Maslow's hierarchy applied to me
Self-Actualisation
A few years ago I obtained a Graduate Diploma in
Vocational Education and Training; although I enjoyed the study I am yet to
discover the purpose of what I learned. From day one of doing this Graduate
Certificate I felt I actually learned meaningful skills and obtained some
wonderful knowledge, increasing my potential as a teacher, a team leader and
even as a person contributing to a ‘creative self-growth’ (Olson, 2013).
Self-Esteem With each new module my knowledge of what we were learning as well as my confidence in my own ability to contribute to in-class discussions or do the associated assessment tasks grew. Finalising individual assessments, adding reflections to my own Weebly and in the end pressing the submit button for yet another finalised task provided me with a real sense of achievement.
Love & Belonging Social interaction and cooperative learning was stimulated in EDGCT5007 through an in-class ‘bridge building’ task as well as a group assessment in the form of making a poster. These activities provided emotional support (Sylwester, 1994) and an opportunity for me to feel wanted and needed as well as set the scene to create belonging to a group of wonderful women (now close friends).
Safety & Security Because my family and work life are fairly stable and I feel comfortable in my own skin, I don’t worry too much about the fact if I get along with others in the classroom or not. However, conflict with my teacher or a fellow student would certainly not leave me untouched and would hamper my ability to concentrate on the content being delivered. A supportive and enjoyable classroom environment can encourage the release of endorphins which in turn assist with the learning process (Sylwester, 1994).
Physiological Needs Although the basic physiological needs for most people are food, clothing and shelter, for someone who has lived a very protected life for at least the last 30 years, for me these things seem a given instead of a need and as such other physiological needs such as lifelong learning, being myself and relaxing are the ‘new’ needs. Why else would I say yes to taking on a Graduate Certificate course in a life that is already so busy?
Self-Esteem With each new module my knowledge of what we were learning as well as my confidence in my own ability to contribute to in-class discussions or do the associated assessment tasks grew. Finalising individual assessments, adding reflections to my own Weebly and in the end pressing the submit button for yet another finalised task provided me with a real sense of achievement.
Love & Belonging Social interaction and cooperative learning was stimulated in EDGCT5007 through an in-class ‘bridge building’ task as well as a group assessment in the form of making a poster. These activities provided emotional support (Sylwester, 1994) and an opportunity for me to feel wanted and needed as well as set the scene to create belonging to a group of wonderful women (now close friends).
Safety & Security Because my family and work life are fairly stable and I feel comfortable in my own skin, I don’t worry too much about the fact if I get along with others in the classroom or not. However, conflict with my teacher or a fellow student would certainly not leave me untouched and would hamper my ability to concentrate on the content being delivered. A supportive and enjoyable classroom environment can encourage the release of endorphins which in turn assist with the learning process (Sylwester, 1994).
Physiological Needs Although the basic physiological needs for most people are food, clothing and shelter, for someone who has lived a very protected life for at least the last 30 years, for me these things seem a given instead of a need and as such other physiological needs such as lifelong learning, being myself and relaxing are the ‘new’ needs. Why else would I say yes to taking on a Graduate Certificate course in a life that is already so busy?
References
Hoffman, W. (2011, July 28). Understanding Differentiation. Retrieved from Differentiated Instruction: http://differentiatedinstruction.co/tag/hierarchy-of-needs/
Olson, A. (2013, August 13). The Theory of Self-Actualisation. Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-and-psychopathology/201308/the-theory-self-actualization
Sylwester, R. (1994, October). Educational Leadership - How emotions affect learning. Retrieved from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD): http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct94/vol52/num02/How-Emotions-Affect-Learning.aspx
Hoffman, W. (2011, July 28). Understanding Differentiation. Retrieved from Differentiated Instruction: http://differentiatedinstruction.co/tag/hierarchy-of-needs/
Olson, A. (2013, August 13). The Theory of Self-Actualisation. Retrieved from Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-and-psychopathology/201308/the-theory-self-actualization
Sylwester, R. (1994, October). Educational Leadership - How emotions affect learning. Retrieved from Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD): http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/oct94/vol52/num02/How-Emotions-Affect-Learning.aspx