When we send our children to school we can expect that schools will focus on their character education. Although ‘Character Education’ is not a formal class, most schools have a formal policy that oversees character education and suggests ways in which it can be integrated into daily teaching and learning.
Character, or moral, development has been an aspect of cognitive educational psychology for decades. The theory of moral development, from a cognitive standpoint, started with Lawrence Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development.
Now, first and most importantly is this: character is developed. It is both learned and natural. It is developed through interactions with family, peers, and any other major influences. A child of 5 and a child of 15 have different character and sense of morality. At 45, the difference is even deeper.
Over the years, character and morality deepen through our experiences and personal observations. Our thoughts, belief, what we read, and how we perceive will affect our character, and this should be factored into realistic character education models.
In Kohlberg’s theory, a person passes through stages: the first stage is pre-conventional. Such is youth, when the guiding questions are “what’s in it for me?” and” “how can I avoid trouble?” The moral and character development is self-interested, naturally, and oriented to punishment and consequences, environmentally.
However, life is more complicated, and we want the best for our new best friends, and we get jealous of the most popular person in class. And so with adolescence, interpersonal relations, social order, and even a tinge of authority bear down on what is the conventional stage of moral development.
Once adolescence is over, which can take some time, we move into what is called the post-conventional stage of moral development, in which the thoughts we take on include universal principles and ethics. The ability to think through these things, without rushing to judgment, is a mark of moral maturity, and shows academically.
Probably the best way to guide moral development for a child is to talk with them. By posing ethical and moral questions and offering up the opportunity to think things through, a child has a chance to grow. A child, most likely, will come back to the conversation in their mind at a later point, which deepens their thinking on the topic.
As with many aspects of intellectual development, real discussions can provide significant benefits. One-on-one conversation with a kid can spark an idea, or a drive, or a motivation, moving them forward in their personal development.
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