Why Humanistic Teacher Education Still Matters

Overview & Synopsis

The debate concerning who teachers are and what they are supposed to do continues with similar fervor as 100 years ago. In today's political climate, there is a resurgence in essentialism (a focus on traditional instruction and teacher-led curricula). As our nation's teachers face the demands of accountability standards imposed by recent legislation, it is critical to examine the teaching domains that are overlooked and underemphasized within this framework. The authors review literature on humanistic teacher education. Then, the authors discuss humanistic teacher education dispositions and provide brief examples of how they have incorporated them in their work in teacher preparation. (Contains 1 table.)