Humanistic Teaching Approaches

Earl Stevick along with Carl Rogers can aptly be regarded as two of the leading pioneers of  humanistic/ student centred/ creative teaching approaches. Here Earl Stevick points out the importance of stepping back. I've included this as recent research has shown that the average waiting time a teacher gives to a student to answer a question is a mere two seconds. Then he or she usually answers his/ her own question which is usually of the display type (the teacher already knows the answer) rather than the open type which actually facilitates a real conversation.

“By failing – or even refusing – to get out of the way, the teacher becomes the Controlling Parent. Just how often to ‘get out of the way,’ and how soon, and how far, are matters of judgement which cannot be prescribed here or in any other book. In general, however, most of us would do well to step further aside, and sooner and more often, than we are accustomed to doing. As the teacher learns to limit himself, he can give more independent meaning and value to others in the classroom” (p. 123). Earl Stevick