Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Applied to Guide Teaching and Learning

This chapter provides a review of the literature regarding the challenges found in leading and delivering instruction for online teaching and learning. The chapter describes how the principal of a rural high school in eastern North Carolina and her team modified Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to provide five support levels for students to help prepare them to learn in an unconventional environment. The chapter describes a study to determine the impact of the support by reviewing school and state data. The authors review summative testing, school-made survey, and Cognia Climate Survey data to share timely results indicating student and staff wellness and school academic health. In turn, practitioners and researchers may shape current practice and future studies with as much agility, flexibility, and resilience as educators have mustered during these extraordinary times.