included his book, Freedom to Learn^[5] and Learning to Feel – Feeling to Learn – Humanistic Education for the Whole Man, by Harold C. Lyon, Jr.^[6]

Humanistic education has its roots in Renaissance humanism, which emphasised the study of the humanities: grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy; these in turn built upon Classical models of education.^[7] Renaissance thinkers built on the classical models of education, highlighting the values of balanced personal development and ethical reflection together with intellectual training.^[8] This developed a tradition that inspired educational reforms across Europe, including Scotland, with the passing of the Education Act of 1946, expanding formal learning.^[8]

In the twentieth century, humanistic education became more prominent during the 1950s and 1960s, paralleling broader cultural movements that encouraged individual freedoms, personal meaning, and self-expression.^[8] However, in 1970, the term "humanistic education" was viewed controversially after conservative groups equated it to secular humanism, particularly in the United States. In response, scholars such as David Aspy, Harol Lyon, and Carol Rogers redefined the term by adopting "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 and Maria Montessori.^[9][10][11] All of these approaches seek to engage the "whole person".^[12] The intellect, feeling life, social capacities, artistic and practical skills are all important focuses for growth and development.^[12] Important objectives include developing children's self-esteem, their ability to set and achieve appropriate goals, and their development toward full autonomy.^[13]

The humanistic approach places a great deal of emphasis on students' choice and control over the course of their education.^[8] Students are encouraged to make choices fostering intrinsic motivation and personal responsibility.^[8] This autonomy allows students to focus on a specific subject of interest for any amount of time they choose, within reason. Humanistic teachers believe it is important for students to be motivated and engaged in the material they are learning, and this happens when the topic is something the students need and want to know.

Humanistic education considers learning an emotional and cognitive process.^[8] A student's feelings, interests, and concerns can either hinder or foster the process of learning. Acknowledgement of these concerns and interests is integral to the success of the learning process.^[8]

Humanistic educators believe that both feelings and knowledge are important to the learning process. Unlike traditional educators, humanistic teachers reject the separation of the cognitive and affective domains.^[8] This relates to the curriculum in the sense that lessons and activities provide focus on various aspects of the student and not just rote memorization through note-taking and lecturing.

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 intrinsic satisfaction. Humanistic educators disagree with routine testing because they believe it teaches students rote memorization as opposed to meaningful learning. They also believe testing does not provide sufficient educational feedback to the teacher.

The tutor or lecturer tends to be more supportive than critical, more understanding than judgmental, more genuine than playing a role.^[14] Their job is to foster an engaging environment for the students and ask inquiry-based questions that promote meaningful learning.

David Aspy and Flora Roebuck performed a large field study in 42 states and 7 countries in the 1970s and 1980s. The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health over a 12-year period, focusing on what led to achievement, creativity, more student thinking and interactivity, less violence, and both teacher and student satisfaction. Their conclusions corroborated the earlier findings of Carl Rogers's, stating that more effective teachers were empathic, caring for or prizing their students, and were authentic or genuine in their classroom presence.^[15]

In 2010, Jeffrey Cornelius-White and Adam Harbaugh published a large meta-analysis on learner-centered instruction, including in their analysis the higher quality studies on person-centered or humanistic education since 1948.^[16] In 2013, Rogers, Lyon, and Tausch published On Becoming an Effective Teacher - Person-centered Teaching, Psychology, Philosophy, and Dialogues with Carl R. Rogers and Harold Lyon,^[17] which contained Rogers' unpublished work on teaching and documented the research results of four highly related, independent studies which comprise a collection of data to test a person-centered theory in the field of education.

The environment in a school which focuses its practice on humanistic education tends to have a very different setting than a traditional school. It consists of both indoor and outdoor environments, with a majority of time spent outdoors. The indoor setting may contain a few tables and chairs, bean bags for quiet reading and relaxation, bookshelves, hideaways, kitchens, much color, and art posted on the walls. The outdoor environment is very engaging for students. Tree houses, outdoor kitchens, sandboxes, play sets, natural materials, or sporting activities may be available. A wide range of activities is offered for students, allowing for free choices of interest.

Several contemporary school movements incorporate humanistic perspectives within a larger, holistic context; these include the Waldorf education, inspired by Rudolf Steiner, with an emphasis on artistic expression, imagination, and grounded by moral development^[13]; Montessori education, developed by Maria Montessori, focusing on hands-on learning, and respect for natural development from a young age^[13]; Reggio Emilia, and Neohumanist schools, emphasising similar approaches in creativity, and social connection.^[13] These schools originated independently of the humanistic psychology movement. While they may incorporate spiritual perspectives absent from the traditional humanistic approach, they closely align with its core emphasis on personal growth, dignity, and learner-centered practice.^[18]

• Democratic school
• Forest kindergarten
• Forest school (learning style)
• Humanistic psychology
• Humanitarian education
• Learning theory
• Liberal education
• Music for People
• Progressive education
• Sudbury school
• Waldorf education