Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Character Education

1
Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
in Character Education

• Helen R. Stiff-Williams
• Regent University
• Virginia Beach, VA

2
Teacher Preparation and Professional Development
in Character Education

• What effective teacher preparation looks like for
  character education
• What professional development looks like for
  implementing high-quality programs in character
  education
• What student outcomes are for high-quality
  programs in character education

3
Evidence-based SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)
Programming Paths to Success in School and in
Life.
Evidence- based SEL Programming
Provide Opportunities Rewards for
Positive Behavior
Greater Attachment, Engagement, Commitment
to School
Better Academic Performance and Success in
School and Life
Teach SEL Competencies Self-Awareness Social
Awareness Self-Management Relationship
Skills Responsible Decision-Making
Less Risky Behavior, More Assets,
Positive Development
Safe, Caring Cooperative, Well-Managed Learning
Environments
Source Zins, J., Bloodworth, M., Weissberg, R.,
Walberg, H., 2004, p. 9.
4
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• When teachers implemented an intervention
  that included proactive classroom management,
  interactive teaching methods, cooperative
  learning techniques, and interpersonal skills
  instruction, students positive attitudes and
  commitment to school significantly increased, as
  did the grades and standardized achievement
  scores of males (Hawkins, Guo, Hill,
  Battin-Pearson, Abbott, 2001 ODonnell,
  Hawkins, Catalano, Abbott, Day, 1995).
• Source CASEL SEL and Academic Performance.

5
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• A meta-analysis of 165 studies of school-based
  prevention activities found interventions with
  social competency instruction decreased rates of
  student dropout, non-attendance (Wilson, et al.,
  2001.)
• Social emotional instruction can produce
  significant improvements in school attitude,
  school behavior, and school performance (Zins, et
  al., 2003).
• Source CASEL SEL and Academic Performance.

6
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Two of the most successful schools in our
  researchthe only two schools that showed
  academic gainsparticipated in a state-mandated,
  high stakes performance assessment. The CDPs
  (Child Development Project) educational approach
  had an emphasis on higher order thinking in
  response to open-ended questions . . .and the
  inclusion of collaborative-group investigations
  and problem-solving in science, mathematics, and
  social studies.
• Source Schaps, E. Lewis, C., 1998.

7
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• SEL programming should enhance school performance
  by addressing the affective and social dimensions
  of academic learning.
• Effective SEL programming teaches students social
  and emotional competencies that encourage
  classroom participation, positive interactions
  with teachers, and good study habits. It
  introduces engaging teaching and learning
  methods, such as problem-solving approaches and
  cooperative learning, that motivate students to
  learn and to succeed academically.
• Source CASEL Guidelines for Social and
  Emotional Learning.

8
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• A review of the research on cooperative
  learning indicates that teachers can improve the
  interpersonal relationships among students by
  creating cooperative learning groups
  characterized by positive interdependence
  (Johnson, Johnson, Maruyama, 1983.)
• Source CASEL SEL and Academic Performance.

9
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Lickonas nine character education
  practices that must be implemented by teachers
  into a comprehensive classroom approach to
  character education
• Act as caregiver, model, and mentor
• Create a moral community
• Practice moral discipline
• Create a democratic classroom environment
• Teach values through the curriculum
• Use cooperative learning
• Develop the conscience of craft which involves
  relating students work to the lives of others
• Encourage moral reflection
• Teach conflict resolution

10
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Eric Schaps lists promising practices that can
  promote a sense of community in school
• Class meetings and unity-building activities that
  involve students in setting norms, establishing
  goals, planning activities, identifying and
  solving problems, and learning more about each
  others backgrounds and preferences.
• Buddies programs that pair whole classes of older
  students with classes of students at least two
  years younger for a weekly or monthly activity.
  Pairs are created for a years duration and they
  interview each other and do activities together,
  as well as create a journal of their activities.
• Source Community In School Central to
  Character Formation, Violence Prevention and
  More by Eric Schaps. TEPSA Journal (adapted from
  articles in Principal and Educational
  Leadership).

11
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Effective social-emotional programs use
  varied instructional procedures
• Academic and social-emotional learning takes
  place best in different ways for different
  students. So, educational experiences marked by
  instruction that uses different modalities are
  most likely to reach all children and allow them
  to build their skills and feel that the classroom
  environment is suited to their preferred way of
  learning. Modalities include modeling,
  role-playing, art,dance, drama, working with
  materials and manipulatives, and digital media,
  computer technology, and the Internet. Also
  important for sound instruction are regular and
  constructive feedback, discussions that include
  open-ended questioning, and frequent reminders to
  use social-emotional skills in all aspects of
  school life.
• Source Elias, 2003, p. 13.

12
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• A number of SEL instructional approaches can
  be used to promote school achievement. . . .
  Altering the instructional process to promote
  social-emotional skills and learning is one
  approach. A good example is described by Johnson
  and Johnson, who reviewed the research on
  cooperative learning. Within such classrooms,
  students not only experience the excitement of
  learning academic material from one another, but
  they also develop important skills in negotiation
  and conflict resolution, and a peer culture for
  supporting academic achievement is developed.
• Source Zins, J., Bloodworth, M., Weissberg, R.,
  Walberg, H., 2004, p. 10.

13
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• The essential characteristics of effective social
  emotional learning programs include the use of
  diverse, engaging teaching methods that motivate
  and involve students.
• Source Zins, J., Bloodworth, M., Weissberg,
  R., Walberg, H., 2004, p. 10.
• Today developers of the best SEL programs are
  addressing academic issues along with
  social-emotional issues and carefully measuring
  the results. . . . Many SEL programs promote
  teaching practices such as cooperative learning
  and proactive classroom management. All of these
  approaches can have positive classroom effects on
  academic performance. The review found that 83
  percent of high quality SEL programs produced
  academic gains.
• Source Zins, J. Walberg, H., Weissberg, R.,
  2004.

14
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Effective social and emotional learning
  programming includes high-quality staff
  development and support. It offers well-planned
  professional development for all school
  personnel. This includes basic theoretical
  knowledge, modeling and practice of effective
  teaching methods, regular coaching, and
  constructive feedback from colleagues.
• Source CASEL Guidelines for Social and
  Emotional Learning.

15
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Sample Strategies to Promote External Assets in
  the School
• Engage students in creating the classroom
  governing rules and procedures
• Use of Study Circles where students engage in a
  democratic process for sharing thoughts and
  concerns on a particular issue.
• Use of cooperative learning
• Create lots of opportunities for creative
  expression through the arts -- art, music, drama,
  writing, storytelling
• Give students opportunities to respond to
  questions

16
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Sample Strategies to Promote External Assets in
  the School (continued)
• Give students a choice of assignments and books
  to read.
• Use of hands-on learning
• Use of participatory evaluation strategies
• Use of project-based learning
• Use of experiential learning
• Source Hanson, T. L. and Austin, G. A. (2002).

17
Why address the moral preparation of educators?

• Research Findings on Moral Preparation of
  Educators
• Experienced teachers indicated that they felt
  unprepared to teach character education in their
  classrooms.
• Most beginning teachers indicated that they did
  not receive training in their pre-service teacher
  education programs to prepare them to teach
  character education in their classroom.
• Sources Milson, 2002 Milson Mehlig, 2002
  Ledford, 2005
• Berreth Ernest, 2001
  Berkowitz, 1998 Jones, Ryan,
• Bohlin, 1997

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19
Research on Teaching Strategies and Student
Outcomes

• Berkowitz and Bier reported from their 2005 study
  of character education programs that the greatest
  degree of positive change were in the areas of
  student socio-moral cognition (thinking about
  ethical and moral issues), pro-social behaviors
  and attitudes, sexual behavior, problem-solving
  skills, and drug use. They concluded that, when
  effectively implemented, character education
  programs of many kinds can have significant
  impact on young people, and that the effects can
  be quite long-lasting.
• On the basis of all of the character education
  programs studied, one important finding was that
  all 33 of the effective programs incorporated
  ongoing professional development.

20
Measuring Teacher Performance Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Frequency of use of cooperative learning
• Frequency of use of varied instructional
  modalities, such as modeling, role-playing, art,
  dance, drama, working with materials and
  manipulatives, and digital media, computer
  technology, and the Internet
• Extent of use of proactive classroom management
  strategies
• Frequency of use of interactive teaching methods

21
Measuring Teacher Performance Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Extent of use of interpersonal skills instruction
• Frequency of social-emotional Instruction
• Extent of use of social-emotional instruction
• Frequency of use of diverse, engaging teaching
  methods that motivate and involve students
• Frequency of use of higher order thinking with
  open-ended questions
• Frequency of use of collaborative-group
  investigations and problem-solving

22
Measuring Teacher Performance Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Extent of promotion of student autonomy, freedom
  and influence
• Extent of promotion of social understanding and
  pro-social values
• Level of personal relationship between teacher
  and students
• Extent of minimization of external control (such
  as the use of rewards, grades, points the use or
  threats of punishment pervasiveness of teachers
  control over students)
• Extent of emphasis on intrinsic motivation

23
Measuring Teacher Performance Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Extent of elicitation of student thinking and
  active discussion
• Frequency of use of experiential learning
• Frequency of use of project-based learning
• Frequency of use of creative expression through
  the arts art, music, drama, writing,
  storytelling
• Frequency of giving students opportunities to
  respond to questions

24
Measuring Teacher Performance Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Frequency giving students a choice of assignments
  and books to read
• Level of engaging students in creating the
  classroom governing rules and procedures
• Frequency of use of hands-on learning
• Frequency of use of participatory evaluation
  strategies
• Frequency of use of Study Circles where students
  engage in a democratic process for sharing
  thoughts and concerns on a particular issue

25
Measuring Teacher Attitudes Impacting the
Quality of Character Education Programs

• Relevant Criteria to Assess Teacher Attitudes
• High expectations for student learning
• Belief in constructivist learning (belief in
  student self-direction, exploration,
  collaboration and understanding)
• Trust in students
• Emphasis on teacher autonomy
• Sense of efficacy as a teacher
• Desire to improve as a teacher
• Enjoyment of teaching
• Overall job satisfaction
• Source Battistich, et al., 1994.

26
References
Battistich, V. (2003). The Use of Implementation
Data in Assessing the Effectiveness of the
Child Development Project. Retrieved on
December 7, 2005, from http//www.devstu.org/abou
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more adequate assessment of moral
development. Paper presented at the meeting of
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out/articles.html Battistich, V., Solomon, D.,
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Teachers in Caring Classrooms and School
Communities. Paper presented at the annual
meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, New Orleans, April 1994. Retrieved
on December 1, 2005, from http//www.devstu.org/
about/articles.html
27
References

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• Research in Character Education, 1(1), 19-32.
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• DC Character Education Partnership.
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28
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30
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