Developmental Standards and Character Education

David P. Bobay

Ball State University

EDPSY 250:003

Developmental Standards and Character Education

INTASC Principle 2 states, “The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.”  The purpose of this paper is to discuss how this principle can have practical applications by means of character education for students of all ages and backgrounds. The three areas of this paper (expertise, engagement, and context) come from the Ball State University Conceptual Framework for Professional Education and are supported with theories and research relating to character education. It is crucial for all teachers to understand the emotional, cognitive, and social development of children and to use that knowledge to provide students with the best opportunities for growth.

One approach to teaching is character education. Character education recognizes how influential the school setting can be on a person’s lifelong social behavior. This approach seeks to incorporate practices and habits into the curriculum and daily procedures that encourage positive, social interaction and basic ethics (AG1.1). Research shows that behaviors learned in the grade school years have a lasting impact on one’s personality (Revell, 2002).

An essential component to being a professional educator is expertise. Expertise means being knowledgeable of one’s craft and personal subject. This includes, but is not limited to, understanding your area of expertise, pedagogy and its methods, learning styles, development of learners, and the purpose of education in general. There is growing evidence to support that educators who have a greater knowledge of teaching and learning (due to a university-based teacher education program) are much more effective.

As a future educator, I see it as my duty to be an expert in every part of my field. This often means doing more than is required to gain the fullest extent of knowledge. Being a music teacher, I believe I should be competent in as many areas of music as I can. Therefore, I am taking on many extra courses to be licensed to teach instrumental, vocal, and general music classes. I want to be an expert in the fields of music and education. All students deserve a teacher who can be this for them.

Some proponents of character education contend that there needs to be a structure to it. Social skills programs have been designed and tested for students with physical and mental disabilities. These programs have proved effective in showing improvement in these students social skills and behavior, as well as how students without disabilities interact with them (AG5.1). Through this type of social instruction, students can gain a sense of self efficacy and feel that they are in control of their emotional and interpersonal experiences (Huang, Lee, Richardson, & Toison, 2009).

The main debate of character education is not what to teach but rather how. At younger levels, it can be incorporated without the students being aware. Elementary students can be taught character education through storytelling, discussion, and normal classroom activities. Older students are fed character education more straightforward in the forms of posters, assemblies, and disciplinary actions (Revell, 2002). For the most part, there are more positive reactions and progress in students when character education is done discretely and not forced upon them. It should be a constant part of the school environment, not a one day lesson to be taught and recited. Also, teachers must keep in mind that much outside of school is still affecting their character (AG1.4) (Huang, et al, 2009).

        This topic is something that fascinates me as a teacher because I know that what I say and do in the classroom will be observed by possibly hundreds of students a day. My actions and words will have a great effect on my students. Thus, I want them to be positive and project a sentiment of goodwill and decency. As a music teacher, I will be spending a lot of out of class time with students in rehearsals, performances, travel, and competitions. I want to be a positive role model for them and help them become honest, confident, considerate individuals (AG2.4).

Expertise in character education means I will understand and apply how it relates to developmental characteristics of learners and of learning, the influence of culture on the development of learners, and professional conduct in the classroom. I will learn about how students receive knowledge and under what circumstances they best receive and retain it. I will research how different backgrounds and cultural environments influence social behavior (AG1.4). And I will always be aware of my own conduct and how my actions are being interpreted by students. If I can provide my students with an undercurrent of character education that they can use for life, with or without music, than I will know I made a difference in each student’s life.

Another fundamental component to being a professional educator is engagement. Engagement means developing skills in communicating, managing, planning, evaluating, and designing in regards to instruction and learning environments. This includes, but is not limited to, creating learning environments that emphasize collaboration, social negotiation, and shared responsibility for learning, providing multiple representations of content, helping students understand their own role in constructing knowledge, and emphasizing student-centered instruction (AG 5).

As a future educator, I view the idea of engagement in education as encouraging performance-based assessment and interactive instructional models. When planning lessons, I like to have my students constantly engaged with as many senses as possible. I employ multiple types of assessment too, because this provides students with different ways to display their skills and knowledge (AG 2). An engaged educator should be viewed as a facilitator or guide and the students are the explorers and producers of their own knowledge.

In regards to gifted children, character education can play a large role in their development and should be considered essential. These students often have trouble fitting in socially and must deal with the repressive nature of a non-enriching school environment academically. Many gifted students have an assertive and altruistic nature about them. Therefore, providing them opportunities to act on character by the way they serve and lead others is a powerful method of fostering their character development (Berkowitz & Hoppe, 2009). With gifted children, character education should focus on justice and empowerment. Empowerment strategies allow them to be developmentally stimulated and liberated while developing good character (AG 1.5) (Berkowitz & Hoppe, 2009).

        Trends have been researched as to what groups are most adaptive or show the strongest response to character education. Between genders, females showed greater sensitivity to and made more real life applications of lessons in character education. Studies have shown that females as a whole carry more empathy than males (Holm, Nokelainen, & Tirri, 2009). Furthermore, students who perform stronger academically were also shown to have a greater response to character education. Students with a higher GPA had more mature moral thinking than their peers (Holm, et al., 2009). Many other factors are at play in these statistics, but the trends cannot be ignored.

Engagement in character education means I will create learning environments that promote positive collaboration among students. This is essential in a music classroom. For the students to produce a polished, finished product that they are proud of, they will have to work together. I will tolerate nothing but respect and encouragement between all students. Gender roles will not be present; only equality. I will encourage students to explore their musicality and artistry outside of what might be deemed gender appropriate (AG 2.8). I will have student leadership equally reflect male and female power.

Engagement in character education means I will use multiple representations of content by exploring the cultural and historical aspects of music. Students will understand and hopefully empathize with the intent of the piece and have respect for people of different cultures (AG 5.3). And lastly, engagement in character education means students will feel empowerment, independence, and responsibility for themselves through student-centered instruction. They are the creators of their knowledge, I am the facilitator.

The school’s role in educating students (our future) in how to deal with real life situations in a diverse society is highly important. Character education needs to be taught with a focus on why we should do something, rather than the consequences if we do not. This creates true positive character instead of obedience through fear. This needs to be enforced in the rules of the school, the classroom, and at home. It has been shown that character education thrives when all (students, staff, parents, etc.) are involved (Berkowitz & Hoppe, 2009). Good character education is good education.

Context in education is defined by the growth of competence in working to strengthen linkages between developmental settings, understanding cultural values/beliefs and applying them to instruction, and involving the broader systems within societies to better foster the developmental and educational assets of the community (AG 1). The idea of a learner and their context are linked inseparably. Both must be considered in instruction and interaction. There is much plasticity in learning and development and this creates diverse outcomes. Educators should be creative and adaptive in instruction for different learners and different contexts. Teachers need to be active participants in the community, civic organizations, and families to influence the context of their students’ development (AG 2.10).

Understanding the environmental context a student has come from allows educators to best identify what attributes of character education to focus on and how to give them proper guidance. Cultural values and beliefs play one of the biggest roles in one’s character. Understanding your students allows for successful classroom management (AG 5.5). When teachers communicate with the parents what is being taught in the classroom and how that can be reinforced in the home setting, student growth comes much faster (Huang, et al, 2009).

Music in itself is a collective effort. Involving the community, collaborating with other ensembles, and seeking outside input from professionals in the field can be done anywhere at any level. Connecting with other systems of society broadens students’ social and intellectual horizons. A main component to character education is citizenship. That is, the social responsibility we have to treat all we meet with goodwill and compassion on a daily basis. Collaborating through music is a great way for students to encounter people of all different backgrounds, ages, and beliefs. In this way, students can put their character education into practical use. Rather than recite a list of what it means to be “good”, they can interact positively with strangers and friends alike and work together to make music (Revell, 2002).

As a future music educator I will be very involved in my local community. Music is mostly a collaborative effort and it is only natural to want to work and share that experience with other musicians. I could play with colleagues in community ensembles, give private lessons to youth, and be an active supporter of other arts programs. I will greatly encourage parent involvement to strengthen the link between developmental settings (home and school). Music programs needs parents to fundraise, chaperone, build, bake, etc. When parents and students work together this keeps communication open and promotes positive development at home as well as school.

It is not only important for the teacher to understand the diversity of cultural beliefs and context in the classroom but for the students to understand this as well. In a music classroom I have a lot of opportunity to explore this with my class. Every piece of music comes from a certain culture in a certain period. This opens up discussion of cultures, religions, history, beliefs, and more. Understanding and empathy are the keys to acceptance and tolerance. Students should be exposed to more from an earlier age to expand their world view.

INTASC 2 is the essence of what it means to be an educator. To provide opportunities to grow intellectually, socially, and personally is what we are here for. Having a broad understanding of development is the best way to give this to students. When teachers understand how the body and mind work best (and how they work differently), they can instruct in the most effective manner for each student. Developmental standards 1, 2, and 5 focus on student development, learning processes, and learning environments. These all relate directly to INTASC 2 as well as one another. These are the elements to successful teaching and learning. A great environment and great process will aid student development. These standards indicate different ways to implement these ideas in the classroom. A great educator would include all of these in their yearly classroom plan.

I feel I have a very good grasp on these standards. I have taken several psychology classes at Ball State due to my interest in understanding how people think and develop. My education classes very much focus on which teaching strategies work or do not work and why. Music in general is a very comprehensive subject. It is a national standard to connect music education with other subjects as well as history and culture. Music also can be taught many ways (instruments, voices, listening, composing, improvising). This permits many different classroom environments and processes. The quality of the music education program at Ball State University makes me feel very well-versed in childhood/adolescent development and how to provide opportunities that support this.

My current weaknesses lie in how to provide learning opportunities that adequately promote development in one way or another. I need to learn how to assess my own ideas to construct learning opportunities that achieve the standards. I feel confident in how to create lessons that support intellectual growth, but not as much with social and emotional development. However, the area of character education has given me many ideas to use in my classroom to focus on social/emotional growth opportunities.

I plan on taking more psychology classes while at Ball State to further my knowledge of childhood development. I also plan to observe great teachers in the field; this is one of the best ways for me to learn. Teachers should learn from the best. Reflecting on the standards/substandards and creating ways to address them is also a great way I can prepare to be a teacher.  My competence in these areas will never be done. I hope to always keep learning about them. I will attend workshops yearly and stay current in professional education associations to assist this. Reflection on my practices will always be something I do. This keeps me honest and self-aware. Assessing my students will be my greatest indicator of the success of my teaching strategies. I feel confident that upon completing my program at Ball State I will have the proper knowledge of expertise, engagement, and context to provide my students with the best opportunities for growth.

School Setting Developmental Standards P-12

Standard 1: Student Development and Diversity

Teachers of grades P–12 have a broad and comprehensive understanding of student development and diversity and demonstrate the ability to provide instruction that is responsive to student differences and that promotes development and learning for all students, including:  

1.1 major concepts, theories, and processes related to the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, physical, and moral development of students in grades P–12, and factors in the home, school, community, and broader environment that influence student development

1.4 knowledge of types of student diversity (e.g., cultural, economic, and linguistic background; gender; religion; family structure), and the ability to use this knowledge to promote learning and development for students with diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and needs

1.5 knowledge of types of exceptionalities, including high ability and twice exceptional; their characteristics; and their implications for development, teaching, and learning; and the ability to use this knowledge to promote learning and development for students with exceptionalities

Standard 2: Learning Processes

Teachers of grades P–12 have a broad and comprehensive understanding of learning processes and demonstrate the ability to facilitate student achievement, including:

2.4 knowledge of the role of positive relationships and supportive interactions as a crucial foundation for working with children, with a focus on children's individual characteristics, needs, and interests

2.8 strategies for engaging students in generating and evaluating new ideas and novel approaches, seeking inventive solutions to problems, and developing original work

2.10 knowledge of how various individual factors (e.g., prior learning and experiences, interests, talents) and factors in the home, school, and community influence learning processes, and the ability to use this knowledge to improve teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes

Standard 5: Learning Environment

Teachers of grades P–12 have a broad and comprehensive understanding of student learning environments and demonstrate the ability to establish positive, productive, well-managed, and safe learning environments for all students, including:

5.1 the ability to create safe, healthy, supportive, and inclusive learning environments, including indoor and outdoor environments, that encourage all students' engagement, collaboration, and sense of belonging

5.3 the ability to plan and adapt developmentally appropriate learning environments that reflect cultural competency; are responsive to the characteristics, strengths, experiences, and needs of each student; and promote all students' development and learning

5.5 knowledge of developmentally appropriate classroom management approaches and positive guidance techniques, including relationships between specific practices and student learning, attitudes, and behaviors, and the ability to use this knowledge to create an organized, positive, and productive learning environment that maximizes students' time on task; facilitates learning; and encourages student self-regulation, responsibility, and accountability

Works Cited

Berkowitz, M., & Hoppe, M. (2009). Character education and gifted children. High

Ability Studies, 20.2, 131-142. doi: 10.1080/13598130903358493

Holm, K., Nokelainen, P, & Tirri, K. (2009). Relationship of gender and academic

achievement to Finnish students’ intercultural sensitivity. High Ability Studies,

20.2, 187–200. doi: 10.1080/13598130903358543

Huang, T., Lee, Y. Richardson, R.C., and Toison, H. (2009). Character education:

lessons for teaching social and emotional competence. Children & Schools, 31.2,

71-78. doi: 1532-8759/09

Revell, L. (2002). Children's response to character education. Educational Studies, 28.4,

421-431. doi: 10.1080/0305569022000042426