AN ATTITUDINAL CHANGE IN

TEACHING SCIENCE :
A HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE

Paul D’Souza
Visiting Faculty, K J Somaiya College of Education
University of Mumbai
paul_edu_research@hotmail.com
Bird’s Eye-view
Part I Society Today & Science?

Part II Dictates of Science??

Part III 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 Science
n
Democracy Freedom
Teacher
Individual freedom & Space
Personality of Personality Trait
individual Democratic
Teacher
nature of Edn
Soc.
Self-esteem
Colour
Imbibeofvalues of Freedom
Org. Climate
Humanistic Curricular Transaction
Perspective - 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-to-
child-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-senior-
students/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-in-
Tripura/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-from-
stanford-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 self-
the
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 Percentage
%
5 – (Always) 29
4 – (Often) 26
3 – (Sometimes) 25
2 – (Rarely) 12
1 – (Never) 8
Total 100
Items with Highest Net Positive Feeling among Student
Teachers.

Statements Always Never %+ve

Positive attitude motivates us to overcome many 276 8 52%

problems. All our teachers motivate us by their
positive attitudes.

We student-teachers will be teachers at the end of 255 11 47%

this academic year. It feels good that all our teachers
treat us well, keeping this aspect in mind.
As an oasis is to a desert traveler, so is 220 14 41%
encouragement to a student. All our teachers ridicule
less and encourage more
Teachers are expected to be highly evolved human 213 29 40%
beings. Some teachers treat student teachers in
inhuman ways.
Society is expected to hold teachers in respect. 200 15 37%
All our teachers respect us as teachers should be.
with Lowest Net Positive Feeling among Student Teac

Statements Never Always %+ve

Constructive feedback builds confidence. 103 59 18

Some teachers are harsh while giving feedback.
We learn about ’democratic school climate’. 94 55 17
Some teachers behave as dictators.
Student teachers do have self respect. 86 49 16
Some teachers treat us so rudely that it hurts our self
respect.
In transaction analysis we learn that ‘adult to adult’ 64 39 12
transaction is the best mode of communication.
Some teachers use the ‘critical parent to child’ mode of
communication.

Threat kills enthusiasm. 98 76 18

Some teachers constantly threaten us about internal
assessment.
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 science-
personality
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
Aims
Env

Learner with -
Learner allowed
Science Humanistic Freedom &
Personality Color Self-respect

Teache
r
Teache
Humanistic r  Science Personality
Education Edn  Humanistic
in Science
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

paul_edu_research@hotmail.com
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