Module 7

A K-12 Developmentally Appropriate Core Curriculum for

Character Education

The information in this PowerPoint module should be read very carefully after listening to and watching each slide, or after listening to and watching the entire presentation. Since you control the transition from one slide to the next, you can pause to read after the narration and animation on each slide, or you can single-click on each slide during a second playing of the module to bypass the narration and animation and to bring up all of the readable copy. The additional reading of one or more of several books is strongly recommended as a follow-up. You may want to investigate the books by the following authors: Kevin Ryan, William Damon, Tom Lickona, Peter L. Benson, Ruth Charney, Marvin Berkowitz, Lawrence Kohlberg, Philip Vincent, Chip Wood, John Dewey, and Gordon Vessels.

In review, we have covered using all

avenues to learning and all that we know about child

development. Now we need to look at what to

teach and when to teach it!

In review, we have covered using all

avenues to learning and all that we know about child

development. Now we need to look at what to

teach and when to teach it!

CHARACTERCHARACTERCharacter implies moral character and

a personality characterized by empathy, internalized moral standards and values,

a conscience, the ability to reason autonomously, sensitively, and fairly about moral issues, and habitual action that is consistent with moral

thoughts and feelings (virtue).

Character implies moral character and a personality characterized by empathy,

internalized moral standards and values, a conscience, the ability to reason

autonomously, sensitively, and fairly about moral issues, and habitual action that is consistent with moral

thoughts and feelings (virtue).

Moral Character can be viewed as a combination of personal and social

integrity with each defined in terms of virtues (behavioral predispositions

embedded in personality and identity) and various types of feeling, thinking, and

knowing (moral reasoning, conscience, empathy), that change naturally and qualitatively as children mature if the

necessary supports are in place.

Moral Character can be viewed as a combination of personal and social

integrity with each defined in terms of virtues (behavioral predispositions

embedded in personality and identity) and various types of feeling, thinking, and

knowing (moral reasoning, conscience, empathy), that change naturally and qualitatively as children mature if the

necessary supports are in place.

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

FOCUS ON AUTONOMYFOCUS ON AUTONOMY

FO

CU

S

on

IN

DIV

IDU

AL

& B

EL

IEF

SF

OC

US

o

n

IND

IVID

UA

L &

BE

LIE

FS

Prudential Education

PersonalIntegrity

Ability Effort

Social Education

SocialIntegrity

Friendship Teamwork

Cultural Education

PersonalIntegrity

Kindness Courage

Curricular Emphasis

in Terms of Virtues

FOCUS ON HETERONOMYFOCUS ON HETERONOMY

FO

CU

S o

n C

OM

MU

NIT

Y &

SC

IEN

CE

FO

CU

S o

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MU

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IEN

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Human Nature Good

Human Nature Bad

Civic Education

SocialIntegrity

Citizenship

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Character Operationally DefinedIn terms of Personal Virtues or Personal Integrity,

people with moral character:

1. Show KINDNESS and compassion with

empathetic understanding;

2. Show the COURAGE to be honest and principled

irrespective of circumstances;

3. Have the ABILITY to independently resolve

problems, analyze situations where moral values

or principles may be in conflict, and adapt to

change in a personally and socially constructive

manner; and

4. Display a high level of EFFORT in their work and a

high level of commitment to individual and group

goals and standards.

With respect to Social Virtues or Social Integrity, people with moral character:

5. Show an interest in and concern for others in the

spirit of FRIENDSHIP and brotherhood and act on

these concerns routinely;

6. Show responsible and other-directed TEAMWORK

within families, groups, and communities; and

7. View the preservation of social institutions and the

improvement of both self and community as civic

duties or obligations of CITIZENSHIP.

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Primary-Virtue Definitions for Kids

Kindness: making others feel better by knowing how they feel and causing good feelings.

Courage: being strong enough to do what is right when you are afraid to do so.

Ability: having the skills to figure out what is right and good and to make yourself and your world better.

Effort: doing your best and not giving up even when things are very hard.

Friendship: treating others the way you want to be treated.

Teamwork: helping to achieve group goals by doing your part and working well with others.

Citizenship: following rules and laws and trying to make yourself and your community better.

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Abilityattentivecreativepreparedskillfulorganizedknowledgeablerealisticflexibleobjectivedeliberateprudentresourceful

Abilityattentivecreativepreparedskillfulorganizedknowledgeablerealisticflexibleobjectivedeliberateprudentresourceful

Couragehonestexploringbrave sorryindependentrisk-takingdecisiveassertiveself-disclosingself-evaluatingperseveringprincipled

Couragehonestexploringbrave sorryindependentrisk-takingdecisiveassertiveself-disclosingself-evaluatingperseveringprincipled

Efforthard-workingenergeticdeterminedcompetitivestudiousself-disciplinedambitiousdedicatedoptimisticidealisticpersistentconscientious

Efforthard-workingenergeticdeterminedcompetitivestudiousself-disciplinedambitiousdedicatedoptimisticidealisticpersistentconscientious

Kindnessnicelovinggentlecheerfulthankfulfriendlycomfortingcourteoussensitiveinterestedcompassionateempathetic

Kindnessnicelovinggentlecheerfulthankfulfriendlycomfortingcourteoussensitiveinterestedcompassionateempathetic

Teamworkon-taskrespectfulcooperativeproductiveresponsiblepositivemediatingpunctual/prompthumble/modestgenuine/sincerecompromisingtemperate

Teamworkon-taskrespectfulcooperativeproductiveresponsiblepositivemediatingpunctual/prompthumble/modestgenuine/sincerecompromisingtemperate

Citizenshippeace-lovingrule-followingdrug-freelaw-abidinghealth consciousrights-respectingvolunteeringeducated/employedsocially responsibleculturally literatehistorically literate family valuing

Citizenshippeace-lovingrule-followingdrug-freelaw-abidinghealth consciousrights-respectingvolunteeringeducated/employedsocially responsibleculturally literatehistorically literate family valuing

Friendshiphelpingsharing/givingfair/justforgivingpatientconsideratesupportiveunderstandingtrustworthydevoted/loyalcharitablealtruistic

Friendshiphelpingsharing/givingfair/justforgivingpatientconsideratesupportiveunderstandingtrustworthydevoted/loyalcharitablealtruistic

Social Virtues / Social IntegritySocial Virtues / Social Integrity

Personal Virtues / Personal IntegrityPersonal Virtues / Personal Integrity

Primary & Elaborative Personal & Social VirtuesPrimary & Elaborative Personal & Social Virtues

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Citizenship: Rights Respecting, Educated/Employed, Patriotic/ Voting, Historically Literate, Cult- urally Literate, Family ValuingKindness: EmpatheticCourage: Persevering, PrincipledAbility: Deliberate, Prudent, ResourcefulEffort: Optimistic, Idealistic, Persistent, ConscientiousFriendship: Charitable, AltruisticTeamwork: Compromising, Temperate

• Self-Directed, Principled, and Self-Governing Autonomy• Autonomous Critical Thinking About Moral Issues, Laws, and Social Conventions• Integration of Roles, Values, Behaviors, and Attributes into Prosocial and Ethical Identity

Courage: Independent, Decisive, Risk-Taking, Assertive, Self- Disclosing, Self-EvaluatingKindness: CompassionateAbility: Flexible, ObjectiveEffort: Ambitious, DedicatedFriendship: Understanding, Trust-worthy, Devoted/LoyalTeamwork: Humble/Modest, Genuine/SincereCitizenship: Volunteering

• Full Rational Conscience

• Early Autonomous Moral

Reasoning

• Social Consciousness or

Sense of Duty to Others

Besides Peers & Friends

• Mutual Trust

In Personal Friendships

Teamwork: Cooperative, Positive, Productive, Responsible, Mediating, Punctual/PromptKindness: Sensitive, InterestedCourage: RemorsefulAbility: Knowledgeable, Organized, RealisticEffort: Self-Disciplined, StudiousFriendship: SupportiveCitizenship: Drug-Free, Health- Conscious, Law-Abiding

• A Beginning Rational Conscience• Fairness as Equity• Context-Dependent Justice• Perspective Taking / The Cognitive Part of Empathy• Even-Handed Reciprocity in Friendships

Friendship: Fair, Forgiving, Patient, ConsiderateKindness: Comforting, CourteousCourage: Brave, SorryAbility: Prepared, SkillfulEffort: Energetic, Determined, CompetitiveTeamwork: RespectfulCitizenship: Rule-Following

• Authoritarian

Conscience

• Fairness as Equality

Competence / Want To

Do Things Well

• Unevenhanded Recipro-

city in Friendships

Kindness: Nice, Loving, Gentle, Cheerful, Thankful, FriendlyCourage: Honest, ExploringAbility: Attentive, CreativeEffort: Hard-WorkingFriendship: Helpful, SharingTeamwork: On-TaskCitizenship: Peace-Loving

• Affective Empathy

• Initiative / Do Things

• Conformity to Rules

• Nonselectively Sociable

OTHER TARGETED PRIMARY AND

ELABORATIVE VIRTUES

TARGETED PSYCHOLOGICAL

PROCESSES

MAIN PRIMARY-VIRTUE FOCUS

FOR LEVEL

DEVELOPMENTAL

LEVEL

(GRADES)

KINDNESS

FRIENDSHIP

TEAMWORK

COURAGE

CITIZENSHIP

NINTHTENTH

ELEVENTHTWELFTH

NINTHTENTH

ELEVENTHTWELFTH

SIXTHSEVENTHEIGHTH

SIXTHSEVENTHEIGHTH

THIRDFOURTH

FIFTH

THIRDFOURTH

FIFTH

FIRST

SECOND

FIRST

SECOND

PRE-K&K

PRE-K&K

VESSELS’ CORE CURRICULUM

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Operational Definition of Moral Character

Operational Definition of Moral Character

“Process” Extraction:Affective & Cognitive Processes

Types of moral thinking and feelingprocesses that may or may not bring

about moral behavior

“Content” Extraction:Virtues & Meta-Moral Characteristics

Types of habitual good behavior thatsuggest the possibility of related moral

feeling and thinking

ReasoningConscienceSocial Integrity

Personal Integrity

Primary Virtues:KINDNESSCOURAGE

ABILITYEFFORT

Targeted at all 5developmental levels

in four objectives

Primary Virtues:FRIENDSHIPTEAMWORKCITIZENSHIP

Targeted at all 5developmental

levels in 3 objectives

Elaborative

Virtues:

Twelve for each of

the four Primary

Virtues listed above

with 8 to 10

targeted at each of

the 5 developmental

levels in 4 objectives

Elaborative

Virtues:Twelve for each of

the three Primary

Virtues listed above

with 5 to 10

targeted at each

of the 5

developmental

levels in 3

objectives

Age-appropriate forms

or precursors targeted at each of the 5

developmental levelsin 1 objective

Age-appropriate forms

or precursors targeted at each of the 5

developmental levelsin 1 objective

Motivated by (1) a sense of obligation to others

that reflects internalized

social-role expectations and moral principles, (2) a genuine concern

for others that includes affective empathy and role taking, and (3) self-

regulative and self-reinforcing feelings

that accompany reflexive

self-judgment, that is, a social-empathetic, emotionally self-

regulating conscience

Have the independentability and will (1) to think critically about Moral issues, (2) to

reason autonomously and objectively when

values and ethical principles are in conflict, (3) to

engage in critical and objective self-evaluation that amends self-

exonerative reality distortion, and (4) to effectively take the

perspective of others about self and others

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Instructional Focus for Early Elementary (Middle Childhood)

Targeted Virtues for Early Elementary (Middle Childhood)

The primary focus for first and second grade students is . . .

● Friendship and the elaborative virtues of fair, forgiving,

patient, and considerate.

Other targeted virtues include:

● Kindness and the elaborative virtues of comforting and

courteous;

● Courage and the elaborative virtues of brave and sorry;

● Ability and the elaborative virtues of prepared and skillful;

● Effort and the elaborative virtues of energetic,

determined, and competitive;

● Teamwork and the elaborative virtue of respectful; and

● Citizenship and the elaborative virtue of rule-following.

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

Psychological Processes

The targeted processes forfirst and second grade children are . . .

● Expanding their natural affective empathy to include a beginning cognitive or perspective-taking component,

● Promoting the process of internalizing adult rules and standards through inductions, which connect transgressions with their affects, elicit empathetic distress and guilt, and yield an early authoritarian conscience,

● Promoting the development of a beginning notion of fairness that appreciates equality but not equity,

● Promoting the transition from wanting to do things (initiative) to wanting to do them well (competence), and

● Encouraging early forms of cooperation and

friendship that will be limited by a one-way social perspective that is self-serving, unevenly reciprocal, and instrumental.

Psychological Processes

The targeted processes forfirst and second grade children are . . .

● Expanding their natural affective empathy to include a beginning cognitive or perspective-taking component,

● Promoting the process of internalizing adult rules and standards through inductions, which connect transgressions with their affects, elicit empathetic distress and guilt, and yield an early authoritarian conscience,

● Promoting the development of a beginning notion of fairness that appreciates equality but not equity,

● Promoting the transition from wanting to do things (initiative) to wanting to do them well (competence), and

● Encouraging early forms of cooperation and

friendship that will be limited by a one-way social perspective that is self-serving, unevenly reciprocal, and instrumental.

Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

1. Students will begin to take the perspective of

others, will internalize adult rules and

standards, and will begin to show a desire to

do things well. They will demonstrate this

growth through their responses to teacher

questions and their expressed feelings and

attitudes, and by behaving in accordance

with adult rules and expectations when

adults are not present.

2. Students will expand their understanding of

kindness to include being polite, comforting,

and courteous, and will demonstrate this

understanding by using gentle talk and

touch and offering to play with upset peers,

and by adding to their social skills the

courtesies of saying "good morning" and

"excuse me," and by not interrupting the

teacher when she is talking to someone else.

Sample Standards or Instructional Objectives