Paul-humanisitic Education Of Science

AN ATTITUDINAL CHANGE IN TEACHING SCIENCE : A HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE Paul D’Souza Visiting Faculty, K J Somaiya College of Education University of Mumbai [email protected]

Bird’s Eye-view Part

I Society Today & Science?

Part II Part III

Dictates of Science?? Why Humanistic Education???

What is Science??? Science is about discovery, spirit of free enterprise and creativity.

What is the aim of Education All round development

& Science Education ?? Sense of pride in discovery through self-enterprise enabling the learner to grow in self-

Education + Science = BETTER INDIVIDUAL

Lack of professional ethics led to metro mishap: PTI 8 August 2009, 03:29am IST

"Should we not educate and warn the engineers and scientists coming out of the technical institutes that professional ethics and values should not be compromised for short-term business advantage," he said addressing a convocation of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here.” - Sreedharan

Educatio n

Science

Democracy

Freedom Teacher

Individual freedom & Space Personality of

Personality Trait Democratic individual Teacher Edn nature of Soc. Self-esteem Colour Imbibeof values of Freedom Org. Climate

Humanistic Perspective

Curricular Transaction - Atmosphere of Freedom

Reality Check!!! Society Educational Institutions Teacher Student International Scenario

Society Y. S. R

  Society  

TV actor in the dock for cruelty to child maid – Vijay V Singh & Bharati Dubey, TNN 23 August 2009, 01:25am IST

 A 10-year-old domestic help

recounted how she was exploited, beaten & scalded by her employer Urvashi Danorkar who holds a doctorate degree in business management. Retrieved from:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/mumbai/TV-actor-in-the-dock-for-cruelty-tochild-maid/articleshow/4923873.cms

Educational Institutions Water Hygiene

Teacher Pesticide pills for 'wayward' girls         (Rohtak)Nandita Sengupta, TNN 8 September 2009, 03:06am IST

  “With mobile phones and television, girls’ and boys’ milna-julna is too much. What can parents do except kill a daughter who disobeys?” says a local teacher defensively. 

Retrieved from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pesticide-pills-for-wayward-girls/articleshow/4984365.cms

Engineering Students Don't behave in a barbaric manner: SC to senior students           PTI 7 September 2009, 06:27pm IST

The Supreme Court today asked the senior students not to behave in a "barbaric manner".  

Retrieved from:  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dont-behave-in-barbaric-manner-SC-to-seniorstudents/articleshow/4982797.cms

Medical Student      95 medical students punished for torturing senior in Tripura IANS 7 September 2009, 03:15pm IST

"Anil was subjected to nightlong

physical torture (by placing a hot iron on his chest and back) by the students of different semesters," said Dilip Kumar Das, the college principal. Retrieved from: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/95-medical-students-punished-for-torturing-senior-inTripura/articleshow/4981831.cms

Science Institute in Singapore      PhD scholar from Stanford turns cabbie       (Hong Kong)Venkatesan Vembu / DNA Tuesday, September 8, 2009 3:25 IST

The working environment at ASTAR had been vitiated by "domineering, manipulation, incompetence" -- and politics. I feel happier as a taxi driver than as a professor. I often felt sorry for myself for having to work in that environment." Retrieved from:http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_phd-scholar-fromstanford-turns-cabbie_1288407

We churn out graduates and doctorates but not

BETTER HUMANS !!!

~ SOCIETY = Inhumane

&Unscientific

Education, especially in science hasn’t helped them to grow in self esteem and stand strong for values but they remain petty people!

EDUCATI ON Divorced from each other..

SCIENCE

LIFE

Bird’s Eye-view Society and Science Today

Part

II Dictates of Science

Why Humanistic Education???

Learning Science? Learners’ needs? Teaching of Science be?

Learning Science! Science must be a learning method which caters to selfthe esteem need of the learner to be free to question, to critique, to decide, to suggest; in short to discover self and society.

Science Learners’ Freedom to: needs! •Choose •Make decisions •Investigate •Propose solutions •Offer explanations •Actively critique To grow as a person with •To question abundant confidence, self esteem, and humane wisdom!

Teaching of science! Empowering learners to Question & Critique and thus discover self, society, laws of nature around him and the natural harmony all three.

Reality of Teacher Education

Attitudes of Teacher Educators rated by Student Tea

Rating 5 – (Always) 4 – (Often) 3 – (Sometimes) 2 – (Rarely) 1 – (Never) Total

Percentage % 29 26 25 12 8 100

Items with Highest Net Positive Feeling among Student Teachers. Statements

Always Never

%+ve

Positive attitude motivates us to overcome many problems. All our teachers motivate us by their positive attitudes.

276

8

52%

We student-teachers will be teachers at the end of this academic year. It feels good that all our teachers treat us well, keeping this aspect in mind.

255

11

47%

As an oasis is to a desert traveler, so is encouragement to a student. All our teachers ridicule less and encourage more

220

14

41%

Teachers are expected to be highly evolved human beings. Some teachers treat student teachers in inhuman ways.

213

29

40%

Society is expected to hold teachers in respect. All our teachers respect us as teachers should be.

200

15

37%

with Lowest Net Positive Feeling among Student Teac

Statements

Never

Always

%+ve

Constructive feedback builds confidence. Some teachers are harsh while giving feedback.

103

59

18

We learn about ’democratic school climate’. Some teachers behave as dictators.

94

55

17

Student teachers do have self respect. Some teachers treat us so rudely that it hurts our self respect. In transaction analysis we learn that ‘adult to adult’ transaction is the best mode of communication. Some teachers use the ‘critical parent to child’ mode of communication.

86

49

16

64

39

12

Threat kills enthusiasm. Some teachers constantly threaten us about internal assessment.

98

76

18

Bird’s Eye-view Part I Society and Science Today

Part II Dictates of Science

Part

III Humanistic Education??

Experts in Humanistic Approach

Expert Humanistic “Initiation of learning does not rest upon the teaching skills, or curricular knowledge, or presentation but certain attitudinal qualities which exists between the teacher and the learner.’’ Carl Rogers That doesn’t mean that science of pedagogy can be done away with but just that it must be interwoven into the human dignity and self esteem needs of the learners.

Expert Humanistic “Emphasis in teacher education is subject matter and methods and little attention is paid to attitudinal qualities of the teacher. Focus of personality development characteristics of teachers is absent” C H Patterson Thus humanistic approach in teaching is absent and so it reflects in the behaviour of teacher educators too

Expert Humanistic “A blunted empathy stands high on the list of traits of a Narcissist.” Daniel Goleman Would not a such a narcissist teacher-educator beget narcissist teachers who then would go on to teach half-baked science? A science high on content but devoid of warmth, empathy and self respect for the learner.

Expert Humanistic Teaching-Learning Approach must be evaluated on the following Humanistic Elements: •Unique attributes of the learner •Freedom Allowed •Human Dignity Earl W Stevick

This is not to say that the pedagogy and the methodology of teaching science bear no value. The Pedagogy and the methodology of teaching science become wholesome, productive and effective when immersed in the refreshing springs of humanistic approach.

Portrait of a SCIENCE Teacher. Science Personality Humanistic Rainbow

Science Personality When the teacher of science imbibes characteristics of science as traits of his/her character, one can say that he/she has developed a sciencepersonality

Humanistic Rainbow Humanistic rainbow is made of several colours of caring human traits that provide an empathic ambience and helps create a personal bond between interacting persons.

So, can we say… Teaching science is all about — human freedom and individual dignity; because science liberates us from bonds of ignorance and by expanding our imagination, it dignifies our life.

SCIENCE

FREEDOM KNOWLEDGE Teaching Env

Aims Learner with Humanistic Science Color Personality

Humanistic Education in Science

Teache r Edn

Learner allowed Freedom & Self-respect

Teache r  Science Personality  Humanistic Rainbow

Spirituality is not a complicated exercise we make it out to be -- it's simply good thoughts, kind words and good deeds towards other human beings. I owe my success in life to my teacher.

- Shiamak Dawar http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/slideshow_debt-of-gratitude_1287809-2

Oh thou, teacher exalted, Oh thou, gifted mind; A bird singing sweet, A Paradigm new kind; For science ‘effective’, Embrace the ‘affective’; Let learner his esteem find! Paul D’Souza

[email protected]

This paper is based on the Masters’ dissertational research done, titled “A Critical Study of the Teacher Educator Attitude towards the Student Teachers as Percieved by the Student Teachers in Teacher Educational Institutions” For more information please refer to a summary published in a bi-annual educational magazine by Pillai’s College of Education and Research.

paul_edu_research@hotmail. com