What is Character Education? It is the study of character as an identity, and it emphasizes intrinsic motivation, rather than compliance and reward. This process involves the whole school community: parents, teachers, students, and staff. Whether a child is rewarded or not, it helps to promote a good life. In this way, character can be caught, taught, or sought out. For most of history, character education has been a passive process based on role-modeling and emotional contagion. For it to be effective, everyone needs to be on board.
Character education is a framework for character education in schools
Educating for Character is a framework for character education in schools. It outlines nine classroom strategies to encourage students to develop positive character traits. This framework also identifies three school-wide strategies. Character education can foster a culture of virtue in students. The principles of the Jubilee Centre for Character Education are applied throughout all aspects of the school environment. Educating for Character can help students develop better relationships, a sense of responsibility, and a commitment to a positive, caring society.
The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues has reported that fewer than one in six UK schools have an official plan for character education, and that nearly half of teachers do not even know what it is. The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, at the University of Birmingham, recently studied 450 student teachers. The research found that only eight per cent of student teachers had any idea what character education was, but 97 per cent thought it should be taught in some form.
It focuses on character-as-identity (intrinsic motivation) over compliance and reward (extrinsic motivation)
Research into intrinsic motivation has found that students’ ‘dopaminergic value systems’ are responsive to ‘positive’ feedback in contrast to ‘negative’ feedback. These findings suggest that intrinsic motivation is an important mechanism for learning and development. However, further research is needed to understand its precise mechanisms.
The concept of identity refers to the person’s sense of who she is and what she is. This concept provides the lens through which a person experiences the world and positions herself in the social structure. Typically, an individual has two distinct facets, the personal and social. Personal dimensions of identity refer to traits and values, while social dimensions refer to characteristics that identify an individual as a member of a group.
It involves families
Character education needs to be fully integrated into the school environment and be the language used throughout. Students’ emotional health is affected by high-stress home environments. Character education programs should also take into account the students’ physical needs, such as sleep deprivation. They also need to reflect on the reasons behind their good character. Ultimately, character education must be a natural extension of the learning environment. The key is to involve families and parents in the process.
Parents must support the effort. Character education should be modeled by parents and incorporated into everyday life. Set goals for yourself and share them with your children. Become a role model and share your progress with your children. These efforts are the foundation of character education and will help children build good character. By working together with teachers and parents, character education can be an integral part of school life. If your child is interested in this, they should talk to their parents and ask them if they have any questions.
It involves staff
In order for a school to implement a successful character education program, the entire school community needs to be involved. Character education requires a robust academic curriculum, dedicated staff, and a commitment to character development from the whole community. Character education can be extremely effective and can yield remarkable results when implemented by school communities that come together around character. Listed below are some of the key ingredients needed to ensure a successful character education program.
The goal of effective character education is to engage students in authentic, hands-on activities that encourage them to make good choices. An effective character education program will seek to find connections between academic content and character development. These connections may include debating historical practices, ethical issues in science, or character traits found in literature. The result is a program that promotes good character across all areas of school life. And because the focus of character education is so broad, it can be a powerful tool in achieving educational goals.