Character

Character Education

SPSE 7160 - SU 2010
Dr. Kyle Butler - MTSU
Linda Plunkett

Dr. Thomas Lickona
1943 - Present

• Developmental Psychologist

• Professor of Education at the State
University of New York.

• Award-winning work in teacher
education.

• Director of the Center for the Fourth

and Fifth R’s (Respect and Responsibility).

What is it?...

Deliberate instruction in basic values and

morals, ideally woven into lessons throughout
the curriculum. Movements are under way to

include character education in school curricula
as a means of addressing what many

educators, policy-makers, and community

11 principles

1. Promotes core ethical values.

members view as a decline in values among
children, particularly honesty, respect,
responsibility, empathy and civic duty.

2. “Character” defined as thinking,
feeling, and behavior.
3. Requires an intentional, proactive,
and comprehensive approach.
4. School must be a caring
community.
5. Students need opportunities for
moral action.
6. Meaningful and challenging
curriculum that respects all
learners.
7. Strive to develop students’ intrinsic
motivation.
8. School staff must become a
learning and moral community.
9. Requires moral leadership for both
staff and students.
10. Recruit parents and community.
11. Asses the character of the school to
manifest good character.

approaches to character
education

• Holistic Approach

• Smorgasbord Approach
• Build a Caring Community
• Teach Values Through the Curriculum
• Class Discussions
• Service Learning
• Explicit Instructions in Character and Values
• Program Evaluation