QUALITY STORYTENTS

A resource for family, early childhood and community literacy workers

According to Choice Theory, learning is a by-product of need-satisfying relationships formed in an environment where freely chosen, authentic, useful activities are present and possible. Here the phrase "need-satisfying" has an exact meaning. Glasser believes in five basic human needs (survival, freedom, fun, power, love and belonging). He says these are genetic in origin, and he states that all human actions are attempts, of varying degrees of effectiveness, to satisfy these needs (Glasser, 1998a).

Choice Theory and Humanism share a view of humans as holistic, social creatures driven to satisfy longings; who, to paraphrase Rogers (1961), choose and then learn from the consequences. In common with DAP and Auerbach's (2002) notion of the power of embedded learning, Glasser insists that students will not gladly perform useless tasks, and certainly will not learn a great deal. Rather, students will apply themselves only when they believe that the work they do is useful and valuable. This belief is most easily fostered where learners co-construct the curriculum with a teacher, facilitator, manager or coach they like and trust.