Humanistic Education and the Biology Teacher.

Humanistic education is concerned with teacher self-esteem and confidence and with teacher-student relationships. In this paper, the author attempts to identify those competencies for a biology teacher that can be considered humanistic, saleable skills for survival in the classroom. Ten characteristics of humanistic teachers are listed. Teachers, lay persons, administrators, and hiring personnel were asked to rank order five characteristics deemed necessary for a potential biology teacher. Humanistic attitudes toward students ranked first or second for all three groups. Next, the same groups were asked to interpret what is meant by humanistic teacher behavior. The results are given for all three groups. In the second part of the paper, the author lists survival competencies associated with humanistic teaching. These are grouped into three problem areas: personal, school, and community. In summation, the author stresses the point that competencies based on the learner need more attention today than those based on subject matter or teaching methods alone. A bibliography concludes the article. (MA)