Academic Characterppt

7/31/2019 Academic Characterppt

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Moral and Character EducationThree major issues in the education of

young people today

CompetenceDevelopment of the

knowledge, values,

attitudes, and skills

necessary for success in agiven society or culture


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Moral and Character EducationThree major issues in the education of

young people today

Character The moral quality anddirection of onesdecisions and behavior


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Definitions of CharacterThe following two definitions provide

examples of a normative view of character:

engaging in morally relevant conduct

or words, or refraining from certain

conduct or words

Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (Eds.). (1984). Developing character:

Transmitting knowledge. Posen, IL: ARL.


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Definitions of CharacterThe following two definitions provide

examples of a normative view of character:

a complex set of relatively persistent

qualities of the individual person, and

generally has a positive connotation when

used in discussions of moral education

Pritchard, I. (1988). Character education: Research prospects

and problems. American Journal of Education, 96(4), 469-495.


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Importance of CharacterScholarly debate on moral development and

character formation extends to ancient times Aristotle's Nichomacean Ethics Socrates' Meno


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Importance of CharacterMajor thinkers in Western Civilization have beenconcerned with moral and character development

John Locke, 17th century English philosopher John Stuart Mill and Herbert Spencer, 19th

century English philosophers John Dewey, 20th century American

philosopher and educator


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Importance of CharacterBoth educators and American public believecharacter education should be an important part

of schoolingEducators -- competence in basic

skills, feelings of self-worth, and moral

development should be priorities in

schools (Spears, 1973)

Spears, H. (1973, September). Kappans ponder the goals of education. Phi Delta

Kappan, 29-32.


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Importance of CharacterBoth educators and American public believecharacter education should be an important part

of schoolingPublic -- competence in basic skills and

instruction in schools that would deal with

morals and moral behavior (Gallup, 1980)

Gallup, G. (1980, September). The twelfth annual Gallup Poll of public attitudes

toward public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 62, 39.


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Character versus CompetenceModern educators have placed more emphasis oncompetence than characterHowever, competence and character are not

mutually exclusive (Wynne & Walberg, 1985)

Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (1985). The complementary goals of character

development and academic excellence. Educational Leadership, 43(4), 15-18.


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Character versus CompetenceModern educators have placed more emphasis oncompetence than characterStallings (1978) found a positive impact of

attempts to improve student achievement onindependence, task persistence, cooperation, and

question-asking

Stallings, J. (1978). What teachers do does make a difference. In A. Newman (Ed.),

In defense of the American public school. Berkeley, CA: McCutchan


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Character versus CompetenceModern educators have placed more emphasis oncompetence than characterEtzioni (1984) and Ginsburg and Hanson (1986)

reported that students who were self-disciplinedor more religious, hard working, or valued

learning scored higher on achievement tests Etzioni, A. (1984). Self-discipline, schools, and the business community.

Washington, DC: National Chamber Foundation.

Ginsburg, A., & Hanson, S. (1986). Gaining ground: Values and high school

success. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education.


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Character versus CompetenceModern educators have placed more emphasis oncompetence than characterKagan (1981) and Wynne and Walberg (1985)

argue that good character ought to be the moreprimary focus as it is a goal in reach of more

children than is high academic achievement and

can result in less alienation from the school Kagan, J. (1981). The moral function of the school. Daedalus, 110(3), 151-165. Wynne, E., & Walberg, H. (1985). The complementary goals of character

development and academic excellence. Educational Leadership, 43(4), 15-18.


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Character versus CompetenceEmphasis on Character Education has begun tochange

National School Boards Association proposed a

project designed to enhance character development

National School Boards Association (1987) Building character in the public

schools. Strategies for success. NSBA Leadership Reports, 1987-2. Alexandria,

VA: Author.

heighten national awareness

encourage establishment and improvement of

character development programs in public schools


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Character versus CompetenceEmphasis on Character Education has begun tochange

Georgia Department of Education has

implemented program in values and charactereducation

Georgia Department of Education. (1997). Values and character education

implementation guide. Atlanta, GA: Office of policy and communications.


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Impacting Moral & Character DevelopmentFour major questions need to be addressed whenfocusing on character development:

1. What is good character?

2. What causes or prevents good character?3. How can good character be measured ?4. How can good character best be developed?


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Impacting Moral & Character Development1. What is good character?

Personal honest and truthful

autonomous

responsible

self-management and self-discipline

courageous

integrity


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Impacting Moral & Character Development1. What is good character?

Social sociable

benevolent

compassionate

courteous

trustworthy


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Impacting Moral & Character Development2. What causes or prevents good character?

1. heredity

2. early childhood experience

3. modeling by important adults & older youth4. peer influence

5. general physical and social environment

6. communications media

7. content taught in the schools, churches, etc.

8. specific situations and rolesCampbell, V., & Bond, R. (1982). Evaluation of a character education curriculum.

In D. McClelland (ed.), Education for values. New York: Irvington Publishers.


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Impacting Moral & Character Development3. How can good character be measured ?

Cognitive knowledge Age appropriate cognitive and moral

development Values expressed

Commitments expressed Written plansPersonal and social overt behavior

student discipline; student suicide rates;

crimes; pregnancy rates of teenage girls;

academic effort; prosocial activities


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Impacting Moral & Character Development4. How can good character best be developed?

Effective communication and shared values

among families, schools, religious

organizations, and communities


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Schools effectively impacting morals and

character are:

Wynne, E. (1989). Transmitting traditional values in contemporary schools. In

L. Nucci,Moral development and character education: A dialogue (pp. 19-36).Berkeley, CA: McCutchan.

1. directed by adults who exercise theirauthority toward faculty and students in a

firm, sensitive, and imaginative manner, and

who are committed to both academics and

pupil character development;


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character are:



2. staffed by dedicated faculty who makevigorous demands on pupils and each other;


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character are:



3. structured so that pupils are surrounded bya variety of opportunities for them to practice

helping (prosocial) conduct;


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character are:



4. managed to provide pupils--bothindividually and collectively--with many

forms of recognition for good conduct;


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character are:



5. oriented toward maintaining systems ofsymbols, slogans, ceremonies, and songs that

heighten pupils' collective identities;


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character are:



6. dedicated to maintaining pupil discipline,via clear, widely disseminated discipline codes

that are vigorously enforced and backed up

with vital consequences;


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character are:



7. committed to academic instruction andassigned pupils significant homework and

otherwise stressed appropriate academic

rigor;


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character are:



8. sensitive to the need to develop collectivepupil loyalties to particular classes, clubs,

athletic groups, and other subentities in the

school;


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character are:



9. sympathetic to the values of the externaladult society, and perceive it as largely

supportive and concerned with the problems

of the young;


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character are:



10. always able to use more money to improvetheir programs, but rarely regard lack of

money as an excuse for serious program

deficiencies;


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character are:



11. open to enlisting the help, counsel, andsupport of parents and other external adults,

but willing to propose important constructive

changes in the face of (sometimes) ill-

informed parent resistance;


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character are:



12. disposed to define "good character" inrelatively immediate and traditional terms.


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Exemplary ProgramsChild Development Project

Solomon, D., Schaps, E. Watson, M, & Battistich, V. (1992). Creating caring

school and classroom communities for all student. In R. Villa, J. Thousand,

W. Stainback, & S. Stainback. From restructuring for caring and effective

education: An administrative guide to creating heterogeneous schools.

Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.

1. supportive adult-child relationships

2. exposure to societal values

3. peer interaction and prosocial action4. think about and discuss moral issues

5. experiences that promote understanding of

others


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Exemplary ProgramsHyde school

Gauld, J. (1993). Character first: The Hyde school difference. San Francisco:

ICS Press.

1. Comprehensive curriculum for growth in four

areas: (a) intellectual, (b) physical, (c) spiritual,

and (d) emotional

2. Students expected to meet world class standards

3. Students have regular jobs and take

responsibility for growth of other students

4. Students commit to continuous improvement

towards excellence in all endeavors


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Exemplary ProgramsCity Montessori School

Cottom, C. (1996). A bold experiment in teaching values. Educational

Leadership, 53(8), 54-58.

1. Four building blocks or pillars: universal values,

excellence, global understanding, and service

2. Human being considered as endowed with

spiritual capacities

3. Striving for excellence, especially academic

excellence, is a focus4. Council for Global Education is diffusing the

program world wide


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ConclusionIt is possible to develop a community consensusaround a relatively small number of moral and

character traits that can be the focus of a K-12

educational program.

These must be integrated into a curriculum that

enjoins young people to strive for excellence in the

attainment of vision, character, and competencies.


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Academic Characterppt