Module 2 Beginning Definitions Moral Character and Character

Module 2 Beginning Definitions: Moral Character and Character Education

What else is involved?

Crisis Intervention or Emergency Care Deficit- or Problem. Centered Prevention Asset-Centered Protective Prevention Inoculation To my knowledge, Dr. Peter L. Benson, founder of the Search Institute and author of All Kids are Our Kids, was the first to use the term “inoculation” in this context. The concept of “developmental assets” is the centerpiece for the Search Institute and its many community programs across the country.

Character Education Character education combines direct teaching and community building strategies to promote personal and social integrity and the development of moral virtues, moral emotion, moral reasoning, and other assets and qualities that make good character possible. It promotes moral, social, artistic, intellectual, emotional, physical, academic, and personality development through all of school life. The moral component provides a context of principles for the “nonmoral” components: social, cultural, prudential, and civic. The third definition comes from Robert Heslep at the University of Georgia. He is the author of Moral Education for Americans published by Praeger in 1995.

MORAL CHARACTER Values Beliefs Conscience Moral Knowledge Moral Emotion KNOWING FEELING Will Empathy Conscience Motivation Social Skills Virtues Habits BEHAVING Intentional Moral Action & Consequences THINKING Moral Reasoning Ability Predispositions & Prosocial Attitudes Personal and Social Integrity Developed by Gordon Vessels ©

The Search Institute 40 Developmental Assets INTERNAL ASSETS EXTERNAL ASSETS Asset Type SUPPORT 1 2 3 Family Support Positive Family Communication Adult Relationships 4 Caring Neighborhood 5 Caring School 6 Parent Involvement in the School EMPOWERMENT 7 Youth Valued 8 Useful Roles Youth 9 Service to Others 10 Youth Feels Safe BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS 11 Family Boundaries 12 School Boundaries 13 Neighborhood Boundaries 14 Adult Role Models 15 Positive Peer Influence 16 High Expectations CONSTRUCTIVE USE OF TIME 17 Creative Activities 18 Youth Programs 19 Religious Community 20 Time at home COMMITMENT TO LEARNING 21 Achievement Motivation 22 School Engagement 23 24 25 POSITIVE VALUES 26 Caring 27 Equality and Social Justice 28 Integrity 29 Honesty 30 Responsibility 31 Restraint SOCIAL COMPETENCY POSITIVE IDENTITY Homework Bonding to School Pleasure Reading 32 Plan/Decision Making 34 Cultural Competence 33 Interpersonal 35 Resistance Skills Competence 36 Conflict Resolution 37 Personal Control 38 Self-Esteem 39 Sense of Purpose 40 Positive View of Personal Future These assets were extracted from All Kids Are Our Kids by Peter L. Benson, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997. Dr. Benson is founder of the Search Institute. Visit their website at www. search-institute. org. Their methodology and their identification of “developmental assets” is research-based.