EdPsy 399OL Forum 12 – Lesson 12
L12-Q2 Needs
Instructor: Tom Anderson
Submitted by Kim Fitzer
William Glasser
proposed in 1985 that quality education, or education that encourages students
to participate willingly in the curriculum with the minimum of disruptive behaviors,
is possible when a number of criteria are met.
Schools, he concluded, are simply not meeting student needs and need to completely
restructure their current educational methodology. In an adaptation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs, Glasser theorized that all human beings have basic needs: survival (food, shelter, freedom from harm),
belonging (security, comfort, legitimate membership in the group), power (sense
of importance, of stature, of being considered by others), fun (having a good
time, emotionally and intellectually), and freedom (exercise of choice,
self-direction and responsibility) (Charles, 2002). When these needs are applied to the classroom
environment, and the teacher is sensitive to these needs, then one of the
criteria for quality education is met.
Students will perform
better, according to Glasser, when they
feel that they are safe, in a supportive and caring environment, when they feel
free to make choices concerning their study and assessment, when a sense of fun
and creativity exists in curricular activities, and when they are allowed to
exercise responsibility over class routines and procedures. Glasser suggests that teachers also
reevaluate their curriculum so that units provide more in-depth investigation,
relevant study topics, self-evaluation time, and a decreased reliance on
grading (Charles, 2002).
However, there are
some perceived conflicts that may exist between what Glasser suggests are
student needs, and what actually needs to occur in the classroom. So much of education today is guided by rote
memorization, recitation and drill.
Grades are considered by most educators and administrators to be very
important, especially for admission to college.
In addition, fun? Well, school is
not supposed to be fun.
What Glasser is
proposing is a bitter pill for most educators to swallow, especially when there
are standards to be met, set curriculum guidelines that must be followed,
Advance Placement tests, district agendas, and other external pressures that
must be considered. In most secondary schools,
the emphasis is on achievement, but it is an achievement of quantity, not
quality. Students feel that they must
compete to have higher grade point averages, better ACT and SAT test scores, more
honors and AP classes, additional science, math and foreign language classes,
and an over-abundance of extra-curricular activities. This constant pressure for both teachers and
students to perform does not allow for the student’s or the teacher’s need for
fun, freedom, power, or belonging.
How then to reconcile
the two basic needs? The following
suggestions may help to meet the needs of both students and teachers (Charles,
2002):
· Give students a list of topics that need to be covered during the schools year and allow them to choose when they will work on each topic collectively.
· Identify some topics that the students would like to spend more time on.
· Share some of the district’s goals with the students and ask how the class can meet two or three of these goals during the course.
· Outline potential rules for the class, why rules are important, and ask students to collectively decide which rules their class will adopt and the rewards and consequence that will result in compliance or failure to comply.
· Outline some class duties and routines that must be followed and allow each student to decide which duty they will perform and when.
· Emphasize that quality work will lead to quality grades, and that only quality will be rewarded with good grades.
· Provide plenty of reflective, peer and self-evaluative exercises to continually reinforce the value of quality work.
· Establish time-management schedules with the students, so that they are aware of when work needs to completed, and how long they have to complete it. Nevertheless, by all means, be flexible and realistic when setting goals.
Glasser’s model may
seem utopian, but is achievable. Students
will perform better when they feel they are cared for and that the work they do
is meaningful and interesting. Teachers
can also reconcile their own curricular requirements by meeting their students’
emotional needs, and meeting content area standards. The objective is to create a classroom
environment that is free from disruptions, behavior problems, and a lack of
motivation, and yet at the same time be productive, achievement-oriented and
supportive. All that is required of the
teacher, maintains Glasser, is to give up their power and control, and allow
the students a choice in how they are educated.
Given the choice, he contends, students will choose quality (Charles,
2002).
References
Charles, C. M. 2002. Building Classroom Discipline.