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20Th-Century Humanism and 21St-Century Technology: a Match Made in Cyberspace

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20Th-Century Humanism and 21St-Century Technology: a Match Made in Cyberspace Harry Samuels B AHRAIN 20th-Century Humanism and 21st-Century Technology: A Match Made in Cyberspace earning a foreign language is a fidence to speak more in the target challenging task—and teach- language and move closer to full lin- ing a foreign language can be guistic competence. This innovation Ljust as daunting. Though as teach- in teaching was known as the human- ers we may experience only minimal istic approach to education, and exer- changes in our curricula from year cises developed for the classroom were to year, we are constantly looking for referred to as humanistic activities. new and creative ways to motivate Now, almost fifty years later, we our students to learn. Once upon a are experiencing another revolution time, back in the days of peace, love, in education: a social media revolu- revolution, and bell-bottomed blue tion in which people communicate jeans (that is, the 1960s), a philoso- in cyberspace through aural, visual, phy gained popularity among edu- and written discourse. Via Facebook, cators in a variety of disciplines and YouTube, a blog, or other venues, one was adopted by teachers of foreign can reveal interests, innermost feel- languages. That method was based ings, core values, and straightforward on the premise that if our students opinions. Furthermore, it’s possible to feel better about themselves, they reveal the “real you” to hundreds of will achieve greater results as learners. people who can become your newest Additionally, the philosophy said, the friends at the click of a mouse. Hav- more inclined students are to share ing so many “friends” can certainly their feelings, interests, values, hopes, provide a boost for one’s ego—and and dreams, the stronger and more according to humanistic theory, the self-confident they will be. That phi- more that you are able to discover losophy appealed to foreign language about yourself and are willing to share teachers because it also meant that with others, the greater your sense of our students would have the con- self-esteem and the more successful 2 2 0 1 3 N UMBER 3 | E NGLISH T ECHINGA F ORUM you will be in your endeavors, including for- achieving one’s potential, sharing oneself, and eign language learning. giving and receiving support are all parts of In certain respects, then, twentieth-centu- this new area of emphasis” (Moskowitz 1978, ry humanism and twenty-first-century social 10). Simon, Howe, and Kirschenbaum (1972) media are a logical match; the more you also wrote of the estrangement of students who interact with others in cyberspace, the more were put off by the status quo in education: self-assured you can become, and with the “So often, what goes on in the classroom is increasing availability of social media, nowa- irrelevant and remote from the real things that days you can reach out to a vast number of are going on in students’ lives—their daily people online. This article will explore the encounters with friends, with strangers, with background and principles of humanism, peers, with authority figures” (13). then present ideas for humanistic activities In this environment of alienation and rebel- updated for the twenty-first century. lion, attention to humanism and self-actualiza- tion—achieving one’s full potential—gained Origins of humanistic methodology in momentum in society and in the classroom. education According to Moskowitz (1978, 13), “Such Sixty years ago, the United States was an approach will help increase the esteem and emerging from a period during which the understanding students have for themselves country’s population had suffered economic and others, thus facilitating growth in the hardship in the Great Depression and sacrificed direction of being more self-actualized” (italics lives and wealth during World War II. A time added). In other words, learners will be more of peace and prosperity in the 1950s resulted confident not only in their ability to learn Eng- in a spike in the nation’s birthrate, produc- lish—but to succeed at almost any task. ing a generation of youngsters who came to Critics of this shift of emphasis from the be known as the Baby Boomers. Upheaval cognitive to the personal insist that the goal of in the nation’s economic, political, and social education is to teach academic content accord- structures occurred during the middle of the ing to the requirements of the curriculum, and twentieth century, and education was not that by devoting time to activities that address immune from the changes. During this period, the feelings of students, we are simply creating the theories of psychologists Abraham Maslow a distraction from the main task at hand. Gadd and Carl Rogers influenced educators who (1998) argues that some teachers substitute recognized the value of introducing humanism affective learning for more formal learning, to in the classroom. By the late 1960s, the Baby the detriment of the student’s academic prog- Boomers were college students and were call- ress. In a rebuttal, Arnold (1998) makes the ing for greater reform in education and society, point that the vast majority of foreign-language their demands expressed in lyrics to songs such teachers use these exercises to supplement what as “Aquarius” (Rado, Ragni, and MacDermot students are expected to learn in class. She cites 1969), which proclaimed it was a time for “har- Moskowitz as someone who recommended “not mony and understanding, sympathy and trust total abandonment of what teachers are expect- abounding … .” Educators realized that more ed to teach, but supplementing these materials attention needed to be paid to students’ emo- where appropriate” (Moskowitz 1978, 1). In tional needs, and that also had to be reflected in Arnold’s words, “Humanistic language teach- the way teachers performed their duties. ers see that they can teach English at least as One result was that greater attention was effectively as those who take another approach, paid to the personal as compared with the and at the same time provide their students with intellectual dimension of the student. Gertrude added benefits” (Arnold 1998, 237). Moskowitz, a guru for those who tuned in and If we consider the basic principles that pro- turned on to humanism in education, describes vide a justification for humanism in education, the mood of the period: “There seems to be its benefits become clear. Referring to those a shift in our society’s focus from one of aca- principles, Moskowitz has written, demic achievement to one of self-actualization. Suppose the target language is Developing fulfilling relationships, recogniz- taught so that students develop ing interdependence, expressing one’s feelings, more positive feelings about them- E NGLISH T E ACHING F ORUM | N UMBER 3 2 0 1 3 3 selves and their classmates and find activity; feeling overly pressured to participate out more about what they are really can discourage any language learner. Third, like. Such an approach will help bear in mind that these activities are meant increase the esteem and understand- to supplement what you are required to cover ing students have for themselves with your students according to your syllabus and others … . They will then and curriculum. become more motivated to learn to The activities presented here have been use the foreign language and, as a adapted to social media platforms in order to result, will be more likely to learn. increase their appeal as well as their effectiveness. (Moskowitz 1978, 13) Four humanistic activities Today, with the increasing popularity of social media, students have new forums where 1. Find Someone Who … they can share their feelings with others. This is an important development for English- Many teachers have had experience with language teachers and learners; if we apply Find Someone Who …, but in a humanistic the principles of humanism to social media, exercise, the questions that students usually it means that as the number of English- ask each other about hobbies, experiences, and language-speaking peers in one’s social media skills can be supplemented with others that network grows, it will be easier for a student address a student’s feelings, values, and personal to move along the path to self-actualization qualities. and that student will have greater potential for Establishing a level of rapport with your success in learning the target language. students at the beginning of a course can help facilitate a humanistic adaptation of Find Humanistic activities Someone Who … . One strategy is to share Traditionally, humanistic activities designed personal information, as suggested by Mole for the classroom have not been dependent on (2011): “Something that I think helps establish advanced technology, so they serve as realistic a rapport is to tell the class a few details about possibilities for teachers in nearly every context. yourself, your family, and your background … . But because an increasing number of teachers So I talk about various members of my family and students have access to the Internet, the and some of my friends as well as drawing on exercises described in this article are also Inter- my experiences in other countries.” Such an net-adaptable, and they include instructions for approach, if you feel comfortable with it, can using web platforms such as chat rooms (also help put students at ease and at the same time known as message boards or online forums) or provide them with an example of the type of more recent innovations such as the web-cam information you would like them to share with chat and a social network. Additionally, the activ- their classmates. By engaging the students, you ities presented here are relatively easy to carry may also discover which topics are of interest out in the classroom.
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