Character Education

Where did it come from, and where is it leading us?

By: Phil Thomas

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is this picture saying?

(A concept attainment exercise for use as a discussion starter)

Kingston Historical Website (2009)

Definitions:

Character - the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual The word character, comes from the Greek word that means to engrave. OSullivan defines character this way,
literally, then, character traits are those markings engraved upon us that lead us to behave in specific ways (OSullivan, 2004).

Character education has assumed a variety of definitions over the years and has become quite a controversial subject, at least in some postmodern educational circles.

Traditional Public Education

The formation of morals and character was an essential part of the education process Moral education was integrated through a religion based approach The best education was considered to be one that infused religion into it. This was the preferred approach to moral education Prayer and Bible reading was an integral part of the daily curriculum The Bible was often used as a primary textbook Teachers were expected to be role models and held accountable for moral excellence

An Evolving Nation

By the late 1800s the nation was rapidly evolving due to: Westward expansion Increasing population The industrial revolution Religious pluralism Character education was in need of a makeover if it was to be a relevant factor in the newly emerging corporate and industrial society A sizable shift was underway to emphasize the rising vocational interests in education (Setran, D. 2003). The shift was intentionally moving education away from a focus on the traditional approach and moral excellence to an emphasis on social efficiency and modern citizenship (Setran, D. 2003).

Separation of Church and State

A rapidly growing U.S. population and an increase in religious pluralism eventually lead to fierce debates over the role of religion in public education In 1902, Sanford Cobb began to speak out about keeping religion out of public education, stating things like, Separation of church and state is Americas great contribution to humankind (Davis, 2006). As a consequence of this new ideology, moral training began to be removed from schools and left in the hands of families, churches and other volunteer organizations (Davis, 2006).

The New Character Education

The move away from traditional moral education was pioneered by men like John Dewey and Horace Mann in the early days of the twentieth century (Davis, 2006). Deweys progressive approach to education moved away from using moral codes and teaching particular virtues in character education, to applying science and reason to ethics with an emphasis on problem solving and the democratic process (Davis, 2006). These ideas laid the foundation for the new character education strategy, which included an emphasis on social conformity and vocational preparation (Davis, 2006).

John Deweys Character Education and its controversial ties to Religious Humanism

Fact: Humanism is a religion that can be traced back to fourteenth century Italy and the teachings of Petrarch (Aspy, 2001). Fact: It is no secret, John Dewey was a Humanist, and signer of the Humanist Manifesto, in 1933. (American Humanist Association, 2008) Fact: Dewey wrote two books, Faith in Education and Democracy and Education, that tell how he planned to accomplish the goals laid out in the Humanist Manifesto through America's public school system. Fact: John Dewey won the widespread acceptance of Humanism in the mainstream establishment of public education (Gabler, & Gabler, 1987). Fact: As the separation of church and state philosophy was taking hold, traditional religious education was being replaced with a new religion, Humanism (Davis, 2006). Fact: Since its arrival to popular culture in the 1930s, humanistic ideology has became commonplace in our modern social and moral framework.

Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development

The research into moral development by Jean Piaget and Lawrence Kohlberg, reinforces Deweys proposals for moral education (Davis, D. 2006). In a 1958 study, Kohlberg presented children and adolescents with a series of moral dilemmas in which they had to apply moral and reasoning skills to determine what to do in given situations (Crain, W. 1985) As a result of this study, Kohlberg uncovered, what he believed to be, six stages of moral development. Stage 1 - Obedience and Punishment Orientation, Stage 2 - Individualism and Exchange, Stage 3 Conventional Morality, Stage 4 - Maintaining the Social Order, Stage 5 - Social Contract and Individual Rights, and Stage 6 - Universal Principles (Crain, W. 1985).

Results of Kohlbergs Study on Moral Development

Kohlberg concludes, stages are not taught, they emerge from our own thinking about moral problems (Kohlberg, 1969). Social experiences promote development by stimulating our mental processes (Kohlberg, 1969). He emphasizes justice rather than character as the basis for advanced moral decisions (Kohlberg, 1969). He feels that teachers are facilitators of moral development rather than as instructing students in absolute virtues (Kohlberg, 1969).

Compare and contrast traditional moral education to Deweys character education

Traditional Approach

Deweys Character Ed

Values (right and wrong) are based on absolute rules (The Bible) Values (rules) are constant; they do not change (the Bible) Values are taught and reinforced in daily interaction (The Bible) God is the final authority; He decides right & wrong (The Bible)

There are no absolutes; rules, values (right and wrong) emerge from within each person (Kohlberg, 1969;
Humanist Manifesto II, 1973)

Values(rules) can change depending on the situation

(Kohlberg, 1969; Humanist Manifesto II, 1973)

Values are discovered through social interaction

(Kohlberg, 1969; Humanist Manifesto II, 1973)

Humans are the final authority; (individually or collectively) we decide right & wrong (Kohlberg, 1969;
Humanist Manifesto II, 1973)

Character Development: A Biblical Worldview

Character education is a Biblical concept Deuteronomy 6:7 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up (NIV Bible, 2008) The Bible clearly emphasizes the need for an external standard, a set of core values Core values specify what is truly right and wrong Core values must be taught by someone and learned by children which promotes moral knowing and moral action. Both are needed to have good character (Davis, 2006). For best results, core values must be integrated into every aspect of a students everyday learning experience.

Effects of past character education on moral development and reasoning:

In My Humble Opinion:

In regards to equipping students with moral reasoning skills that would prepare them for making good decisions in response to the difficulties and hardships the real world will offer, past character education attempts have yielded very little. (watch the news)
Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows (Galations 6:7; NIV Bible).

The ill-conceived character education strategies of the past have made moral reasoning more difficult than ever by blurring the lines between right and wrong and forcing us into a situational ethics approach where there are no real answers to any of the questions people are asking. Someone once said, Aim at nothing, and youll hit it every time. (Author unknown)

Effects of past character education on moral development and reasoning (continued):

Since we are not born knowing right and wrong, feel good, developmental therapy methods of discovering that which we have not even been taught are a colossal waste of time. This is the stuff schizophrenia is made of. Humanistic Character Education has lead our society into a dazed and confused state of moral apathy.
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12; NIV Bible).

There can be no teaching of virtues or morality without at least drawing from key principles found in the Bible. The way to enable students to develop moral reasoning skills, or as I would rather clarify our purpose by referring to it as, the ability to apply absolute moral principles to real-life situations in a manner that results in good decisions, moral behavior and positive consequences, is to start by teaching them what truly is moral, good and bad, right and wrong.

Where do we go from here?

We must revamp the current character education strategy. The new strategy must include these components:
A set of core common values that can be presented to the students, that clearly define that which is right and wrong and that can be used as a standard by which students and educators can measure behavior. A focus on consequences as a secondary motivator to integrity for inspiring people to honor the core values A strategy for teaching morals and character that integrates the those values into every aspect of the learning experience; submersion A plan to get teachers, coaches and parents involved in rolemodeling the desired values as well as a means of providing accountability An aspect of service that gives students an opportunity to go out into the community to further develop and practice the values in a real-life setting.

Recent developments in Character Education

In response to concerns over the ongoing problems of suicide, drug abuse, school shootings and other forms of violence among teens, many have been awakened to the benefits of character education (Davis, 2006). In his first term in office, George Bush asked congress for $24 Billion to fund character education. That tripled the current budget amount (p. 12). A shift back to a hybrid traditional approach has been stirring in which educators specify important character traits to be emphasized and define what good character actually is (Meece & Daniels, 2008). However, we need more schools to get on board, act quickly, and take advantage of the moment we have right now, to engrave life-giving character into the hearts and minds of the next generation.

References
American Humanist Association, (2009). The Humanist Manifesto II. Ret. July 12, 2009, http://americanhumanist.org/Who_We_Are/About_Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_II Aspy, D. N., (2001). Three Proposed Tenants of Modern Religious Humanism: Toward Humanist Unity. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development, 40(1). Retrieved June 30, 2009, from Education Research Complete Crain, W.C. (1985). Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. Davis, D. H., (2006). Character Education in Americas Public Schools. Journal of Church & State, Vol. 48(1), 5-14. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from Education Research Complete Gabler, M. & Gabler, N. (1987). Humanism in Textbooks: Secular Religion in the Classroom. Communication Education, 36(4), 362. Retrieved June 30, 2009 from Education Research Complete Kingston Historical Website, (2009). School Days, dear old golder rule days. Retrieved July 17,2009, http://localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/115.htm Kohlberg, L. (1969). Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization. In D.A. Goslin (Ed.), Chicago: Rand McNally. Meece, J. L., & Daniels, D.H. (2008). Child & Adolescent Development for Educators (3rd Ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill. OSullivan, S. (2004). Books to live by: Using childrens literature for character education. Ther Reading Teacher, 57, 640-645 Setran, D. P., (2003). From Morality to Character: Conservative Progressivism and the Search for Civic Virtue, 1910-1930. Paedagogica Historica, 39(4), 435. Retrieved June 30, 2009 from Education Research Complete The Bible (2005). New International Version. Zondervan