Humanistic education (also called person-centered education) is an approach to education based on the work of
humanistic psychologists, most notably
Abraham Maslow and
Carl Rogers.
[1][2] Carl Rogers has been called
[by whom?] the "Father of Humanistic Psychology" and devoted much of his efforts toward applying the results of his psychological research to person-centered teaching where empathy, caring about students, and genuineness on the part of the learning facilitator were found to be the key traits of the most effective teachers
[citation needed]. He edited a series of books dealing with humanistic education in his "Studies of the Person Series," which included his book, Freedom to Learn
[3] and Learning to Feel - Feeling to Learn - Humanistic Education for the Whole Man, by Harold C. Lyon, Jr.
[4] In the 1970s the term "humanistic education" became less popular after conservative groups equated it with "Secular Humanism" and attacked the writings of Harold Lyon as being anti-Christian. That began a successful effort by Aspy, Lyon, Rogers, and others to re-label it "person-centered teaching", replacing the term "humanistic education." In a more general sense the term includes the work of other humanistic pedagogues, such as
Rudolf Steiner,
[5][6][7] and
Maria Montessori. All of these approaches seek to engage the "whole person"
[citation needed]: the intellect, feeling life
[clarification needed], social capacities, and artistic and practical skills are all important focuses for growth and development. Important objectives include developing children's self-esteem, their ability to set and achieve appropriate goals, and their development toward full
autonomy.