Humanistic Approach to Teaching

Humanism is a familiar term in a history or philosophy classroom. But is humanism useful in education? 

In terms of education, humanism advocates "that students should receive developmentally appropriate instruction in liberal arts, social conduct and moral principles". With the Renaissance reforms in education, schools and teachers began to teach children with kindness rather than violence. Humanism was all about people taking responsibility for their own lives back in the Renaissance and Reformation period. Humanism in the classroom is all about letting children think for themselves and evaluate themselves rather than having a teacher guiding every single step of the way.

" This form of education is known as child-centred, and is typified by the child taking responsibility for their education and owning their learning. " So instead of praising or punishing a child for their actions, the actions go unnoticed and the child is free to figure out their decisions for themselves. This is preparing the child for adult life and important decision making processes. This idea seems like it could get a little out of hand in the classroom because some students might take advantage of the freedom. However, I do think that its necessary for teachers to sometimes step back and let the child figure out whether their decision or action is the best choice. I feel its important for kids to learn at a young age that someone cannot always be there to hold their hand and its important to be able to have responsibility.

Can humanism go wrong? Yes, it can. First, some students see it as self-serving and manipulative; the faculty are trying to get students to do what they want them to do, but are conning the students into thinking they made the decision or understand it fully. Second, some students see it as hurtful." In this case, there should be a balance between discipline, praise and punishment in order to teach students self responsibility.