1. Moral Education
EDU 224 | Newberry College

2. Moral Education
What stages do people go through in their moral development?
How can teachers affect a child’s moral development? Should we?
What kind of moral education happens in schools now? In the past?
By the end of class you should be able to answer these questions.

3. When do people usually cheat? Is that really such a bad thing?
In The Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey points out that we tend to judge ourselves based in our intent, but we judge others based on their behaviors.
Have you ever cheated?
When do people usually cheat? Is that really such a bad thing?

4. People always seem to find good reasons to do not-so-good-things.
In June 2005, the Center for Academic Integrity found…
90% of students admitted they cheat.
74% cheated on a high-stakes test.
60% plagiarized on a written assignment.
54% used the internet to plagiarize.
45% believe teachers ignore cheating.
p. 270

5. Can morality be taught in school or even be affected by teachers?

6. Jean Piaget Stages of Cognitive Development
Age Range
Description
Sensori-motor
0 -2
Behaviors are innate and reflexive
Develop knowledge of cause and effect
Preoperational
2 - 6/7
Self-oriented and egocentric
Can only see own viewpoint
Reality is based on what they can see/touch
Concrete Operational
6/7 - 11/12
Can recognize more than one viewpoint
Can think abstractly
Formal Operational
11/12 and up
Can reason theoretically
Not all people reach this stage
From

7. What’s the difference? Stage 2 | Preoperational
Stage 3 | Concrete Operational

8. Lawrence Kohlberg Stages of Moral Reasoning
Age Range
In dilemma, moral reasoning based on…
Pre-conventional
Child
Direct consequences related to self only (obedience, punishment, self-interest)
Conventional
Adolescent
Acceptance of society’s views regarding right and wrong (interpersonal accord, conformity, authority, social order)
Post-conventional
Adult
Recognition that individual perspective may take precedence over societal norms (social contract, universal ethical principles)

9. Should we teach students morals and/or ethics
Should we teach students morals and/or ethics? How are teachers providing moral education these days?
We need to remember that teachers are considered in loco parentis.

10. Historically, teachers are expected to teach ethics and/or morality.
Traditional inculcation  individual analysis
In the early days of schooling, teachers practiced traditional inculcation.
Protestant ethic (diligence, hard work, punctuality, neatness, conformity, and respect for authority)
Students took courses in moral philosophy and/or religion
In the 60s and 70s, teachers and schools started practicing individual analysis.
Students encouraged to consider moral implications of past and present events to form their own value systems.
These days…

11. Models of Moral Education
Values Clarification
Character Education
Service Learning/Community Service
Comprehensive Values Education
These days we have many models.
Values clarification programs help students bring out, think through, and eventually act on their values, often using dilemmas or questions. Critics say this value-neutral system is valueless.
Character education programs focus on directly teaching the core attributes of a moral individual: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, good citizenship, etc.
Good service learning and community service programs help students reflect on their actions and contributions.
Comprehensive values education is a “mix and match” approach.

12. What else can you do? Use and enforce honor code.
Use rules and consequences to teach.
Focus on helping students grow.
Build ethics and morality into units.
Model morals and ethics.

13. How moral and/or ethical do teachers need to be?

14. Class Wiki
Assign/discuss homework. Discuss next steps.