No. 457, May 13, 2002

A tip to train and inform

Maslow in the classroom I

The fact that education is about people and human needs is so self evident that it is often forgotten in real life.

Already in the planning stage of a course or workshop there is a lot that can be done to adapt the training to human needs. Here we will use Maslow’s well known hierarchy of needs as a model.

Maslow was a psychologist who focused on studying psychologically healthy people. His research led him to the five basic human needs: physiological, safety, emotional, self-esteem and self-actualization needs. Maslow discovered that satisfying all these needs is what makes a person happy.

By designing a training to satisfy these needs for participants as well as teachers, we can create more effective courses and trainings.

This is the first in a series of articles about caring for the five Maslow needs in an educational setting. In this issue we will start at the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy with physiological needs which basically are: water, food and sleep.

• Water is important. The function of our brain is impaired even with a modest dehydration. Physiologists say we need at least 2 litres or 4 pints a day. Thus it is a good idea to make sure fresh water is available to everyone in the classroom.
  
  
• Eating is important. Our brain basically runs on carbohydrates. Low blood sugar makes it difficult to focus. Blood sugar levels sufficient at the workplace, may not be sufficient on a course where the intellectual demands usually are higher. An insufficient breakfast usually reveals itself by 11.00 in the morning which is why listening to a lecture on a demanding subject can be very taxing without proper food. This is why professional course arrangers offer a sandwich with morning coffee or tea. Anybody having had a poor breakfast gets a second chance. Another good idea is having fruits available at all times.
  
  
• Finally sleep – encourage your participants to make it to bed in good time. A good nights sleep does a lot to revitalize a tired course participant.

Best of luck! Jonas Himmelstrand

© 2002 Strategies to Learn & Grow Newsletter • Printable version