How to Teach Virtue in the Classroom
If you encounter children on a regular basis, you are teaching character by example, whether you mean to or not. However, there is a big push in 21st century schools to intentionally teach virtues in the classroom. Some parents want the schools to support what they are doing at home. Other children come to school lacking adequate virtues training because of a variety of factors and pressures at home, so teachers feel the need to pick up the slack. Good character requires more than compliance to a set of rules for specified rewards and punishments. Producers of character education media, David H. Elkind and Freddy Sweet teach, "Our aim should be to develop independent thinkers who are committed to moral principals in their lives, and who are likely to do the right thing even under challenging circumstances."
Instructions
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Select a list of virtues you wish to emphasize in your classroom. The possibilities are almost endless: respect, responsibility, caring, love, consideration, compassion, patience, gentleness, self-control, confidence, generosity, peacefulness, courage, helpfulness, perseverance, courtesy, honesty and truthfulness, tact, determination, honor, thankfulness, enthusiasm, humility, reliability, pursuit of excellence, joyfulness, self-discipline, faithfulness, justice, trustworthiness, forgiveness, kindness, friendliness, loyalty, obedience, hard work, fair play, patriotism, civic duty ... and the list goes on.
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Model the behavior you expect to help children connect with real world applications of the values you teach. Children imitate the important adults in their lives so let them see you practicing what you preach. "To be internalized, virtues must be taught and modeled," explains Weiss, Weiss and Langiulli's article "Teaching Virtues in a Basic School" in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's journal, Classroom Leadership.
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Integrate virtues training in your regular curriculum instead of artificially separating it out as a discrete topic. If you want students to apply virtues as normal operating procedure in their lives, weave them naturally into all aspects of your classroom rather than treating them as an add-on. Discuss character traits demonstrated by literary characters and use virtues vocabulary in storytelling, math word problems and describing historical figures and the character traits they displayed during key moments in history. Service learning in science classes opens up consideration of ethical issues, civic duty, environmental responsibility and consideration, kindness and compassion for others. Planning for classroom visitors provides an opportunity to teach helpfulness, courtesy, good manners and gratitude.
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Build a classroom community that thrives on mutual kindness and respect. Class meetings where all students get to have a voice in developing goals and rules, activity plans and solving problems, cooperative learning activities, buddies programs and teaching conflict resolution and social skills all provide a vehicle for instilling virtues vocabulary and practical skills in children's minds and hearts. Elkind and Sweet advise, "turn the school into a laboratory where students practice the kinds of roles, and cope with the kinds of challenges, they will face in later life."
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Encourage students to reflect on poor choices and behaviors in terms of virtues. Help them see the negative effect of their choices on the character they are trying to develop.
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Involve the children in a variety of service learning projects from planning to completion. Elkind and Sweet report, "Service learning takes the kids well past merely performing the service --- they also select it, plan it, and then reflect on their entire experience." This is a 360-degree immersion experience in applying virtues where the rubber meets the road and really making them stick in the children's hearts and minds for life.
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Tips & Warnings
Elkind and Sweet state, "We need to engage our kids in activities that make them think critically about moral and ethical questions, inspire them to become committed to moral and ethical actions, and give them ample opportunities to practice moral and ethical behavior."
References
- Inspiring Teachers Publishing, Inc.: Character Education - The Backbone of Your Classroom: Jeri Asaro:
- The George Lucas Educational Foundation: How to Teach Character in the Classroom: Grace Rubenstein:
- Today's School: "How to Do Character Education": September/October 2004: David H. Elkind and Freddy Sweet, Ph.D:
- The Instructional Leader: Teaching Virtues in a Basic School: May 2002: Eileen Weiss, Stephen Weiss and Linda Langiulli:
- National Council for the Social Studies: Fostering Civic Virtue: Character Education in the Social Studies:
