Humanism in ELT

Humanism in English Language Teaching: 

Humanism in English Language Teaching Humanistic Psychology Maslow’s Hierarchy Humanistic Education What is Humanism? Caring and Sharing…. Humanism in Mainstream LT The Silent Way Suggestopaedia Community Language Learning

Humanistic Psychology: 

Humanistic Psychology 1950s onwards … Rogers, Maslow and others Reaction against behaviourism Reaction against psychoanalysis Emphasis on human potential and the possibility of self help Counselling, encounter groups instead of psychotherapy

Maslow’s Hierarchy: 

Maslow’s Hierarchy Self Actualisation Esteem Belonging Safety Physiological needs

Humanistic Education: 

Humanistic Education Learner centred approach – Need for Ss to decide their own needs, set and achieve their own goals, evaluate their own progress Sharing of control on decisions regarding syllabus, course content, methodology … Joint responsibility of participants in achieving learning outcomes Feelings as important as intellect – whole person approach Collaborative learning – other learners as support group Teacher’s role – facilitator : concerned with creating positive atmosphere and developing Ss ability to do all of the above

What is Humanism?: 

What is Humanism? Stevick .Humanism in Language Teaching OUP 1990 H1 : Feelings – personal emotions and aesthetic appreciation. Rejection of “whatever makes people feel bad” (eg stress, anxiety) or “Whatever destroys …aesthetic enjoyment”. H2 : Social relations – encouragement of friendship and co-operation H3 : Responsibility – accepts the need for public scrutiny, criticism and correction (+ responsibility for one’s own actions and learning?) H4 : Intellect – believes in the exercise of knowledge, reason and understanding H5 : Self-actualisation : “the quest for the full realisation of one’s own deepest, true qualities”

Caring and Sharing …. Humanism in Mainstream LT: 

Caring and Sharing …. Humanism in Mainstream LT Associated with : Moskovitz (70s); later, Mario Rinvolucri and the Pilgrims organisation (UK) Underlying philosophy : Effective teaching and learning engages the whole person - the mind, the body and the heart;The learner is the central person in the act of learning; Creativity, involvement and enjoyment are the essential elements for lifelong learning. (from the Pilgrims website www.pilgrims.co.uk) Typical techniques : activities involving developing trust, describing experiences, feelings and promoting genuine communication between T/Ss; activities emphasising S choice and creativity; learner autonomy Why “humanistic”? Particularly - H1, H2, H5

Three Methods of the 80s: 

Three Methods of the 80s The Silent Way Community Language Learning Suggestopaedia

The Silent Way: 

The Silent Way Originator : Caleb Gattegno (Maths background) When? : Early 70s onwards Underlying philosophy : Learner empowerment View of language : Structural Typical techniques : Use of pronunciation charts and cuisenaire rods T/S roles : The T guides but does not evaluate; the Ss co-operate and discover Why “humanistic”? : H2, H4, H5

Community Language Learning: 

Community Language Learning Originator : Curran (psychologist, specialist in counselling, Jesuit priest) When? : Early 70s onward Underlying philosophy : “Whole-person”, L-centred learning Theory of language : ??? Typical techniques : Creation of dialogue; analysis of dialogue; analysis of learning process T/S roles : Facilitator (“Knower”) /Client Why “humanistic”? : H1, H2, H4,H5

Suggestopaedia (Accelerated Learning, Superlearning): 

Suggestopaedia (Accelerated Learning, Superlearning) Originator : Lozanov (Bulgarian psychiatrist and educator) When : 1950s on – but reached the west much later Underlying philosophy : attempts to harness non-conscious influences which can promote learning Typical techniques : Reading of text to music; games, roleplay and songs; importance of T behaviour and environment. T/S roles : T creates the situations in which the Ss will be most “suggestible”; Ss expected to commit to the method. Why “humanistic”? : H2, H5

A Note on Eclecticism …: 

A Note on Eclecticism … Do we want to adopt these methods in our own teaching? Can we just use the techniques without adopting the method?