Philosophies
& Influences

Humanistic Psychology

“Growth occurs when individuals confront problems, struggle to master them, and through that struggle develop new aspects of their skills, capacities, views about life.”

-Carl Rogers

We are always human. Even when a child is adopting the role of “student”, they are human first and it’s important that the human is being centered in the experience. During a standard school day, students face many obstacles to learning: waiting to go the bathroom, classroom distractions and disruptions, not being able to eat when they feel hungry, waiting their turn to speak when they have a question or an idea… It’s very common for a once passionate learner to announce “I don’t like school.”

I work with the person first, building a personal relationship. True learning is vulnerable and often students have had experiences of shame while learning (being called on by the teacher and having to admit, “I don’t know” is a particularly common and hurtful experience). I work with students to understand this vulnerability, name why it can feel scary or challenging to learn, and celebrate them as they take the risks that help them grow.

Influential Figures: Carl Rogers, Brene Brown

Cognitive Science

“People are naturally curious, but we are not naturally good thinkers; unless the cognitive conditions are right, we will avoid thinking.”

-Daniel T. Willingham

Learning is the act of meaning-making. Brains sort, rank and store information differently depending on the learner and their unique background knowledge and experiences. When I am working with a student, I am focused on the way that their unique brain is processing information. I explicitly teach learners about their brains so they can better understand how their brain works and how they can best set themselves up for learning success. Students learn to “Zoom in” and “Zoom out” on their own understanding— focusing on the details and then using metacognitive skills.

Influential Figures: Daniel Willingham, Carol Dweck

Constructivism

“As we observe children, we see the vitality of their spirit, the maximum effort put forth in all they do, the intuition, attention and focus they bring to all life’s events, and the sheer joy they experience in living.”

-Maria Montessori

Constructivism is the theory that the learner constructs, or builds, their own understanding. It proposes that learners build knowledge through interaction with their environment. Simply put: we learn by doing. Students need to be active in the learning, not passive listeners. This increases their engagement as well as their ability to retain, transfer and apply what they learned. In this way, my role is to create and facilitate an experience where the learner is centered in the action.

Influential Figures: John Dewey, Maria Montessori

Zen

After all, all knowledge simply means self-knowledge.

- Bruce Lee

I first began studying Zen Buddhism in 2011 when I spent the summer as a student-practitioner at San Francisco Zen Center. I find Buddhist perspectives on mindfulness influential for raising curiosity and awareness of our own experiences. Mindful awareness can help students to build a practice of self-reflection and metacognitive capabilities. It helps them recognize what is working for them, what is hindering them, and where they may need to set boundaries or advocate for their experience. It also allows them to practice self-acceptance as they learn to be present with what is, without judgement.

Influential Figures: Shunryū Suzuki, Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hanh

Activism

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change…I’m changing the things I cannot accept.”

-Angela Davis

It’s important for kids to learn about their world before they are expected to navigate it. In a way that is developmentally appropriate for the learner, I broach topics that are happening in the world, centering the child’s questions and teaching 21st century information literacy skills: how to find reliable sources of information, how to weigh the evidence presented, what to do if a news article seems untrustworthy or contradicts an earlier account, and how to integrate the information into what we already know.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed by the world around them, kids can become advocates and impactors on the issues that are most important to them while building the capabilities to process and understand big world events.

Some (of many) Influential Figures: Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Angela Davis, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Ibram X. Kendi, Rachel Cargle, Edward T Hall