Educational Breakthrough Using Human Needs Psychology to Enhance Learning Retention Dr. Rollo Fisher Monroe Community College Using Human Needs Psychology to Enhance Learning Retention Dr. Rollo Fisher Monroe Community College

What is Human Needs Psychology? Developed by Dr. Cloe Madanes 6 Human Needs 4 Basic Human Needs 2 Fulfillment Human Needs

Human Needs Festivity Take the Human Needs Festivity Score Yourself Place your six needs in priority order

Human Need #1: Certainty Feel safe Avoid pain Feel comfortable in our environment and relationships Degree varies from person to person Code words: stability, safety, comfort, protection

Human Need #2: Uncertainty/Variety Exercise (body and mind) Surprise Suspense Code words: fear, change, chaos, entertainment

Human Need #3: Significance Feel important Needed/wanted Superiority Code words: pride, importance, achievement, rejection

Human Need #4: Love/Connection Need connection/strive for love Feel loved by others Community Code words: unity, passion, tenderness, desire

Human Need #5: Growth When stop growing, then dying Grow physically from child to adult Grow emotionally from experiences Grow intellectually from response to outside world

Human Need #6: Contribution Give beyond own needs Give to others or a cause Time, Talent, Treasure Necessary for fulfillment and happiness

Needs met + or - Certainty-make a living or steal from others Variety-read a book or high risk behavior Significance-be the best or be the worst Love/Connection-be kind or dominant Growth-be better person or despicable Contribution-give or destroy

Pinpoint Users Tweet something you remember about one or more of the 6 human needs ( be sure to include #INN12

Why use Human Needs Psychology? People consciously unaware of their needs Each student learning material for different reasons Teach same concept for different Human needs Students transfer own needs to material

Application to the Classroom Assignment: Place your 6 human needs in priority order two ways. First, create your ideal order. Second, create the order you are currently living.

Voice Class I “The Water is Wide,” a British Folk Song Choose one of the two lists, and transfer it to the text of the song.

The Water is Wide Verse 1:Oh, the water is wide, I cannot cross over And neither have I wings to fly, but give me a boat that will carry two, and both shall row, my love and I.

The Water is Wide (continued) Verse 2: I leaned my back up against an oak. I thought it was a trusty tree, but first it bended and then it broke, as did my false, false lord to me.

The Water is Wide (continued) Verse 3: Oh love is sweet and love is fair, fair as the dew when first it is new. But love grows old and waxeth cold, and fades away like morning dew.

Student Answers #1 Ideal-Actual Needs Contribution Variety Connection/Love Significance Growth Certainty Contribution Connection/Love Variety Significance Growth Certainty

Student Answers #1 Transfer “The person in the song believes that he is making a contribution to his significant other in his life to make a connection for her love. Because she has not reciprocated, he is forlorn and losing his self confidence in their relationship. Certainly, he is not experiencing personal growth and is causing uncertainty within himself (possibly about his ability to love deeply). His self-esteem has been bruised, as a result.”

Student Answers #2 Ideal-Actual Needs Connection/Love Growth Significance Contribution Variety Certainty Growth Significance Contribution Certainty Connection/Love Variety

Student Answers #2 Transfer “In my current state I feel that my personal growth and significance is more important to me than anything, and so the message of the text to me, seems almost trivial. I wish I could place more stake in relationships but I can’t-they are the one thing that I need the most variety in. The idea of love growing old is what rings true to me. I feel self centered and unromantic, especially because I wish I was a more loving, consistently romantic person.”

Student Answers #3 Ideal-Actual Needs Growth Certainty Significance Contribution Connection/Love Variety Connection/Love Contribution Significance Growth Certainty

Student Answers #3 Transfer “In the song ‘Misery’ by Maroon 5, the song is definitely surrounded by love. However, he is giving and receiving love by negativity. He is destroying himself to fulfill his love. So by doing this he is negatively affecting his significance and growth. This song relates to how I am now because I went through this downward spiral with my ex. I became somebody I was not to keep her happy and fulfilled, but in turn it destroyed who I was.”

Student Answers #4 Ideal-Actual Needs Growth Connection/Love Certainty Contribution Significance Variety Contribution Variety Certainty Connection/Love Growth Significance

Student Answers #4 Transfer “The text meaning in the water is wide to me, I feel there [is] a lot of contribution in that the man is willing to contribute to anything so that he can see his love. Then there is some variety, because an[y] minute everything is going good and then the next it goes down the drain.”

Student Answers #5 Ideal-Actual Needs Growth Certainty Connection/Love Variety Contribution Significance Connection/Love Growth Certainty Significance Contribution Variety

Student Answers #5 Transfer The Water is Wide: 1. Connection/Love-in the past I could relate to the ‘trusty tree bending and breaking’ when I was suspicious and could no longer trust my boyfriend of that time. 2. Growth-‘wings to fly’ makes me think of my growth as a dancer

3. Certainty-This song is not certain about love, like I was with my past relationship 4. Significance-It says how love isn’t significant anymore and I disagree. Better things come along and love can rejuvenate 5. Contribution-‘both shall row’ makes me think of two people working together for a greater purpose Variety-there is a lot of variety in the opinion of love in the song

A change in one need changes how the person views his or her experience The priority order may be subconscious The more needs that are met by experience, the stronger the attachment Human Needs priority affects learning

Application to any classroom Teach from the perspective of different needs as the priority need Recognize that each student may be projecting their human needs onto the lesson in positive and negative ways Create awareness of the existence of these needs to enhance transfer of concepts

Life is a lesson Take your priority list of human needs, and apply them to this presentation. If your needs were in a different order, how would that change your individual response to these concepts?

Personal account My personal Human needs priority list: Growth, contribution, Connection/Love, Certainty, Significance, Variety

Questions to ponder Which of your needs are being met in your day to day activities at your college? Which of your needs do you wish to be met in your day to day activities? What will it take to change from your actual list to your ideal list?

Philosophy of Education Who should be taught? Where should the students be taught? Why teach people? What should people be taught?

An experiment Pair up with someone else in the room and share how Human Needs Psychology could affect your educational philosophy

Final thoughts People do not learn in isolation, but rather they bring their outside lives into the classroom The greater the connection between a person’s human needs and education will increase retention and application of learning

Final thoughts (continued) If students do not connect their education with their human needs, the educational experience may not transfer to their professional career If professors connect teaching with their own human needs, they may become more effective educators

Thank you Any questions?