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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

A colleague once shared on Facebook a graphic that said, "Students have to Maslow before the can Bloom." This is in reference to the Bloom's Taxonomy of Verbs learning model and the theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.


If you are unfamiliar with these two terms, Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchal model used to create learning objectives for students. Maslow's Hierarchy is also a hierarchal model, but is used to build up a child's worth and confidence within the classroom. This graphic resonated with me strongly because it is something that I believed in before I had the vocabulary to describe my approach to educating youth.

From my experience with children, and even with people in a work setting, people need to feel secure and supported before they can be properly challenged. If a student is having struggles at home, they are more likely to be less in tune with the lesson, as well as act out. It is our goal as educators, and leaders of youth, that we make sure that our youth know that they are safe and secure in our spaces. By using the objective method of Bloom's Taxonomy without having students be in the upper levels of Maslow's Hierarchy, students will not be able to thrive in an educational setting the way that they need to.

In order to help youth climb the pyramid of Maslow's Hierarchy, communicate with them. See how they are doing at home and/or in school. Accommodate them and the lesson (in a reasonable way) so that they may be better at the lesson and gain more from it. Support your students so that they can one day support themselves.

Best,
Liz Malone
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