Too many of today's students seem to have no moral compass. Increased youth violence, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and cheating are cause for alarm among educators and parents alike. More and more communities are calling for their public schools to play a more active role in shaping students' sense of morality.
Reflecting this trend, several speakers at ASCD's 1994 Annual Conference discussed the need for schools to help students become moral adults. Whereas in years past, public school efforts to teach values have bogged down in controversy over whose values would be taught, today there is widespread agreement that schools should teach "core" values. These include the civic values inherent in democracy—such as equality, tolerance, and justice—and the moral values that essentially all Americans share, such as honesty, respect for others, and fairness.
How can teachers instill these core values in their students? Drawing on his 30 years' experience in the field of character education, Howard Kirschenbaum of the State University of New York at Brockport attempted to answer this question, describing dozens of practical ways to teach students to be moral.
- Use literature and nonfiction selections. "World literature provides many valuable reading experiences" that impart good values, Kirschenbaum said. Even simplistic Horatio Alger works, in which virtue is always rewarded, can reach students, he has found. Rather than responding cynically, his students have been "moved by the simple morality of the tales."
- Use quotations, such as "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Post them on the walls so students can see them daily, he advised. Students will internalize them "almost by osmosis."
- Use praise and appreciation to reinforce moral behavior. This technique is most effective when teachers describe precisely what behavior they appreciated, and its moral implications.
- Establish rules. A system of rules (and punishments for breaking them) provides a moral structure and allows students to feel safe.
- Use American history as a vehicle. "If taught right, our history can be an effective way to inculcate respect, tolerance, courage, fair play, and faith in the future," Kirschenbaum said. Over the course of American history, respect has been extended to more and more people, including women, minorities, and the disabled. "It's a great story," he said—one that students will find inspiring. Our history also conveys the message that even when we fail to live up to our ideals, we can strive to do better.
- Use codes, pledges, and guidelines. According to survey data, slightly more than half of all students who say they would cheat in school also say they would not cheat if they had signed a pledge not to, Kirschenbaum said.
- Clarify moral questions. Teachers can help students think about the consequences of their actions, to others and to society. They can ask questions such as, "If you were on the other side, how would you feel?" and "What does your conscience say?" Through such discussions, students absorb the idea that these issues are important to think about.
Role Modeling
Teachers can also instill values by modeling them, Kirschenbaum said. "Students are hungry for adult models," he asserted.
Besides practicing what they preach, teachers can share their moral convictions with students—telling them, for example, "I believe it's wrong to steal, and that's very important to me." Teachers can also talk about community service they perform, as well as events that have shaped their values. They can also discuss exemplary people in history, such as Abraham Lincoln or Harriet Tubman, he added.
But besides telling and showing students what good values are, teachers must also encourage young people to internalize values and make their own decisions, Kirschenbaum said. Teachers must give students opportunities to respond to moral issues themselves—or their other efforts to teach values will be "like teaching map-and-compass but never sending students out into the world to do it." Teachers need to help students build their own commitment to act in a moral way, he emphasized.
One simple way teachers can do this is by giving students lots of opportunities to make choices. Even when students merely rank their ice cream preferences, they learn how to take turns and how to listen, and they see that "we're different but we can get along."
Teachers can instill civic values by holding discussions of controversial issues and by conducting class meetings to discuss problems such as pilfering, cliques, or too many interruptions. Teachers can introduce students to "democratic problem solving," encouraging them to consider minority viewpoints and to reflect on whether proposed solutions are fair.
A fourth way teachers can help students become moral is by teaching them skills for acting morally, Kirschenbaum said. These include how to listen, communicate clearly, and stand up for their own beliefs; how to resolve problems in a nonviolent way; and how to resist peer pressure and maintain their self-respect (by withstanding pressure to have sex, for example). "Teach them how; don't just moralize to them" about what they should do, he advised.
In conclusion, Kirschenbaum cautioned that educators need to teach values in conjunction with parents and the larger community. "We can't just plunge ahead ourselves," he said.
