Running Head: CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 1

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING

Cynthia Lieberman

Fielding Graduate University

MSC-555 Positive Psychology and Prosocial Media

December 12, 2010

nazret.com

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 2

Abstract

According to Snyder and Lopez’s Positive Psychology: The Scientific and Practical Explorations

of Human Strength (2007), positive schooling is “an approach to education that consists of a foundation of

care, trust, and respect for diversity, where teachers develop tailored goals for each student to engender

learning and then work with him or her to develop the plans and motivations to reach their goals” (p. 384).

In this paper, I will address the history and continuing evolution of positive schooling and

character education in the world of American pedagogy, beginning prior to the 19th century to

present day. I will also seek to identify new and innovative ways to address the incorporation of

new technologies and teaching methods designed to assert “the rightness of certain values — such as

respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, and fairness — and helps students to understand, care about,

and act upon these values in their lives (Lickona, 1994).

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 3

The Foundation of Character Education and Positive Schooling

Schooling, an older word of education, “conveys the importance of the entire community in

teaching children” (Snyder & Lopez, 2007, p. 379).

Research studies on the effect of positive schooling integration in traditional education is

relatively new, and the efforts work hand in hand with the pioneering endeavors in the burgeoning field of

Positive Psychology.

Character education, however, is not novel; in fact it is as old as education itself. Throughout

history and all over the globe, education has sought to achieve two ideal goals: increase knowledge and

to help people establish key virtues, morals and integrity along the way.

In these present times, education is in the middle of a transformation, similar to the one that took

place in the first half of the 19th century when the education system went from apprenticeship to universal

schooling, which developed as a result of the Industrial Revolution (Collins & Halverson, 2009).

The Industrial Revolution (1820-1870) was of great importance to the economic development of

the United States. It also changed the face of America, whose population prior to this era was

approximately 90% farmers and workers in the domestic and craft industries (Collins, et al, 2009). The

increasing demand for factory workers during this time created an influx of countless immigrants into the

country as well as a mass exodus of the rural America population into rapidly growing cities.

Prior to the 19th century, most children were schooled by their parents. Since most of the

populations were farmers, it was the family‘s responsibility to ensure their children learned the skills that

were needed either from themselves, their kin or other members of the community. It was an

apprenticeship system where their offspring learned by observation, imitation and guided practice

(Collins & Halverson, 2009). This individualized, “hands on‖ schooling system also included the

responsibility of instilling strong values, including virtue, character strength, morals and faith-based

religious beliefs.

The American school system developed out of this change from rural to urban living for several

reasons. First and foremost, Horace Mann, often considered the “Father of American Education,” led a

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 4

movement toward universal schooling that shifted the responsibility of educating children from the family

to the state (Collins, et. al, 2009, p. 50). He led this charge because he felt creating a common schooling

system would help equalize the conditions of men and provide an opportunity to help those less fortunate

in society to advance in social status. Mann held to his fast belief that “Education is our only political

safety. Outside of this ark all is deluge,” (Ballou, 1872, p. 139), and that”education was needed for social

cohesion, to give the new immigrants a common language and understand of American

democracy”(Collins, et. al, 2009, p. 54).

He also was a firm believer that building a person‘s character was just as important as teaching

traditional subjects such as reading, writing and math. Parents often rebuked this last set of goals because

they did not want to leave moral education up to educators and public officials.

Second, the invention of the printing press allowed the wider diffusion of knowledge, and served

as a prominent development of textbook learning and expanded media communications. This new

invention allowed society to evolve from “an oral culture to a literate culture dominated by the printed

word, replacing oral memories with written records” (Collins, et. al, 2009, p. 51).

Over the decades since, our nation‘s moral compass has spun in many directions. Eventually, as

the moral problems in our nation have worsened, character education has made a comeback. Adults

realize that the young need moral direction. Parents and teachers have a responsibility to provide it — to

pass on a moral heritage. The school has a responsibility to stand for good values and help students form

their character around such values (Lickona, 1994).

Social Ills and Positive Schooling

Over the course of time, our society has veered away from the foundation of the initial, historical

goals of education. While (in theory), the ideals of using universal education methods educate, enlighten

and advance our nation still remain intact, the concept of instilling positive virtues and building positive

character strengths have slowly eroded. Gone are the days of apprenticeship where the responsibility of

teaching moral values laid chiefly on the parents, families and members of a child‘s community. In

today‘s hectic world, countless kids suffer from issues outside of the classroom, such as family problems,

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 5

child abuse, poverty, malnutrition and other personal/social ills, and parents have been looking to

educators to solve these issues. It appears that much of this responsibility seems be a burden for many

parents or an ostensibly insurmountable task for those less fortunate in society.

As a result, there are prominent 21st century thought leaders who are shepherding the way to a

new and novel approach to education: the application and practice of positive psychology in the

classroom, with an integrated curriculum designed to serve as a prevention tool for well-being initiatives

(Duluth Public Schools, 2010)

Positive Psychology in Education

Positive psychology, as defined by the authors of Positive Psychology: The Scientific and

Practical Explorations of Human Strengths, is “the scientific and applied approach to uncovering

people‘s strengths and promoting positive functioning” (Snyder, et al, 2007, p. 3).

Positive psychology pioneer Dr. Martin Seligman has taken this concept a step further with the notion

of “positive education,” which he defines as “education for both traditional skills and for happiness. The

high prevalence worldwide of depression among young people, the small rise in life satisfaction, and the

synergy between learning and positive emotion all argue that the skills for happiness should be taught in

school (Seligman, Ernest, R. Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009, p. 293).

In a recent research report by Dr. Seligman and his team, Positive Education: Positive

Psychology And Classroom Interventions, Seligman and his research team conclude that, “were it possible,

well-being should be taught in school on three grounds: as an antidote to depression, as a vehicle for

increasing life satisfaction, and as an aid to better learning and more creative thinking” (Seligman, et

al, 2009).

Dr. Seligman has been leading the charge on a groundbreaking research study known as the

Strath Haven Positive Psychology Curriculum (aka Positive Psychology for Youth Program or ‗PPY‘),

which represents his first attempt to bring his techniques to children not identified as at-risk for

depression or mental illness. The study was financed by a $2.8 million four-year federal grant to the

Wallingford-Swarthmore district in Delaware County by the U.S. Department of Education‘s

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 6

Partnerships in Character Education Program. The program description as stated on the University of

Pennsylvania‘s Positive Psychology Center website (Seligman, 2010), follows:

Teaching Positive Psychology in High School (Strath Haven School): This U.S. Department of

Education-funded project, called Positive Psychology for Youth (PPY), investigates the effects of

a Positive Psychology curriculum developed for high school students. The major goals of the

curriculum are to increase positive emotion, character strengths, citizenship, and sense of

meaning or purpose in young people. The curriculum includes approximately 25 lessons,

integrated into the Language Arts class. The program aims to increase positive emotion through

lessons and activities on savoring and mindfulness, gratitude, optimism and resilience. Character

strengths are promoted by identifying students‘ signature strengths and having them employ

these strengths in their daily lives. Students also have the opportunity to develop non-signature

strengths that are important to them. Finally, students are encouraged to think about the activities

and experiences that increase meaning in their lives. The curriculum emphasizes that experiences

that increase meaning often involve connections to others and causes that are larger than

ourselves. Students develop plans for engaging in activities (individually or with others) that

increase their sense of meaning and fulfillment.

The Strath Haven project was designed to test the effectiveness of "positive psychology" lessons

administered to 352 ninth-graders who agreed to participate. Half were randomly assigned to take part in

the positive psychology-infused curriculum and the other half were in the control group (Snyder, 2002).

In addition to the 20-25 standalone lessons related to positive psychology concepts, there was

some curricular integration of positive psychology with the study of classic novels, including "Lord of the

Flies," "Inherit the Wind," "Romeo and Juliet," and "The Odyssey." After receiving the lessons as

freshmen, the students were then assessed during the remainder of their time in high school.

The data is in for all three cohorts through 11th grade, and a final analysis and conclusions are

expected to be delivered to the Department of Education soon (Sheehan, 2009).

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 7

In the meantime, according to a 2009 article in the Delaware County Daily Times, preliminary

results indicate that teachers reported, “improved social skills for students, and mothers of students in the

positive psychology classes reporting greater cooperation,” and that students in college preparatory

English classes showed the greatest benefits, with improved classroom satisfaction reported by students

and increased learning strengths reported by teachers. Further, all positive trends/effects favored those

students in the positive psychology classes rather than the control group students (Sheehan, 2009).

While there were effects seen in the areas of meaningfulness and life learning, the research team

has yet to see any notable effects in the areas of happiness and some of the other related measures thus

far. Mark Linkins, one of the PPY researchers from Swarthmore College, noted that Strath Haven

students had previously been scoring high in the areas being evaluated, and a "ceiling effect” may be a

key factor in the present findings. It did affirm, however, there is something there. A question that can

be asked is, “If you get modest results with 20 lessons, what could happen if you infuse an entire

curriculum with it?'" (Sheehan, 2009).

Since the beginning of that study, which is deemed to be one of many in the future no doubt, a

similar project is underway in Australia at Geelong Grammar School, and Dr. Seligman speculates that

“positive education will form the basis of a ‘new prosperity,’ a politics that values both wealth and well-

Being” (Seligman, et al, 2009, p. 293).

Alternative Methods to Exploring Character Strengths in Pedagogy

Character education is evolving and there are new and creative ways that are being introduced in

the education system that help identify, examine and build character strengths.

While Seligman and his team are onto something in terms of adding validity and process to the

integration of building preventative positive psychology into traditional education coursework, other

methods are also being considered.

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 8

LifeStories for Kids™ K-2 and 3-5

There is an enchanting and effective multi-media character education program for K-2 and grades

3-5 called LifeStories for Kids Series that helps children understand complex character traits like

integrity, perseverance and courage.

“LifeStories for Kids uses the ancient art form of storytelling to make complex social skills, character

choices, and social dilemmas more concrete and recognizable for children” (Brightwood & DeRosier, 2007,

as cited by DeRosier & Mercer, 2007, p. 133).

Each title in the LifeStories for Kids Series features a DVD with a nationally-acclaimed

storyteller, an illustrated storybook, interactive gaming, teacher session outlines, artwork and online

training, and a parent guide. The guides help parents and caregivers initiate discussions which explore and

enhance the positive messages presented in the story.

Ultimately, “The medium of storytelling is used to capture children‘s attention and imagination,

while teaching positive social skills and character through identification with the story characters and

situations” (DeRosier, et al, 2007, p. 133).

The school-based curriculum combines evidence-based practices for skill building with the

cognitive tools that work best with kids: storytelling, interactive role playing, and visual and aural

displays of information. Utilizing DVDs, followed by the teacher reenacting the story, then asking kids

questions and highlighting important points about appropriate values and morals, children remain present

and participatory as they learn.

According to research conducted by Melissa E. DeRosier and Steve Mercer on the effects of the

program, students participating in the intervention experienced statistically significant improvements in

prosocial behavior as compared to students in the control group, including improved prosocial skills and

decreased direct aggression and immature-impulsive behavior (DeRosier, et al, 2007).

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 9

Six-Word Memoirs

As demonstrated by Dr. Seligman‘s Strath Haven High School study, English and literature are

great ways to explore the concept of self and expression in education. In the Strath Haven project,

researchers explored the positive strengths of various characters in different classic literature pieces such

as “Lord of the Flies” and the works of Shakespeare.

With digital media tools being more and more available in education, there are other innovative

ways to explore and encourage positive strengths in schooling. The usage of a combination of powerful,

yet affordable, technology hardware and software mesh perfectly with the needs of many of today‘s

classrooms, where the focus is on providing students with the skills they will need to “thrive in

increasingly media-varied environments” (Riesland, 2005).

Through these newly emerging technologies, teachers are gaining new opportunities to create

innovative lesson plans and assignments that teach critical analysis as well collaboration, organization,

creative abstract thinking and different approaches to research and presentations. Multimedia pieces are

particularly relatable for Junior High and High School students as they are frequent users of multimedia

tools and social networking sites.

In addition, multimedia educational tools can relieve some of the stress of social ills for a child

and help them explore their self identity. Using the VIA Brief Strengths test on the

www.AuthenticHappiness.com website, a multimedia program can be developed with kids that helps

them identify and explore their strengths based on the results of their Brief Strengths test. The

educational goal would be to teach, build and reinforce character and morals while simultaneously

improving their personal self esteem and happiness.

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 10

One great example of a media tool that can be used in positive and character education is the Six-

Word Memoirs education project which offers two free Six-Minute Memoirs lesson plans and a “Six Tips to

Writing Six-Word Memoirs” instructional guide (Martino, 2009).

The education element of this project stems from a general idea originally conceived by authors Larry

Smith and Rebecca Fershleiser when they started SMITH magazine in 2006.

Famous author, Earnest Hemmingway, was once asked to write a complete story in as few words

as possible. His response: For Sale: baby shoes, never worn. In just six words, Hemmingway had

distilled the essence of an entire story. In 2006, SMITH Magazine wondered if other writers could do the

same. They began the Six-Word Memoir Project (http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords), and set up a

website inviting anyone interested to submit their life story using only six words. Since then, they have

compiled the submitted memoirs into three New York Times Bestseller books (with more planned in the

future), and have launched educational lesson plans, merchandise and more (Smith & Fershleiser, 2006).

The concept became so popular that educators soon found ways to adapt the concept into their

lesson plans. Eventually Harper Collins took the education idea to another level by creating Six-Word

Memoirs lesson plans and video tips. The project serves as a tool for students to write their memoir in six

words, accompanied by a picture or video that goes with it and uploading it and publishing it to a site. No

special tools required, just the use of a simple image editing tool, or creatng the image in PowerPoint and

saving the slide as a jpg, then uploading it (Jainslie, 2010). While the teen postings from the Six-Word

Memoirs by Teens Famous & Obscure book and website are not always positive (Fershleiser & Smith,

2009), many are provocatively reflective or affirmative. Below are some teen examples from their

website at http://www.smithteens.com:

“My friends love my awesome weirdness” - I am Mai

“Discovered taking pictures make me happy.” – The Fencing Owl

“I'll always love my Ginger hair.” – Miss Monophobia

“Self esteem grew with increasing grades.” - dotdotdots

“Called me beautiful. I finally believed.” – Invisible

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 11

“Confidence. I wear it like makeup.” – To Live Free

“My therapy: Beethoven and ivory keys.” – unknown

“Treacherous standardized tests betrayed youthful imagination” – Tara

Many classes compile their submissions and make music videos of them (i.e. “Mr. Wright's

Creative Writing Class: The 2008 Six Word Memoir Film” at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD7Bh63fxUM). Students can upload submissions on their teacher‘s

own, specially-created social networking site (i.e. Ning.com) for others to read. Students can then share

and discuss the postings in an online forum setting.

This concept can easily be applied to the use of the Brief Strengths Test in the classroom, having

students take the test and then create their own positive Six-Word Memoir about themselves and/or their

lives. Teachers can then encourage them to expand their six-word memoir into a longer story for further

discussion. Ultimately, it is a great way for kids to explore their authentic identities in a positive light.

60-Words and More

“Six-Word Memoirs” is just one example of how digital media technology can work hand-in-

hand with traditional education to improve happiness and well-being for children in school. Other digital

or social networking site programs such as Notaland.com or Glogster.com can tie-in with positive

education as well.

One teacher assigned high schoolers to take 60 “word-based pictures” with their cell phones

and/or digital cameras to create messages of hope and change. The images were uploaded onto a

collaborative whiteboard to create the messages:

1. Nota - http://notaland.com/discovery/15344 (username and password both Discovery) or

2. Dabbleboard - http://www.dabbleboard.com/ (username and password both Discovery)

Students worked in teams of two, rearranging the words (like magnetic poetry) to tell their

stories. Once completed, the students made a screencast of their images, and provided voiceover to read

their statement.

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 12

Below is a screenshot of the main page on the site, some of the words the students prepared and

chose from, plus a sidebar list of other creative projects from this teacher:

Two examples of student submissions, which included voiceover of the teams reading them:

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 13

The teacher of this class, Jackie Gerstein, EDd is extremely innovative in her teaching methods,

tapping into web tools and more. She even helped students create their own “virtual office” showing off

some of their web tool work at http://weewebwonders.pbworks.com/w/page/9067396/FrontPage.

Another example, of a 21st century multi-media educational tool that can help educators teach

kids about positive virtues and self-identity is Glogster EDU (www.edu.glogster.com).

A glog is a graphic blog, which is much like a poster, only it is better because it is virtual and it is

interactive. This online educator and student tool is an online poster technology that allows users to

incorporate various media elements to tell a narrative using media elements such as photos, video, music

and more.

As stated in a previous paper, when a program like Glogster is used in education, students

amalgamate their creative ideas, map their stories out and create them in a digital media form. This

allows kids to interact with the material they are learning as well as converse with their peers on how they

merged the different elements (oral, visual, text and movement) to create a media literacy vehicle.

Using Glogster EDU helps the teachers enrich character education. For example, a teacher could

assign a project that is designed to foster ethical, responsible and respectful citizens in their community.

Students would be assigned to find a positive aspect or member of their community and express it in their

own virtual poster. The goal would be to identify great things about their surroundings and/or ideas on

how they could make it better through their own actions and positive behaviors (i.e. helping a younger

child with the local community garden or working with the coach of a youth community center to get

sponsors for an upcoming event). Using digital technology to incorporate visual, text and aural tools into

a Glogster virtual poster creation enriches the information students are gathering, and also makes the

process more relevant and exciting. These are also important elements of positive schooling (Snyder &

Shorey, 2002, as cited by Snyder, et al 2007).

In Contrast

“Though there has been increasing interest in character education among policy makers and

education professionals, many schools hesitate to do anything that might detract from their focus

on increasing academic performance” – (Benninga, Berkowitz, Kuehn, & Smith, 2006. p. 448).

Although most schools preach the need for positive schooling and character education, not all

schools are equipped to handle many of the social pressures they face, including the “digital divide” that

exists with 21st Century Education technologies.

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 14

The term “digital divide” refers to “a situation in which people do not have the same degree of

access to modern digital information and communication technologies (ICT) and, for this reason, do not

have the same opportunities for social and economic development” (CR-Berict Telekom, 2010). Beyond

this obstruction is the fundamental sensibilities of traditional academia who fear digital technology in the

classroom will be a threat to their job security or require more work than already have. It can also be

considered dehumanizing, and distances kids further and further away from grasping the value of strong

virtues and intimate connections to their families, friends and community.

"Children need a healthy education, and computers cannot provide them with a healthy education

because children need a living education--with live people," said Joan Almon, a former preschool teacher

and U.S. coordinator for The Alliance for Childhood, a private nonprofit group that focuses on child

development (Wirtz, 2003). While admonishing the overuse of computers at an early age at home and in

school, Almon recognizes that with involved monitoring by parents, they favor the use of them in the

education of older children. "They are wonderful tools," she said. "Let's be really careful about how we

use them" (Wirtz, 2003).

Conclusion

My 20-year-old son just started working at Best Buy in the computer and games department. He

went to in-person training sessions and engaged in an online class that taught him about the products,

customer service and other matters related to his job. However, once he got “on the floor,” he found

himself getting most of his training from more experienced co-workers. This sense of apprenticeship

goes back to the original roots of our education goals, where understanding specific skills unique to a

task, and common civility, values and human relations (i.e. listen to and treat every customer with

courtesy, respect and with a positive attitude”) were highly regarded and necessary in society. The irony

is that he works in a store that specializes in technology, yet the human touch is still just as important

today as it was at the turn of the century. Technology isn‘t meant to replace learning, but rather to be

served as an added value in the education process.

As a parent or an educator, relying on the government or the “system” to correct our social issues

or solely train our children in moral ethics, strong virtues and positive character strengths is unreasonable

and unrealistic. In a speech made at the 1996 Democratic National Convention Former First Lady and

currently Secretary of State for the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton, famously referred to an old

African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child…and we have learned that to raise a happy, healthy

and hopeful child, it takes a family, it takes teachers, it takes clergy, it takes business people, it takes

community leaders, it takes those who protect our health and safety, it takes all of us” (Clinton, 1996).

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 15

We may be living in a hectic and fragmented world, but there are many ways we can blend

traditional, core methods with modern techniques to promote a nucleus of ethical values in our youth,

encourage school staff to embrace and share ardent responsibility for character education, and engage

“families and community members as partners in the character-building effort” (BRHS, 2010). It just

takes a little patience, passion, creative ingenuity – and a village – to move the cause forward in

effective and effective ways.

CHARACTER EDUCATION AND POSITIVE SCHOOLING 16

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