| Why Character Education? |
According to Thomas Lickona, author of Educating for Character, when a comprehensive approach to character education is used, schools create a positive moral culture in the school, developing a total school environment that supports the values taught in the classroom. This is accomplished through the leadership of the principal, school wide discipline, a sense of community, democratic student government, a moral community among adults, and opportunities to address moral concerns. They recruit parents and the community as partners and foster caring beyond the classroom by using inspiring role models and opportunities for community service to help students learn to care by giving care.
Teachers acts as a caregiver, model and mentor, treating students with love and respect, setting a good example and supporting pro-social behavior, and correcting hurtful actions. The teacher creates a moral community, helping students respect and care about each other and feel valued within the group, and a democratic classroom environment, where students are involved in decision-making. They practice moral discipline, using the creation and application of rules as opportunities to foster moral reasoning, self-control, and a respect for others, and teach values through the curriculum by using academic subjects as a vehicle for examining ethical values. They use cooperative learning to teach children to work together and they help develop their students’ academic responsibility and regard for the value of learning and work. They encourage moral reflection through reading, writing, discussion, decision-making exercises, and debate, and they teach conflict resolution to help students learn to resolve conflicts in fair, non-violent ways.
What is the goal of character education?
To develop students socially, ethically, and academically by infusing character development into every aspect of the school culture and curriculum. To help students develop good character, which includes knowing, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values such as respect, responsibility, honesty, fairness, and compassion.
Source: Character Education Partnership
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