As I try to psyche myself up for another term , I need to be reminded of this check list of principles I found in Earl W.Stevick’s inspiring book ‘Humanism In Language Teaching’ which is available in PDF form here. Many of the principles could equally be adapted as general guidelines for parents.
- Kindness is more effective than coercion. Firmness is more effective than permissiveness.
- When students feel good about the course and about themselves, they will learn better than when they do not.
- Any method that does not require serious and occasionally onerous effort from learners will be ineffective.
- Within us (or within our grasp) we have undreamed-of possibilities.
- Concentrated, intuitive introspection together with courage and patience will make possible unlimited growth in constructive and socially desirable directions.
- Skilled and sensitive understanding of another person can release that other person’s whole self so it can deal adequately with whatever needs to be dealt with, whether cognitive or otherwise.
- Rational, critical inquiry can deal adequately with everything that really needs to be dealt with.
- A model of teaching (or thinking) which makes full use of one’s own personal strengths is superior to models which demand strengths of other kinds. (Corollary: a model which demands strength in an area where one is weak is misguided.)
