Character Education
Resources
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Looks like the overwhelming opinion about Character Education is just as I told this board member of mine the other night. Basically, I told him that this was part of any good school, that it was intertwined with the events that come up in a regular day, this is why we have good teachers, etc, etc.
This was the same supportive type of comments I received from the group -- Thanks, this makes me feel more right than wrong.
Like I said, I just wanted to pacify the situation by saying
I would investigate, now I have. Here is
what I found. Some good sites that are usable for cut and paste and only one
"curriculum" that can be purchased from
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1. Hi Scott,
I just left Escuela Bella Vista in
Character Education that we purchased from
an organization in
newtonr@ebv.org.ve
The challenge is to have teachers do the activities, but if they do it can
be helpful. I will probably try it here next year.
Best of Luck...Happy Holidays to you!
Rick, Could also send me the name of the organization that we purchased the
Curriculum from?
Thanks
2. No such thing. It needs to be a seamless part of every moment of every day in the school - and woven into all aspects of the curriculum. Just make your values clear and enforce them?
You can check our website and the "beliefs" we try to uphold.
What would it stand alone from?
website: www.aischool.org
3.
This year at the
4. can be found at http://www.character.org/reference/index.cgi?detail:webq-a, the Character Education Partnership, the Bureau of Essential Ethics has something at http://www.ethicsusa.com/ and Utah has a homepage on Character Education at http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/char_ed/default.htm.
I address the issue through Ernie Boyer's "
Right on, Win!
5. Some sources (as you can see, I have researched this question myself).
Hope it is helpful.
CHARACTER EDUCATION RESOURCES
"100 Ways to Promote Character Education"
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
605 commonwealth Ave.
www: http://education.bu.edu/charactered/
fax: 617-353-3924
John Moss
64 East 600 South
"Values Education"
Prim-Ed Publishing
5a Kelsey Close
Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate
e-mail: sales@prim-ed.com
website: www.prim-ed.com
"Character"
ASCD through
(same as above)
"Core Values in the Classroom"
500
"Moral Conversations"
Linda Stark
"Creating a Values-Based Literature Program"
The Center for Learning
Evergreen Road
Villa
6. Some sources (as you can see, I have researched this question myself).
Hope it is helpful.
CHARACTER EDUCATION RESOURCES
"100 Ways to Promote Character Education"
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
605 commonwealth Ave.
www: http://education.bu.edu/charactered/
fax: 617-353-3924
John Moss
64 East 600 South
"Values Education"
Prim-Ed Publishing
5a Kelsey Close
Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate
e-mail: sales@prim-ed.com
website: www.prim-ed.com
"Character"
ASCD through
(same as above)
"Core Values in the Classroom"
500
"Moral Conversations"
Linda Stark
"Creating a Values-Based Literature Program"
The Center for Learning
Evergreen Road
Villa
Some sources (as you can see, I have researched this question myself).
Hope it is helpful.
CHARACTER EDUCATION RESOURCES
"100 Ways to Promote Character Education"
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
605 commonwealth Ave.
www: http://education.bu.edu/charactered/
fax: 617-353-3924
John Moss
64 East 600 South
"Values Education"
Prim-Ed Publishing
5a Kelsey Close
Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate
e-mail: sales@prim-ed.com
website: www.prim-ed.com
"Character"
ASCD through
(same as above)
"Core Values in the Classroom"
500
"Moral Conversations"
Linda Stark
"Creating a Values-Based Literature Program"
The Center for Learning
Evergreen Road
Villa
6.
That person must be a seriosu loser. Remind him that we learn character values form those around us, and from a school mission whihc mentiosn same. Pay for good teachers and the kids will learn. I have never heard of a stand alone curric for this.
7 Have a look at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/health. There
are parts to cut and paste that may help you.
We are in the same situation. We have just written a new school-wide
curriculum framework that includes the "attitude" and "action" components
from the IBPYP. We are developing guidelines whereby the affective
expectations are incorporated.
8. Mostly used by
have a friend that runs a
9. Kevin A. Ryan, a professor at Boston U, has written a couple of books
dealing with character education. You might want to email him and see
if any schools in the
10. I can't remember the documents but I think something was produced in the UK on values education possibly allied to Religious Education to allow for the fact that it is a multicultural country.I don't know the website but if you search under 'education uk government' you might find it. If not, I know someone who has the document and I will pursue it for you.
What does the board member do at home by way of character education?
Is this the issue, or is it something else they are after?
I also found 2 sources in looking around the web yesterday that might be of intereest - Scott
Internalizing Character Education Values
by Living and Learning Within A Caring School Community by
Jeanne Gibbs
The issues of character and civility are not merely esoteric or an add-on to the curriculum, like driver's education. They are central to our mission and to our very survival as an institution and a society.
-Paul D.
Respect, responsibility, honesty, trustworthiness, compassion, empathy, justice, fairness, civic participation/service, kindness, integrity, work ethic, caring social skills? What would you and your school community add to the list of qualities to transform the character of today's youth and thus American society? How can these best of human virtues be instilled in young people living in the midst of our mobile, media bombarded, and changing society? Once again, predictably about every twenty years, the same challenge of teaching (or preaching) values or the virtues of human character is laid at the door of the school. Will schools create one more content curriculum for teachers to teach, for parents to debate, for the community to evaluateāand perhaps discard?
The new "Partnership in Character Education Pilot Projects" awarded to the Departments of Education of ten States (Improving America's Schools Act, Title X), provide the opportunity to design and pilot long-term character education projects. Hopefully, the projects will go beyond exhorting, measuring and rewarding compliance to a selected list of character education values. Informational curriculum, such as we used in years of attempts to prevent alcohol/drug use, cannot be expected to instill exemplary new behavior.
What goes by the name of character education nowadays is, for the most part, a collection of exhortations and extrinsic inducements designed to make children work harder and do what they are told.... The point is to drill students in specific behaviors rather than to engage them in deep critical reflection about certain ways of being.
-Alfie Kohn
Before launching a school-based character education effort, one question needs to be asked: Do we know at all how human character values (virtues) can become internalized as lasting behaviors in children's lives and society? Now we're not just talking about education, but human development!
Knowledge from the field of human development and social
psychology enlightens the character education challenge. Let's begin with one
salient fact: Human behavior is a product of the interaction of the person in
an environment. For example, most people act differently when walking down a
lonely dark street than when in a well lit populated one. Children who live in
caring families demonstrate more confidence than those living in neglectful
homes. Moreover, behavior changes when the environment is changed. Thus it
becomes obvious that lasting character values for behavior can not be taught as
a conceptual curriculum, but are instilled from the culture of the school. The
impact of building caring environments for children's development and learning
has been well proven. Dr. Eric Schaps of the
Our recent intervention study with six school districts across the United States that succeeded in building community (environment) improved students' civic, social and ethical outcomes...Community building in school is much like the process by which most Americans once believed virtue developed in an entire citizenry.
Thousands of schools, who have been re-culturing their
school environments with the caring community process known as
"Tribes," indicate outcomes that support using this character
education approach. Respect for social and cultural diversity
increases, discipline problems decrease, students demonstrate greater
participation, cooperation and kindness. A recent report from a
Given that all behavior is conditioned by environment, it is important to recognize that building a caring environment is an on-going process that must be based upon clear agreements (norms) for behavior, social skills and reflection. Within a Tribes school students and teachers reflect many times a day upon caring human qualities and interactions while working together on classroom academics and other school activities. The norms of the positive learning environment embrace and quickly develop valued character qualities. This type of learning is intrinsic and lasting. The on-going process (Tribes Learning Community) is a meaningful way to move beyond just imposing one more curriculum for teachers to do! The chart on the following page illustrates how the Tribes process instills many of the values of character education.
The Tribes process is soundly based on more than 1,050
studies on cooperative learning, brain-compatible learning, resiliency, school
climate and human development. Attached is a short listing of articles and
studies to give readers of this topical paper background knowledge on the
effectiveness of social group learning. A complete list of references may be
found in the book, Tribes,
The Tribes book guides teachers to integrate academic content into the participatory group learning process through 168 strategies. Trained teachers note two objectives for each lesson plan. The first is "What will we learn (academics)," and the second is "How will we work together? (collaborative skill or quality). After the learning experience students are asked to evaluate by reflecting, discussing or writing about both objectives. As Alfie Kohn believes, the point is not to drill students in specific behaviors but "to engage them in deep critical reflection about certain ways of being." It is the repeated practice of working with and connecting supportively to others that moves a young person from an isolated focus on "me" to an altruistic concern for others and society.
The list of character values so desperately needed now within young people are the human values of honorable and caring civilizations. Translating the values into common norms of behavior requires much more than stacks of curricula lessons. It requires an on-going process of reflection on interactions within the classroom/school community, learning groups and examples that students themselves discover within literature, history and daily events. One of the most fundamental elements of the "Tribes Learning Community" process does this by taking the time to reflect upon helpful behaviors and qualities as they happen moment-by-moment. Moreover, as families of the school learn how to create the same caring culture and process of living together, they too will have a way to support the development of the essential qualities of character.
What the exact qualities are may not be as important as how to involve students themselves in discovering and owning them within themselves. Indeed, an abundance of research and common sense tells usā this time we're not just talking about education, but human development!
We may never figure out how to measure levels attained in honesty or kindness, except through students self assessments, fewer youth problems, and healthier, happier, successful kids. It's worth taking a different path this time. It's worth considering transforming school environments so that finally education includes calling forth the innate virtues inherent in all human beings.
Yes, the how-to human development process is simply called... "Tribes."
We, as educators, must find that balance between the world of the mind and that or the heart and soul. It is the mind that preoccupies our time and that will take us to the information age. But it is the heart and soul that will allow us to remain connected to our own humanity, that will build that bridge between us...and create a good society.
-Paul D.
References
Houston, Paul, Ed., The School Administrator, May 1998, No. 5, Vol. 55.
Gibbs, Jeanne, Tribes, A New Way of
Learning and Being Together,
Kohn, Alfie, What to Look for in a
Classroom,
Schaps, Eric, Marilyn Watson and Catherine Lewis, "A Sense of Community is Key to Effectiveness in Fostering Character," Journal of Staff Development, Spring 1996, No. 2,
Vol. 17.
Summary paper downloaded from Internet, unnamed author, notation on paper cites Orlich et al., Teaching Strategies: A Guide to Better Instruction, 1998.
Winston, Judith A., Executive Director, One
Second Source:
Some Good Character Education Ideas
(selected by Craig A. Cunningham)
Click here for notes from a lecture on Character Education in public schools.
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The Hyde Schools embody a uniquely effective character education program based upon Five Principles:
a.. Destiny: Each of us is gifted with a unique potential which defines a destiny.
b.. Humility: We believe in a power and a purpose beyond ourselves.
c.. Truth: Truth is our primary guide.
d.. Conscience: We achieve our best through character and conscience.
e.. Brothers Keeper: We help others attain their best.
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The Center for the 4th and 5th R's suggests 12 strategies for character education. (The fourth R is "Respect" and the fifth is "Responsibility").
Schoolwide strategies:
a.. Caring beyond the classroom
b.. Creating a positive moral culture in the school
c.. Schools, parents, and community members as partners
Classroom strategies:
a.. A caring classroom community
b.. Moral discipline
c.. A democratic classroom environment
d.. Teaching values through the curriculum
e.. Cooperative learning
f.. Conscience of craft
g.. Ethical reflection
h.. Teaching conflict resolution
i.. The teachers as caregiver, model, and mentor
The Center conceives of character as a combination of "moral knowing," "moral feeling," and "moral action."
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The Character Education Partnership lists "Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education":
1.. Character education promotes core ethical values as the basis of good character.
2.. "Character" must be comprehensively defined to include thinking, feeling, and behavior.
3.. Effective character education requires an intentional, proactive, and comprehensive approach that promotes the core values in all phases of school life.
4.. The school must be a caring community.
5.. To develop character, students need opportunities for moral action.
6.. Effective character education includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners and helps them succeed.
7.. Character education should strive to develop students' intrinsic motivation.
8.. The school staff must become a learning and moral community in which all share responsibility for cahracter education and attempt to adhere to the same core values that guide the education of students.
9.. Character education requires moral leadership from both staff and students.
10.. The school must recruit parents and community members as full partners in the character-building effort.
11.. Evaluation of character education should assess the cahracter of the school, the school staff's functioning as character educators, and the extent to which students manifest good character.
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Philip Jackson and his co-authors provide the following
taxonomy of moral education in schools.
(
Moral Instruction
a.. as a formal part of the curriculum
b.. within the regular curriculum
c.. rituals and ceremonies
d.. visual displays with moral content
e.. spontaneous interjection of moral commentary in ongoing activity
Moral Practice
a.. classroom rules and regulations
b.. the morality of the curricular substructure
c.. expressive morality in the classroom
The authors write:
"we believe that the unintentional outcomes of schooling, the ones teachers and
administrators seldom plan in advance, are of greater moral significance--that
is, more likely to have enduring effects--than those that are intended and
consciously sought"
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The Utah State Office of Education offers the following qualities of effective character education programs. Such programs, they say [source]:
RECOGNIZE THAT THE TWIN GOALS OF EDUCATION HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ACADEMIC AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
BELIEVE THAT CHARACTER EDUCATION IS THE UMBRELLA FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL PROGRAM
Are built around CONSENSUS VALUES identified by the school and community.
Recognize that everything about a school is values laden, and deliberately DESIGN the approach, rather than letting it happen by default
Give kids a CONSISTENT MESSAGE K THROUGH 12 about the importance of good character.
Involve PARENTS in every phase of the design and recognize that parents are children's FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT MORAL EDUCATORS
Recognize that MODELING by all ADULTS is KEY to teaching children what a LIFE WELL LIVED is all about
Recognize that ADMINISTRATORS are ACADEMIC AND MORAL LEADERS for their buildings, and that TEACHERS
are ACADEMIC AND MORAL LEADERS for their classrooms
Recognize that ALL ADULTS have a RESPONSIBILITY to MODEL core universal values for children, and ALL INSTITUTIONS in society have a ROLE TO PLAY in teaching values to children
Recognize that PUBLIC SCHOOLS were FOUNDED to teach ACADEMICS and CHARACTER, and that EDUCATORS have a RESPONSIBILITY to teach DEMOCRATIC VALUES, PROCESSES and the MORAL CODE that holds us together
as a society
WEAVE ACADEMICS and CHARACTER together
Recognize that EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS always know what they're about, what they stand for, and what their CORE VALUES are, and use them as a FILTER for all POLICY MAKING
Recognize that TEACHING and LEARNING are inherently moral work
Recognize that character education is NOT A QUICK FIX, but is a POWERFUL VEHICLE to facilitate RIPPLES of positive change that permeate the entire school environment
Use the CURRICULUM as a rich source of VALUES for teaching children, especially LITERATURE
Recognize that CURRICULUM PLANNING is an opportunity to weave CONTENT, PROCESSES AND SKILLS, CHARACTER TRAITS, DISPOSITIONS AND ATTITUDES kids need proficiency in for success in life: interpersonal relationships, the world of work, and as good citizens
Use ROLE MODELS, HEROES, EXEMPLARY members of the community, HISTORICAL figures to allow students opportunities to see the various ways people CONTRIBUTE
Cultivate a HEALTHY AND CARING SCHOOL CULTURE
Recognize that the POWER is in the QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS BUILT
Use character-building TEACHING STRATEGIES, such as COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Teach kids SKILLS, such as PROBLEM-S0LVING, GOAL SETTING, DISPUTE RESOLUTION, HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS
Use all aspects of SCHOOL LIFE to build character, from DISCIPLINE SYSTEMS to ATHLETIC PROGRAMS
Provide OPPORTUNITIES for children to GIVE SERVICE to the community, and find authentic ways to CONTRIBUTE
Recognize that the development of GOOD CHARACTER is a life-long journey
Build positive ASSETS in children
Teach children to make DECISIONS through a VALUES FILTER
Provide STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND INSERVICE to all EDUCATORS
Provide time to educators for COLLABORATION AND DIALOGUE
Provide activities and opportunities to LINK PARENTS, THE SCHOOL and COMMUNITY
Create PARTNERSHIPS with BUSINESS, COMMUNITY AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS to provide a NETWORK OF SUPPORT for kids
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2000 16:30:33 +0200
Reply-To: Louis Perske <perske@ACS.BG>
Sender: Headmasters List at International Schools <HEAD-NET@TC.UMN.EDU>
From: Louis Perske <perske@ACS.BG>
Subject: Character Education
To: HEAD-NET@TC.UMN.EDU
Scott,
Some sources (as you can see, I have researched this question myself).
Hope it is helpful.
CHARACTER EDUCATION RESOURCES
"100 Ways to Promote Character Education"
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
605 commonwealth Ave.
www: http://education.bu.edu/charactered/
fax: 617-353-3924
"
John Moss
64 East 600 South
"Values Education"
Prim-Ed Publishing
5a Kelsey Close
Attleborough Fields Industrial Estate
e-mail: sales@prim-ed.com
website: www.prim-ed.com
"Character"
ASCD through
(same as above)
"Core Values in the Classroom"
500
"Moral Conversations"
Linda Stark
"Creating a Values-Based Literature Program"
The Center for Learning
Evergreen Road
Villa
From: "Dr. Jorge Nelson" <nelson_jorge@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Character education links...
Comments: To:
To: HEAD-NET@TC.UMN.EDU
...can be found at
http://www.character.org/reference/index.cgi?detail:webq-a, the Character
Education Partnership, the Bureau of Essential Ethics has something at
http://www.ethicsusa.com/ and
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/char_ed/default.htm.
I address the issue through Ernie Boyer's "
(http://www.jmu.edu/basicschool/INTRO.HTML) for an integrated approach - not
a stand alone, store-bought variety. Boyer's Eight Core Commonalities and
Seven Core Virtues really resonate w/my constituents and that "loser" that
Win wrote about might do well to read a bit of Boyer and then re-think the
purchase of something that is all around us already.