Humanistic Versus Traditional Teaching Styles and Student Satisfaction

Teaching styles continue to evolve from the traditional, discipline-ori-ented to the more humanistically inclined, student-centered approach. In many settings, this shift may be seen as too rapid, while others may ar-gue for revolution rather than evolution. The experiment in humanistic education, characterized by Mogar (1969) as separating ’experiential ’ learning involving the whole person from ’cognitive ’ learning of stored knowledge and select problem-solving skills, is now at a critical point in the public education system. Advocating an educational approach emphasizing lifestyles, human motivation and value orientations aimed at enhancing a sense of freedom and self-directedness, Mogar (1969) predicted: it is quite probable that the great majority of present educators would readily endorse these gen-eral aims [p. 49]. ~ decade later, it is still difficult to determine the accuracy of his prediction. Certainly humanistic education has grown, but just as certainly a conservative trend involving behavioral accountability strives for dominance in public education. To quote George Leonard (1979): What happened? By the usual way of measuring success, you’d have to say the revolution failed. True, some of its innovations have touched the conven-tional classroom, though the strongest impact has been felt outside the schoolhouse walls. And a few alternative schools, generally the best of them, still do exist. But most of the free schools are gone with the winds of the Seventies. And only a few experimental college programs still stand [p. 51. Humanistic classrooms may not be best for everyone. In our experience, the shift to a humanistic teaching approach is a complex dynamic which should make sensitivity to student needs the highest priority. Teachers need to know for which students a shift to humanistic, student-centered styles is appropriate and for which it is not. Carl Rogers ’ was keenly aware of the sensitivity needed when such value shifts are made in educational settings. I Exploration of varied educational approaches has resulted in little consensus as to the over-all superiority of traditional/structured versus