By Ed DeRoche

One of the most frequent comments we received from teachers and others is: “I don’t know what character education is, but I don’t have time to do it. I have too much on my plate already.”

Here we are in May of 2014 and we still hear that comment but now the plate also contains “food” like the common core standards, STEM, and tests of all kinds.

My usual response is to remind them “It’s the law.“ You could see the expressions on teachers and administrators faces —“No, not really!”

CDC staff member, CJ, offers a better response: “Many teachers say: “I have no time to teach character—I have too much on my plate already.’  That’s like saying: ‘I’m cooking dinner but there is no time to make it nutritious!’”

The “law” – California Education Code Section 233.5(a) – lays the groundwork and calls upon educators to impress upon students the principles of character:

Each teacher shall endeavor to impress upon the minds of the pupils the principles of morality, truth, justice, patriotism, and a true comprehension of the rights, duties, and dignity of American citizenship, and the meaning of equality and human dignity, including the promotion of harmonious relations, kindness toward domestic pets and the humane treatment of living creatures, to teach them to avoid idleness, profanity, and falsehood, and to instruct them in manners and morals and the principles of a free government. Each teacher is also encouraged to create and foster an environment that encourages pupils to realize their full potential and that is free from discriminatory attitudes, practices, events, or activities, in order to prevent acts of hate violence…

What are the “principles of character” referred to in the Code?

I have found 12 that might help form character education programs in schools and school districts. Let’s look at them as the traits/values/virtues /behaviors that our children should have learned by the time they finished 12 or 13 years with us in our schools.

Through the research efforts of the International Center for Leadership in Education, 12 guiding principles have been identified as key principles upon which to base a character education program. My summary:

1. Adaptability -The ability and willingness to change.
2. Compassion – Kindness. The desire to help others in distress.
3. Contemplation – To think things through with proper care before taking action.
4. Courage – Bravery. To face difficulty or danger, and express your beliefs even if you are afraid.
5. Honesty – Truthfulness, sincerity. To be truthful in all that you do and never deceive, steal, or take advantage of the trust of others.
6. Initiative – Eagerness to do something. To take responsible action on your own, without prompting from others.
7. Loyalty – Faithfulness, dependability. To show others that you are dependable when you have a commitment to them.
8. Optimism – The inclination to take a hopeful view or think that all will work out for the best. To strive to be positive in your beliefs about yourself, others, and the future.
9. Perseverance – Hard work. The quality of continuously trying in spite of obstacles and difficulties.
10. Respect – Regard, value, admire, and appreciate. To show regard for yourself, others, and the world around you.
11. Responsibility – To demonstrate that you are accountable for your actions, and that you follow through on your commitments.
12. Trustworthiness– Reliability. Deserving of trust and confidence.

Here is what the former CA State Superintendent of Public Instruction said:

“Is our only objective to get students ready for success in the workforce? Do we not also have a responsibility to prepare students to be active and engaged citizens? Don’t we want our next generation to be caring neighbors, effective parents, and strong role models for the generation after theirs? Aren’t we obligated to provide them with the skills they need to successfully pursue and achieve happiness and joy in their lives? I think we are, and I believe technological change and the global economy make it more important than ever that we focus on these things.”

Character and the Arts
By Ed DeRoche

Good character is not formed automatically; it is developed over time through a sustained process of teaching, modeling, learning, and experience.
– Maryland State Department of Education

In early March the public celebrated the 110th birthday of Dr. Seuss
I joined the celebration by going to see the Christian Youth Theater’s (Escondido) excellent production of “Seussical—The Musical.”

Reading the “playbill” I noticed this quote:
Research has shown that children who receive regular exposure to the arts are four times more likely to be recognized for academic excellence, to participate in a math and science fair, or to win an award for writing a poem or essay.

Why a statement on research, I asked myself? I found other information that supports the “playbill quote.” For example, Dennis W. Creedon, Assistant Superintendent in the Philadelphia School District, says: “Teaching children about art is as important as teaching them math or reading. People see it as a frill, but it’s not a frill. It’s actually the center of the core. If you cut these out of schools, you are really cutting the heart out of our children and their future.”   Several experts make the case for adding the ”A” to STEM** and for promoting programs that develop children and youth’s artistic/performance skills and talents.

Lisa Phillips (The Artistic Edge: 7 Skills Children Need to Succeed in an Increasingly Right Brain World) writes about the ten skills children learn from the arts (summarized below.) I was struck by how these skills and traits apply directly to the development of good character, to academic achievement, to future careers and success in life.

1. Creativity – Being able to think on one’s feet, thinking out of the box, examining different perspectives, and how arts program help children practice creative thinking.
2. Confidence – The skills developed through theater build confidence, help children practice stepping out of their comfort zone and allows them to make mistakes and learn from them in rehearsals.
3. Problem Solving – Artistic creations are born through the solving of problems. Practicing problem solving develops children’s skills in reasoning and understanding.
4. Perseverance –. In an increasingly competitive world where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.
5. Focus – Recent research has shown that participation in the arts improves children’s abilities to concentrate and focus in other aspects of their lives. The ability to focus requires a balance between listening and contributing, concentration and focus, thinking about one’s role, and how that role contributes to the big picture of what is being created.
6. Non-Verbal Communication – Through experiences in theater and dance education, children learn to breakdown the mechanics of body language and how those movements communicate different emotions.
7. Receiving Constructive Feedback –A regular part of any arts (visual, performance) instruction is the improvement of evaluation skills incorporated at every step of the process designed to ensure that critique is a valuable experience and greatly contributes to the success of the final piece.
8. Collaboration – Through the arts, children practice working together, sharing responsibility, and compromising with others to accomplish a common goal– to understand that their contribution is necessary for the success of the group.
9. Dedication – When children learn and practice following through with artistic endeavors that result in a finished product or performance, coupled with a feeling of accomplishment and the development of healthy work habits.
10. Accountability – When children practice creating something collaboratively they get used to the idea that their actions affect other people. Through the arts, children also learn that it is important to admit that you made a mistake and take responsibility for it.

• “STE[+a]M integrates arts with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education sparking the interplay between left-brain convergent thinking and right-brain divergent thinking.”
• In mid-March I read about the Balboa Park STEAM Family Day–“an event featuring family friendly activities that combine science, technology, engineering, art and math.”

Non-Fiction Reading and Character
By Ed DeRoche

I flunked kindergarten. Had to repeat it. Cause: motivation, attitude, interest. There were few “Hallmark Moments” in my elementary school years. I do remember third grade. I usually sat in the back of the class. I was seldom called on. There were no girls in my reading group. “No girls” is a clue that you have a reading problem. Just before morning recess, four of us boys met with our teacher for a 30-minute reading lesson. I always found it strange that our reading group (I wonder what she named us) met with her just before recess. She probably needed a break after such an ordeal.

Several years ago, teachers in one of our character education workshops gave me a children’s book that each of them signed.

This autobiographical book authored by Patricia Polacco tells the story of “Little Tricia” who was “overjoyed at the thought of starting school and learning how to read.” Tricia has trouble reading; her classmates called her “dummy.” Then, her fifth grade teacher discovered that Trisha had talents as an artist. The teacher “sets out to help her prove to herself,” that, in fact, she can and will read.  “You are going to read—I promise you that,” says Mr. Falker. Thus the book’s titled, Thank you, Mr. Falker.

I had a sixth-grade teacher like Mr. Falker (a Mrs.) who discovered that I didn’t like reading fiction books. As a start, she introduced me to reading of our local newspaper, which not only helped with my reading interests and skills, but also contributed to skills in arithmetic, language arts, writing, and my knowledge of currents events, especially sports. From there I was “hooked” on reading biographies and other non-fiction material.

Well you ask, what has this to do with character? Both the use of fiction and non-fiction literature in home and schools can contribute to developing positive character habits and interests, social and emotional skills, and ethical decision-making skills for both boys and girls.

My emphasis on boys and reading in this blog suggests that I ask you these questions:

Who floods our reading clinics? Who receives most schools suspensions? Who do teachers say are the hardest to teach? Who have the lowest reading scores on standardized tests? Who have the higher absentee and dropout rates? Who demonstrate the most anti-social behaviors? Who are least likely to graduate and go to college?

Educators and parents need to start somewhere. Maybe it would be worthwhile, at the very least, to help boys become interested in reading and become proficient at doing it.

Neil Duke’s writes, “We are in the ‘information age’ and students have shown that “the majority of the reading and writing adults do is nonfiction—that about 96% of World Wide Web sites contain nonfictional, informational text—and that academic achievement “relies heavily on informational reading and writing.” Results of the 1992 NAEP: “4^th graders who report reading informational texts and magazines (include newspapers), as well as storybooks, have higher overall reading proficiency than those who read only storybooks or even two out of three of these forms….”

Numerous studies reveal that young learners reap many benefits by using nonfictional material including success in later schooling, preparation in handling real-life reading material, improvement in motivation and attitudes towards reading, expansion of
vocabulary and other kinds of literacy knowledge, and building a knowledge base of the natural and social world.

Teachers and parents should entice boys to the value and benefits of reading and its relationship to character education by accessing, at the very least, these three resources.

www.AwesomeStories.com

• http://www.raisingrealmen.com/2013/01/character-building-books-for-boys/
• http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2012/02/75-childrens-books-that-build-character.html

The Character Crock-Pot
By Ed DeRoche

I recently read an article in Education Week titled “District Pressure Cookers Test Recipes for Success.” From what I have been reading and hearing from educators about implementing the common core standards, many of them are feeling the “pressure” of these mandates and some are letting off steam. A reminder:

The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers… in the global economy.

If I remember correctly, “pressure cookers” preceded “crock pots.”  I discovered the Crock-Pot several years ago.  Really like it –it fits my cooking skills– stuff in — wait 6 to 8 hours — stuff out – test it –if OK, eat it. Just like teaching subject matter.

“Pressure cookers” and “crock pots” offer an interesting metaphor for teachers and teaching– the “cooks.” Obviously, students are “eaters.”  The “character crockpot’s” ingredients include what has been labeled  “performance character and moral character”. A reminder:

Paul Tough (How Children Succeed) — Briefly, “moral character” refers to traits related to values and ethics: honesty, piety, chastity, generosity. “Performance character” refers to traits related to personal effectiveness: self-control, persistence, grit, optimism…. I think both categories are valuable, but I think they’re clearly very different…. Which means that when educators who care about character are able to be more specific about which character traits they’re trying to develop in their students, that benefits everyone.

Additional “spices” flavoring the ingredients are found in an array of positive social and personal social attributes, emotional skills, positive attitudes, motivations, and relationships. As the famous Hal Urban cautions us, in another context, “garbage-in and garbage-out.” My assumption here is that the “food” will be good and if eaten will “nourish “good character.

The “character crock pot” ingredients need to be “cooked,” sometimes on high (intervention) and other times on low (nurturing).  They need to be taught and learned, practiced and performed, and, in some cases, changed and modified. A reminder:

Schools are good at transmitting what the philosopher Michael Oakeshott called technical knowledge. This is the sort of knowledge that can be expressed in rules and put down in books — like the recipes in a cookbook.  But craftsmen possess and transmit practical knowledge.  This sort of knowledge, Oakeshott says, exists only in use.  It cannot be taught, only imparted by imitation and experience.  It’s knowing when to depart from the cookbook; how much, when running a meeting [class], to let the conversation flow and how much to rein it in. Practical knowledge is hard to see, but it is embedded in traditions of behavior (character.) —- David Brooks, “The Leadership Revival,” NYT, 1-13, 2014.

Assessment Biases
By Ed DeRoche

There are five biases that I have encountered after two decades of teaching , writing, and consulting in the character education field, regarding the evaluation of character education initiatives in elementary and secondary schools.

First, assessing character education efforts is a school-site responsibility. Schools are different. Even within the same school district, schools differ in leadership, students served, location, personnel, size, resources, climate, programs, curricula, facilities, and parent and community support and involvement. Any evaluation of character education will reflect the “personality” of the people, place, and programs of a school.

Second, assessing students’ behavior, character, and/or social skills requires different methods of evaluation than does assessing students’ cognitive growth. The public cannot be lead to believe that the results of character assessment can be reduced to a single score, nor that there is some magic test that will inform parents about the behaviors of their children. Character development may never have the equivalent of its own  standardized tests, nor should it. Assessing character requires a different evaluation paradigm.

Third, there is a difference between scientific research and applied action research. Both have different purposes and different methodologies. Researchers call for designs and techniques that are generally not applicable to the confines of a single school, the talents of the school’s clientele, nor the desires of the school’s constituents.

Practitioners do not have the interest, the time, the skills, nor the resources to conduct basic, scientific research. But practitioners should and do engage in action research.  In reality, what teachers, principals, students, and parents want to know is the answer to a basic question: “Are our character education initiatives meeting our goals and expectations?” Or to put it another way, “Is there a pay-off in what we are trying to do to foster the character of our students in this school?”

My fourth bias is that good things happen to school-site personnel when they come together  for any reason  but particularly to assess their school’s character education initiatives. It is captured in the banner, “collaborate to evaluate.” As one authority noted: “Not only does teamwork bring to the auditing process a range of talents and capabilities, but it also is an effective form of staff development providing both ‘social and psyychological’ satisfactions of collective effort.”  My experiences suggest that involving school personnel and stakeholders in assessing their own character education initiatives enhances relationships, creates ownership, develops a community of learners, and empowers all stakeholders.

My  fifth bias is my respect and appreciation for testimonials, both award and personal.  Award testimonials occur when schools and its clientele receive awards and recognition for their practices, programs, and accomplishments. Personal  testimonials are reports from school stakeholders (school leaders, students, parents, community members) about their school’s  character education program efforts. This data, gathered by focus groups, interviews, surveys, and observations reveal interesting and useful perceptions of  what is working, what is not, and how improvements can and should be implemented.

I think the Character Education Partnership (CEP) captures most of my assessment biases when they report: “ Schools that are infusing character education into their curricula and cultures, such as CEP’s National Schools of Character, are finding improved academic achievement, behavior, school culture, peer interaction, and parental involvement. They are seeing dramatic transformations; pro-social behaviors such as cooperation, respect, and compassion are replacing negative behaviors such as violence, disrespect, apathy, and underachievement. When you walk into a character education school – you know it. You find an atmosphere of mutual caring and respect, where students value learning and care about their teachers, classmates, communities, and themselves.” (www.character.org.)

The skills game: Who’s on first? What’s on second? How’s on third!
By Ed DeRoche

An unofficial, non-scientific poll conducted while watching a World Series game revealed that attendees were in a state of confusion about skill development in schools.

Yes, they had heard about the SCAN’s Report, about “soft skills,” and currently popular 21st-century skills. Some educators at the party recognized the names of Bloom and Goldman. The group acknowledged “heard about” was not the same as “know about.” By the seventh inning, they rebelled against continuing the discussion and expressed more interest in the drinks, snacks and the last three innings.

When the party was over and it was time to call it a day, I drove home happy that the Red Sox won and with an idea for my November blog.

Several years ago, Bloom’s Taxonomy was the “go to” for thinking skills. Then came the Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) by the Secretary of Labor. The report illustrated the need for employee skills in three general areas; basic skills (e.g., reading, writing, math, listening, speaking); thinking skills (e.g., thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, reasoning); and personal qualities (e.g., responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, honesty).

Like the SCANS findings, recent employee surveys show that employers are looking for certain qualities in employees such as listening and communication skills, adaptability, creative thinking, problem-solving skills, goal setting, and competence in reading, writing and computation. It has been reported that 85% of those who lose jobs do so because of inadequate social skills.

Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, hit a homerun with his books “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ and Working with Emotional Intelligence.” He revealed data from studies in more than 500 organizations that proved factors such as self-confidence, self-awareness, self-control, commitment and integrity not only create more successful employees, but also more successful companies. Fortune 500 companies report five top qualities they seek in employees that are directly related to Goleman’s findings: teamwork, problem solving, interpersonal skills, oral communication and listening.

In discussing emotional intelligence, Daniel Goleman cites Peter Salovey, a Yale professor who categorized components of emotional and social skills into five areas: knowing one’s emotions, managing emotions, motivating oneself, recognizing emotions in others, and handling relationships.

Business people are talking and writing about “soft skills.” Shari Caudron in an article titled The Hard Case for Soft Skills, says: “Like it or not, emotions are an intrinsic part of our biological makeup, and every morning they march into the office (and our schools and classrooms) with us and influence our behavior … The ability to understand, monitor, manage and capitalize on our emotions can help us make better decisions, cope with setbacks and interact with others more effectively … Executives are starting to talk about the importance of such things as trust, confidence, empathy, adaptability and self-control.” In the education profession, we call this character education.

Our skills-scorecard now includes 21st-century skills. There are four: Ways of Thinking (creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning); Ways of Working (communication and collaboration); Tools for Working (information and communications technology and information literacy; and Skills for Living (citizenship, life and career, and personal and social responsibility). Two skills, according to the team managers, that cut across all four categories are “collaborative problem solving” and “learning in digital networks.”

I think it is fair to say that there are enough skills in the ballgame to fill four or more scorecards. So, how are we/you going to play the skills game?

Starting the School Year with A Sense of Humor
By Ed DeRoche

Character: The True Common Core
By Ed DeRoche