The Application of Gestalt Principles in Classroom Teaching

Principles and techniques derived from Gestalt therapy are being applied in a variety of educational settings internationally. These pioneering efforts in applying Gestalt to education have been taking place through the Confluent Education Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and have focused on a number of broad objectives with respect to teacher personality, teacher skills, and written curriculum. Initial investigations of the results of these applications have noted significant increases in teachers' self-knowledge, sense of personal control, flexibility, and attention to the "here and now." Addi tionally, students in confluent classrooms have shown significant increases in a number of areas, including self-esteem and self-awareness.