Creative Humanism

By Erwin Angelo Baduria

1. Understand humanism in education and its brief historical context.

2. Define humanism in global and cross-cultural education.

3. Understand the key characteristics and frameworks of humanism in global and cross-cultural education.

4. Understand the integration, pedagogical principle, and content and curriculum with humanism in global and cross-cultural education.

Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance that emphasizes the value, dignity, and agency of human beings. In education, it translates into learner-centered practices that:

• Foster individual autonomy and creativity

• Promote emotional well-being

• Encourage intrinsic motivation and critical thinking

• Embrace compassion, empathy, and social responsibility

Humanistic educational philosophy gained momentum in the mid-20th century through the work of thinkers like:

1. Carl Rogers: Emphasized unconditional positive regard and the importance of the student-teacher relationship.

2. Abraham Maslow: Introduced the hierarchy of needs, with self-actualization at the top.

3. Paulo Freire: Advocated for education as a liberating force in Pedagogy of the Oppressed, highlighting dialogue, critical consciousness (conscientização), and respect for the learner’s cultural context.

Global and cross-cultural education prepares students to understand, appreciate, and effectively interact with people from different cultures, promoting a shared responsibility for global issues like peace, sustainability, human rights, and equity.

• Global Citizenship: Understanding one's role in the global community.

• Intercultural Competence: Communicating respectfully across cultures.

• Pluralism and Inclusion: Valuing multiple perspectives and diverse knowledge systems.

• Social Justice Orientation: Challenging oppression and advocating for equality.

• UNESCO’s Global Citizenship Education (GCED): Promotes learners’ understanding of global issues, intercultural understanding, and ethical responsibility.

• Intercultural Competence Model (Deardorff, 2006): A framework integrating attitudes (openness, curiosity), knowledge (cultural self-awareness), and skills (observation, listening, interpretation).

It creates a learning environment that:

a. Respects the dignity and voice of all learners, regardless of background

b. Encourages dialogue across difference

c. Facilitates self-reflection and cultural humility

d. Develops globally engaged, ethically motivated individuals

a. Learner-centered curriculum that draws from students’ cultural knowledge

b. Dialogue-based instruction to replace authoritarian, top-down teaching

c. Ethical inquiry: Encouraging moral reasoning around global and local issues
d. Collaborative, project-based learning with international partners or diverse community contexts

a. Multicultural and postcolonial perspectives in history, literature, and philosophy

b. Global issues: climate change, human rights, migration, inequality

c. Comparative ethics and belief systems

d. Use of Indigenous knowledge systems and non-Western philosophies

Humanism in global and cross-cultural education represents a powerful vision for 21st-century learning—one rooted in empathy, dignity, and justice. By combining learner-centered philosophies with inclusive, globally minded content and pedagogy, educators can cultivate not only knowledgeable students but compassionate, engaged citizens ready to contribute to a diverse and interconnected world.

References & Resources

• Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed

• Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation

• UNESCO. (2015). Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives

• Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

• Deardorff, D.K. (2006). The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome

• Rüsen, J. & Laass, H. (Eds.). (2010). Humanism in Intercultural Perspective

• Brill Education Journal (2022). A Humanistic Approach to Education 2030 in China
  
  

Thank you!