The Maslows Hierarchy in Teaching Practice - Essay Example

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Behaviour Management I am going to write about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and it application to teaching and learning. In particular, I will be describing it in relation to analysing how I meet the "deficiency needs" of my students. Abraham Maslow is renowned for the establishment of the theory of ‘a hierarchy of needs’. In his theory, Maslow states that motivation in human beings is driven by unsatisfied needs. He further states that among these unmet needs, the lesser needs are prioritized to be satisfied first before the higher needs. Some of the motivational needs to be satisfied first include basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and security. Once these are met, then they provide a foundation for attaining a higher level of motivation that are based on the basic ones. For instance, after an individual achieves his or her safety and physiological needs, then they would be more inclined into belonging and finding acceptance among their peers and other groups that they identify with. Contrary to the mode of study done by Freud and B.F Skinner, Maslow opted to study successful and accomplished individuals such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, and Fredrick Douglas. Walking through any institution of higher learning such as a college would open ones eye to the striking difference in the students of any one institution. Some of the glaring difference is evident in the health, confidence, and living conditions. However, it is apparent that all the students have needs. Therefore, it is necessary for individuals needs to be identified so that they can be met. This is why initial diagnostic assessment is so important. It is also essential to assess whatever has been put in place to check its suitability for purpose. Regular tracking and monitoring will enable the effectiveness to be measured and any necessary adjustments to be done. Deficiency needs are the first four levels of needs within the hierarchy. These needs must be satisfied before the person is motivated to be able to move to the higher levels. Once a deficiency need has been met the drive or desire to meet that need lessons. For example, you were hungry and could not concentrate on your lesson. You would feel quite differently once you had eaten and would be able to re-engage with your lesson. Having a small group i.e., eight students enables me to work closely with each and develop strong home-college links allowing me to notice if there are deficiency issues and respond accordingly. For example by helping families to access benefits so that they can pay for food, clothing, equipment, transport to college, or access to respite. There are several applications of the Maslows theory of needs. I will focus on its application to the education sector. Like rungs of a ladder, Maslows theory can be used to assess the education programs and lessons plans such that once a need has been met before moving to a succeeding level. It is a valuable tool for both educators and teachers as they can gauge whether they are addressing the needs of the students based on how well they are applying the Maslow’s Hierarchy to their teaching practice. In addition, it is important to have continuous assessments of the students as they move back and forth on hierarchy. Mean by which the deficiency needs of the students can be met 1. The first step is the students physiological needs. It is next to impossible to achieve higher requirements if the basic ones like food, clothing, and shelter are not addressed. Individual institutions have different application of this level of Maslows hierarchy. Some organizations have resorted to offer breakfast clubs. Free lunches for children and young people who come from low-income households were introduced by the government to address these needs. A free recycled second-hand uniform is another example of support available for low-income families. 2. Addressing personal safety issues. Students need to enjoy a sense of security, both physical and mental security. A secure environment will enable them to settle down and learn. For instance, it is hard for a student to concentrate on an individual concept if he or she is worried about the lecture halls roof caving in on them. For the successful application of this step, it is important that a safe learning environment be set up. I do this with my learners by: establishing group rules embedding equality and diversity establishing clear, firm and consistent boundaries and expectations staff modeling appropriate behavior positively noticing and reinforcing appropriate behavior (catch them being good) ensuring working environments conform to the colleges’ health and safety requirements daily use of communication books maintaining strong home college links strong pastoral care having an open door policy where any student knows they can speak to me or one of my LSA’s efficient use of referral systems to other professionals access to a ‘worry box heavy emphasis on safeguarding at all times including teaching stranger danger awareness, road safety awareness, and cyber safety awareness valuing the student’s individual safety, teaching and encouraging them to value their safety 3. Promote social affiliation. Students need the sense of belonging if they are not reach the next level. They need to harbor the feeling that they belong to a class in which they are also accepted as members. The students will feel involved and have a sense of belonging through means such as games, ice-breakers, group work, role-play, respect for others and teamwork exercises. At break times, giving a new group a pack of playing cards or a box of dominos actually helps them to form friendship bonds. Encouraging participation in groups outside of college helps to keep these skills transferable. 4. Promote self-esteem. Under the Maslow’s hierarchy, it is prudent to promote the self-esteem of students so that they have the feeling of being valued as individuals with relevant contributions. Promotion of self-esteem can be done through simple praises such as good shape sorting. Knowing and noticing your students’ helps as then you can notice and praise even small endeavours. Setting aspirational targets related to a student’s specific issues and encouraging them to be involved in mapping their progress can be helpful. My students are actively involved with the student council at college. This makes them feel valued, important and listened to, all of which contributes to building self-esteem. 5. Aiming for self-actualization is an illusive concept that seeks to make the students realize and put to use their full potential. It is at the apex of the Maslows hierarchy and caps the learning experience. It relates to the ability of the students applying their knowledge, bettering, and giving back to the larger community. Peer mentoring is one way of applying this concept in education. The Maslows influential theory of 1954 states that in order for students to achieve motivation by growth needs such as academic achievement, they first must have a satisfied deficiency needs such as love, safety and the need for belonging. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and correct the prevailing unsatisfied deficiency needs among the students, to maximize their learning outcomes. The Children and Youth Services Review of 2012 opines that the factor, safety need, was in direct relationship to achievement outcomes. This included health and dental care. The implications of these findings are further amplified when considering learners such as mine, who have physical and/or learning disabilities. Young people with disabilities whether physical or learning, are statistically more likely than neurotypical young people to have difficulties with discrimination, bullying, physical and psychological abuse, low self-esteem, poor self-image, and being victims of crime. Their lack of independence and/or accessibility to activities such as youth clubs, sports, music gigs, hanging out with friends, experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and sexual activity, (that many neurotypical young people use as coping mechanisms), compounds the issue. In many of these young people with disabilities, these base needs cannot be met. Subsequently they have extra barriers to get through, making the elusive “self-actualisation” state even further away. Perhaps it could be argued that they have an additional layer of the pyramid to surmount. Therefore, teachers working with these groups have a duty to make learning as accessible as possible. For each individual, this can be achieved through adaptions. Adaptions do not have an effect on the standards in conceptual difficulty or performance criteria. Instead, the changes that are made to enable the student’s access and share an equal learning opportunity. Adaptions have four main categories: Content: It refers to the topics covered under a given subject that the students need to learn. Instructional concepts should contain in-depth knowledge that is from various sources, and all the students should have equal access to these sources, which make up the core content. However, it is important that teachers present these contents to the students according to their learner profile. Teachers have at their disposal different methods of presenting the content to the students. For instance, they can use role-playing, power point, lecture notes and textbooks to aid them in meeting the needs of their students. Process: Refers to the general activities that the students will engage in to understand the content. The teachers have at their disposal differentiating process activities to put to use to help their students understand the content. For instance, the may organize the students into flexible groups, which allow them to share and discuss the content. The teachers may correct incorrect work done by the students, vary the period required to master content and encourage advanced learners to pursue the given subjects actively. Products: refers to all the projects that totally require the students to put into practice the knowledge that they have acquired. The products should be designed to have different levels of difficulty, scoring and a choice of either group or individual work so that they provide the students with various ways of demonstrating their knowledge. Learning Environment: It is the immediate environment that the students interact in either as a group or as individuals. Most of the time, this environment is a classroom, which has differentiated areas where the students can work on their own or in groups. The classrooms should have materials and routines that are a reflection of diverse cultures and enable the learners to get help in the absence of the teacher respectively. In conclusion, Maslow’s model of the hierarchy of needs is a very important tool for all teachers and trainers to apply. When applied alongside Gravells teaching cycle it can provide depth and breadth to your practice in the following ways. Identifying needs, planning & design, delivery, assessment, and evaluation, all of which should enhance your teaching and, therefore, your students learning. Reference Dweck, C (2007). Mindset, The New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books Creemers, B.P.M. (1994). The Effective Classroom. London; Cassell Child, D. (1993). Psychology and the Teacher (5th edition), London: Cassell. Bransford, J.D.et al. (2000) How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and school, Washington, DC: National Research Council. Wright, C. F., & Nuthull, G. (1970). ‘The relationship between teacher behavior and pupil achievement, American Educational Research Journal, 7: 477-491. Tomlinson, J. (1995) Inclusive Learning ‘The Tomlinson Report’, Coventry: FEFC. http://www.learning-theories.com/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs.html http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/conation/maslow.html http://educ-reality.com/behaviour-management-theories/maslow.html Word count = 1864 Read More