On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Publisher: In-Sight Publishing

Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014

Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com

Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal

Journal Founding: August 2, 2012

Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year

Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed

Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access

Fees: None (Free)

Volume Numbering: 12

Issue Numbering: 3

Section: A

Theme Type: Idea

Theme Premise: “Outliers and Outsiders”

Theme Part: 31

Formal Sub-Theme: Humanist Education in Iran

Individual Publication Date: August 8, 2024

Issue Publication Date: September 1, 2024

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Word Count: 2,179

Image Credits: Faruk Kaymak on Unsplash.

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): 2369-6885

*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citations, after the publication.*

Abstract

The Peace School is new in Canada, founded and accredited by the Ontario Ministry of Education in 2023. Currently, the school has five children with a capacity for 120 and is well-financed and supported by the parents whose children attend. The school’s pedagogy has attracted the attention and support of UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNHCR, which strongly encouraged Dr. Nasser Yousefi, the Principal of The Peace School, to share his pedagogy and learning environment with other countries. Canada was Dr. Yousefi’s first choice for the next Peace School. Dr. Yousefi began his career as a child psychologist, studying in Sweden and earning a Master’s in Education in Childhood Growth and Development. In his exploration of the best pedagogy and learning environment for children, Dr. Yousefi completed a PhD in Educational Approaches at Madonna University in Italy and a PhD in Educational Psychology at Northwest University in the USA. This training combined humanistic and cognitive approaches to education. For many years, Dr. Yousefi was an educational consultant for UNICEF. He has conducted educational and research activities for various groups of children, including immigrant children, minorities, street children, and children with special needs. Dr. Yousefi was the Principal of the Peace (Participatory) School in Tehran, Iran, from 2005 to 2023, graduating 500 students from kindergarten to high school, with graduates accepted at universities in Europe, America, and Canada. Dr. Yousefi is passionate about creating the best future for children and is dedicated to creating safe and nurturing learning environments based on holistic principles. Yousefi discusses: first interest in humanism; pushback; developing these programs for each student; trying to advocate for a humanist school system in Canada; and authentically focus on the student’s intellectual and emotional development.

Keywords: barriers in mainstream education, compassion and empathy, controlling educational approaches, humanist educational system, humanistic psychology, individualized education programs, intellectual and emotional development, student-centered learning.

On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are here with Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi. They are originally from Iran but are now in Canada, specifically in Toronto. They have started a humanist educational system in Iran and are trying to implement the same system here in Canada. So, when did you first become interested in humanism, particularly in humanistic orientations around psychology and education?

Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi: As a psychology university student, I–Nasser–was initially interested in Piaget’s theories and methodology. However, when I started working with children, especially in rural communities, villages, and small towns, I found that this approach could have been more effective in those settings.

When I began working with refugee children living in camps or those experiencing difficult social and emotional circumstances, I realized the need for student-centred methods tailored to the individual needs of each student rather than a one-size-fits-all program. Working with a diverse group of children taught me that they have different needs and interests based on their life experiences and circumstances. This led me to adopt a student-centered and student-tailored approach to learning, drawing me into humanistic education.

I found that I had no other choice but to turn to humanism. Otherwise, I would have had to impose my ideas on the children rather than address their needs. My experience as a student in a controlling system made me determined to avoid repeating that scenario. Working with children at various times and circumstances taught me that students should have the choice to decide what they want and need to learn.

Humanistic education revealed to me that every child is unique and must discover their learning path, which is different from others. I realized that you can’t apply a single approach to all children; you need to see them individually and create an educational program tailored to each student. Allowing them to experience a variety of experiences helps them flourish. This led me to study Maslow and Rogers, whose ideologies influenced my approach.

Their ideal is to consciously prepare educational programs based on student’s needs, which requires constant adaptation from the teacher, not the students. I needed to harmonize with the students rather than expecting them to harmonize with me. The more I learned about humanistic education and psychology, the more intellectually and physically my students developed.

This realization led me to believe that providing opportunities for students to experience and explore without barriers is essential for their growth and expansion.

When you unblock students, they can learn and experience everything at their own pace. As they develop and learn more, you can develop alongside them. That’s why our school and system were ahead of other alternative systems in Iran. We learned that we need to move forward with our students. Was that enough or bad?

Jacobsen: Yes, it was enough and not bad, thank you. What about pushback? I hear all the time, from international cases, of societies with a religious, fundamental dominance of governance, policy, and social life pushing back against any efforts to implement anything remotely humanistic if not outright humanist. What did you experience from families, society, and even authorities?

Yousefi: When we started the school 20 years ago, it was new and still is for many people. Naturally, we faced issues, challenges, and pushbacks. One thing about families was that they wanted the school to teach familiar subjects to their kids, things they also learned in school. They worried that by emphasizing the students themselves to learn and decide what to learn, both families and educational specialists thought students wouldn’t know what they needed to learn. They believed it was our job and responsibility to tell them.

But I found that when you practice with students to experience and learn, they know what to choose and what they need. The biggest pushback we faced was the controlling mindset of adults who believed it was their right to decide what students should learn. This included families, society, and the government.

All of them wanted to decide for the children. At the beginning of the year, they would dictate what literature, science, and math meant. They were not open to teaching different narratives and perspectives. They insisted that history is what the government says, not any other narrative.

Our school encourages students to read from different perspectives and learn about various narratives. For instance, we tell them to read one book and then another that presents a different viewpoint. We want them to understand that different countries may have different versions of history.

Another challenge was the concern that allowing students to decide for themselves would make them stubborn and uncooperative. Many believed that giving control to students would make them selfish. But every time we listened to students and let them decide for themselves, they became more respectful toward us, because we gave them that opportunity.

They would listen to me even more when I listened to their needs and words. No other school saw as much respect or empathy from their students as we did. The mainstream system feared adopting this approach because they thought they couldn’t keep up and would need more resources or eventually give up. Public and other private schools preferred teachers to stick to a single, uniform curriculum nationwide.

But we had a specific program for each student in the classroom. It was hard for the teacher, and the controlling system didn’t want this to happen. 

Jacobsen: When it comes to developing these programs for each student, is it as time-intensive as it sounds, or is there a factor of, in fact, saving time when you’re allowing students to develop their way of learning and choosing material educationally? So, on the one hand, it is theoretically more difficult to deal with custom or individualized education programs per student. At the same time, you have something like a reverse classroom where you’re removing barriers for students to learn at their own pace and pick subjects that interest them. While there’s probably still a core of subjects they’re all learning, is there a way in which, on the surface, it could seem more difficult to implement, but in a way, you’re also saving a lot of time and effort by allowing students to develop their capacities to learn? 

Yousefi: Yes. The students would say what they wanted and were interested in learning, and the teacher acted as a facilitator to help them learn that, drawing a path for them. Yes, it was easier for the students to develop faster and learn what they wanted to learn. However, it was challenging for the teacher to help every student simultaneously because each child has unique needs. The diversity in our educational programs was due to the diversity of our student’s needs, not because we needed more ideas. The students themselves brought the ideas and had the initiative.

But we did have some subjects and topics we wanted all students to learn. After introducing and discussing the topic, we encouraged them to explore it independently and from different perspectives and resources. For example, we propose learning about a poet. One student might be interested in the poems themselves, another in the poet’s biography, and another in different forms of poetry or the historical context of the poet’s time.

Jacobsen: When you were trying to advocate for a humanist school system in Canada, what barriers did you experience? What differences did you notice compared to the situation in Iran?

Yousefi: The mainstream educational systems worldwide, including Canada, are heavily influenced by controlling and behaviourist approaches. In some places, it is different because they might have more resources or opportunities to deviate from the norm, but in general, they are based on behaviourism. Schools focus on preparing students to memorize information and prepare for current job markets.

There aren’t enough systems that teach students they can positively change the world. The Ministry of Education in every country tends to maintain the current situation through schools rather than encouraging transformative thinking and humanistic education.

They don’t want their students to know how to change the situation. It doesn’t matter where—Switzerland, Canada, Iran, or anywhere else—every adult thinks they know better than children what is best and what is not best. “I have to determine what students should learn and study.” This controlling idea could be more or less prevalent in different countries and circumstances. They even determine how students should look at things, dictating their perspective. It’s like a 3D movie where the movie directs you to look at specific points, saying, “This is what we want you to focus on right now.”

This approach only allows students to think dependently. No school asks students, “What do you think? What makes you happy? What are you suffering from? How do you see the world?” There needs to be more engagement with students’ perspectives and experiences. Only a few schools or teachers telling students they can change the world. Instead, they often say, “You need to fit into the system.” This mindset discourages students from believing they can positively impact and improve the world for everyone.

Mainstream schools teach students to think about themselves and become individualistic, aiming for personal success, even if it’s at the expense of others. This fosters a mindset where some people lie, create, or develop things that are harmful to humanity. They need to think about solutions that are equal and equitable.

The humanist educational approach advocates for a different ideology. It aims to help the world become a better place by empowering each person to show their talents and contribute positively. This is also true for Canada, where schools rarely ask students how they can help make the world a better place. This is one of the barriers we face constantly.

Teachers often need more time or energy to consider a child’s needs and interests. Globally, the love that people should have for each other needs to be improved. If, as a teacher, I don’t love my students, I can’t teach them to love others. We have doctors and other professionals who don’t show care and empathy towards those they serve.

We don’t teach love in schools. They might teach sex education and other subjects, but they don’t address the concept of love. Both are important. If we don’t teach students about love, we are taking something vital away from them. In most systems, people are considered numbers rather than individuals with unique needs and potential.

It doesn’t matter if it’s one more or one less. To them, it’s just a number. This humanistic approach is trying to promote human love. Every human being, wherever they are, is important. It’s about recognizing the combination of a person’s identity, their emotional aspects, and social aspects. This holistic view helps make the world a better place to live. If I can’t empathize with your sadness or suffering, I can’t truly help you. Compassion is at the heart of humanist education principles.

So, the humanist educational approach revolves around compassion, empathy, and love. While acknowledging the importance of the individual, it also emphasizes the importance of others. The education system in Canada and other countries often needs this focus. 

Jacobsen: Last question. From what I’m gathering, does this humanist educational program, individualized per student and grounded in humanistic psychology, authentically focus on the student’s intellectual and emotional development?

Yousefi: Yes, exactly. The program helps students develop intellectually and emotionally by allowing them to learn what they need while being mindful of and caring for others. It adapts to the situation at hand but remains focused on authentic development.

Jacobsen: Great. Thank you.

Yousefi: Thank you.

Bibliography

None

Footnotes

None

Citations

American Medical Association (AMA 11th Edition): Jacobsen S. On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi. August 2024; 12(3). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1

American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition): Jacobsen, S. (2024, August 8). On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi. In-Sight Publishing. 12(3).

Brazilian National Standards (ABNT): JACOBSEN, S. On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi. In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, Fort Langley, v. 12, n. 3, 2024.

Chicago/Turabian, Author-Date (17th Edition): Jacobsen, Scott. 2024. “On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal 12, no. 3 (Summer). http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1.

Chicago/Turabian, Notes & Bibliography (17th Edition): Jacobsen, S “On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal 12, no. 3 (August 2024).http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1.

Harvard: Jacobsen, S. (2024) ‘On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi’, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, 12(3). <http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1>.

Harvard (Australian): Jacobsen, S 2024, ‘On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi’, In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vol. 12, no. 3, <http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1>.

Modern Language Association (MLA, 9th Edition): Jacobsen, Scott. “On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi.” In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal, vo.12, no. 3, 2024, http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1.

Vancouver/ICMJE: Scott J. On Humanist Education 1: Dr. Nasser Yousefi and Baran Yousefi [Internet]. 2024 Aug; 12(3). Available from: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com/humanist-education-iran-1.

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