Carl Rogers - Educational Theory

Carl Rogers - Educational Theory

Learner-Centered Education

Rogers applied the same ideas of a "fully functioning" person to education.

Applied Theory

Teachers (or facilitators) should teach students independence in thought and action, to be amenable to change and new problems, and to cooperate with others. (Joseph et al. 2020)

AMLE

Psychotherapy to Education

As a whole, Rogers' theory is difficult to implement in contemporary education. His beliefs that students' personal goals should guide the process and that teachers should not impose their own goals run counter to the current system of education in the United States. They are seen as "broad, complex, and ... radical in nature." (Nelson et al., 2014, p.528)

Carl Rogers was originally a psychologist who developed the person-centered approach to psychotherapy.

Rogers heavily believed that given the right environment, a person will be intrinsically motivated to reach their full potential

Learner-centered education is responsive as it requires the maximal facilitation of students' learning. Feedback from students and subsequent changes are necessary to this end.

The behaviorist approach to teaching aligns with this belief in that the environment students are placed in will help them with their learning process.

Teachers may work to understand students on an emotional level and attempt to cater to their more specific needs in an effort to implement Rogers' theory in the classroom today. Providing a safe and welcoming environment will allow students to focus on their learning as Rogers would have preferred.

This approach focused on turning people into the best version of themselves and helping them to become "fully functioning" (Joseph et al. 2020).

To a larger extent, learner-centered education is empowering. Under this theory, students tare responsible for their ideas and actions to further their independence in education.

PROS

CONS

Learner-centered education produces more independent learners.

Not every teacher can connect with every student, and thus some may fall by the wayside and teachers may feel emotionally burnt out. (Bullard, 2023)

This method also exemplifies a positive relationship between adults and students

"...development, differentiation, cooperative relationships; whose life tends to move from dependence to independence; whose impulses tend naturally to harmonise into a complex and changing pattern of self-regulation; whose total character is such as to tend to preserve himself and his species, and peraps to move towards its further evolution." (Joseph et al., 2020, p.552)

This approach may appear to some as too hands-off and thus lacking in guidance for young minds.

Under this approach, students will be able to foster greater critical thinking and problem solving skills themselves

Learner-centered teaching is not practically applicable to the modern classroom.

Reference List

Joseph, S., Murphy, D., & Holford, J. (2020). Positive education: A new look at Freedom to

Learn. Oxford Review of Education, 46(5), 549–562.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1726310

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Nelson, L., Cushion, C. J., Potrac, P., & Groom, R. (2014). Carl Rogers, learning and

educational practice: critical considerations and applications in sports coaching. Sport,

Education & Society, 19(5), 513–531.https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=s3h&AN=

96920151&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=ns235470

Bullard, E. (2023). Unconditional Positive Regard. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health.

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