Teacher and Learner in Humanistic Language Teaching

Since ‘the development of whole person’ was brought to the focus of attention by humanist psychologists as a central concern in educational theory, affective variableshave been assumed to have a significant share in the learning process that goes on in a pedagogical setting. Meanwhile, the process of second language development,because of the very nature of language as a vehicle for communication, is immensely influenced by socio- affective variables. In an instructional setting, on the otherhand, emotional factors are clearly manifested in what goes on between the teacher and learners. As a result, the way the affective dimension of teacher-learner interactionsis handled can predict, to a large extent, the effectiveness of interactional activities in second language classes. In this paper, having reviewed the learner-teacher relationship in methodologies that were particularly based on humanistic language teaching, I will argue, following Kumaravadivelu’s post-method pedagogy, that humanistichandling of the instructional situation by the teacher, beyond any methodological considerations, pledges a more positive atmosphere and better chances of languageacquisition as a consequence. A set of guidelines are proposed to ascertain a humanistic relationship between teacher and learners in a language class.

Keywords:

Humanistic Language Teaching , Affective Variables , Teacher-Learner Relationship