The Humanist Approach to Learning

Motivation Phase

The motivation phase is the final phase in observational learning. During this phase learners decide whether or not to perform the behavior they have learned. Of the four phases, the motivation phase is the most important one for you to take into account, because the only way you can determine if your students have learned is to have them perform. If students are unwilling to perform, you simply have no way of knowing whether or not they have learned. Furthermore, unless students have suffi­cient motivation to perform, trying to lead them through the preceding three phases is likely to be an exercise in futility.

Reinforcement is the key to motivation in social learning theory. Students are more apt to perform if their performance leads to a reward, such as a good grade, a favorable comment by you, or free time in the classroom. Reinforcing some stu­dents for performing is also likely to cause others to perform as a result of vicarious reinforcement.

Students may also perform if they are given opportunities to reward them­selves for their behavior (Bandura, 1978). Help students establish realistic goals in terms of the quantity and quality of their performance. Allowing students to reward themselves for attaining goals they have set encourages them to become indepen­dent learners. Students who learn how to reward themselves for behaving in desir­able ways are likely to generalize the process to situations other than the classroom and improve their performance in many areas.

Self-reward positively affects students' behavior in numerous circumstances. Think for a moment about the many students who would like to play a musical instrument, but who resist practicing. Such students are more likely to practice if they reward themselves by looking at a favorite TV program or phoning a friend after practicing for a given amount of time. Students can learn to reward themselves for helping with chores around the house, keeping their rooms neat, or reading books during their leisure time, to give but a few examples.

All of the approaches to learning discussed so far in this chapter have dealt with how people acquire various skills and knowledge. The humanist approach to learning dif­fers from the others in that it focuses on the affective or emotional components of learning (Kohn, 1991). The goals of the humanist approach are to enable students to express themselves creatively, to understand and cope with their feelings, and to be­come independent learners (Scotti, 1993). From a humanist perspective, teachers should be less concerned with what students learn than that they learn how to learn and develop positive attitudes toward learning and self-esteem.

Critics have frequently attacked schools for the rigid way in which instruction often takes place. They argue that teachers typically control all learning that takes place in the class­room and prevent students from expressing themselves in creative ways. As a result, many students form negative attitudes toward learning and fail to learn very much. More importantly, the critics claim, many students never really learn how to learn, so that after they leave school, they are ill equipped to cope with new situations.

The principal educational goals of the humanist approach to learning are that students become independent learners and develop into emotionally healthy individu­als. Humanists believe teachers should help students achieve "self-actualization" and "congruence". According to hu­manists, people are constantly seeking to fulfill their potential; the role of teachers is to remove obstacles that prevent students from reaching their potential and to help students feel a sense of self-determination.

The most radical aspect of the humanist approach is the central role students play in deciding for themselves what they will learn, which is often called student-centered teaching. The teacher's role shifts from that of instructor to that of facilitator. Teachers suggest various activities that students might want to engage in and provide assorted materials for them to use. The student, however, not the teacher, makes the final choice. Self-regulation of learning has a powerful effect on students' motivation to learn.

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29