2 What is Humanizing Learning?
When students were asked what “humanizing learning” means to them, one replied:
“When instructors see us as people – unique, with different hopes and different stresses – and treat us as more than a number.”
Another student said that the meaning of humanized learning depended on the definition of humanize. Humanize can mean “to uphold a particular view or value of what it means to be human, and furthermore to find ways to act on this concern. Such concerns also need to be practically translated into the more experiential issues of what practices can make people feel more human.”[1] So, humanized learning could mean prioritizing this concern for the human-as-person and adopting practices that may increase feelings of humanity in education. Humanistic approaches to teaching and learning can also be defined as “the development of the whole person through the acquisition of knowledge, skills, competencies, ethics and habits of mind. Ultimately, the result of a humanistic-oriented educational process is that it fosters personal agency, is trauma-informed, and is inclusive, such that students can apply their knowledge and skills creatively in any situation.”[2] Another, expanded definition of humanizing learning is given by Pacansky-Brock,[3] who emphasizes the importance of creating positive connections between the student and the instructor:
“Humanizing leverages learning science and culturally responsive teaching to create an inclusive, equitable online class climate for today’s diverse students. When you teach online, it is easy to relate to your students simply as names on a screen. But your students are much more than that. They are capable, resilient humans who bring an array of perspectives and knowledge to your class. They also bring life experiences shaped by racism, poverty, and social marginalization. In humanized online courses, positive instructor-student relationships are prioritized and serve ‘as the connective tissue between students, engagement, and rigor’… In any learning modality, human connection is the antidote for the emotional disruption that prevents many students from performing to their full potential and in online courses, creating that connection is even more important.”
There is of course a potential tension in the quote above. Resiliency and rigour may work in opposition to an inclusive framing of humanized learning if they are not well defined as systemic concerns.
Online learning can also be humanized, although some of the considerations for how to do this well are different from the in-person context.[4] But it can include the creation of more inclusive online learning environments, partly by “considering structural issues of power and privilege that produce and constrain pedagogical possibilities.”[5]
With online learning, as with the in-person context, instructors can create a more inclusive environment by practicing an ethic or pedagogy of care. This is a “method and practice of teachi