Fostering Learner Self-Actualization

Most learners are experiencing rapid change, new landscapes for living (and learning), and changes in society that are impacting their lives. The focus in education has been on curricular content and testing, but as the infographic below shows, today's world requires a different focus: fostering self-actualization.

When educators focus solely on content, something important in the development of the learner is missed. Curricular content does not help educators understand the context in which the learner lives their life. A deep understanding of the learner's context can only occur when educators employ empathy in their practice. Assisting learners to move toward creating their own definition of success is the epitome of self-actualization. As education moves toward the goal of self-actualized learners, the traditional school setting provides very little in the way of modeling the skills, discipline, mindset, and content consistent with becoming self-actualized.

Creating the conditions in which the skills, discipline, and mindset needed for learners to thrive in the 21st century is the goal of Connects U!