Humanistic Education: A Mosaic Just Begun. An Integrative Approach to Foreign Language Teaching: Choosing among the Options. ACTFL Foreign Language Education Series, Vol. 8.

Overview & Synopsis

Humanistic education, basing much of its theory on data provided by subjective experiences, is an attempt to create new perceptual systems for understanding human beings and to make these processes available in educational settings. Humanistic education is surveyed, with the view that its component branches are organized bodies of knowledge, each influencing language education in its own way. The viability of humanistic methods affecting both personal-social development and language achievement is explored, cautionary measures are considered, and research and development areas are suggested. Several strategies are presented to illustrate practical applications of humanistic theory in language classes. The axiomatic goal for humanistic language teaching is to enable students to use self-reflective language as the basis for target language practice. Theories and sample exercises are presented for the following types of humanistic education: psychological education, moral education, futuristic education, values education, affective education, process education, "transpersonal" education, and confluent education. (SW)