"Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
From Classroom Rules to Class Promises—How Core Values Set the Foundation
Excellent hands on resources to assist our little friends with their emotions and confidence. http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/more/pshe/contents_developingconfidence.htm
Character
Development
Action Steps
v
Character Ed should be a school-wide
commitment, not just the task force
v
Manners Board
o ABCs
of Manners
o Proper
way to greet
o Writing
thank you notes
v
Anti-Bullying Squad (students)
v
Character Journals
o Good
Deed Journal
o Weekly
Reflection Journal
o Authentic
Happiness
v
Teach Golden Rule
v
Character Heroes
v
Interview someone you admire
assignment
v
Staff Culture Change
o Staff
Survey – Moral and Intellectual
§
Self-assessment
inventories
o Camaraderie
is the foundation of school climate
o Relationship
building
v
Display a quote of the week in copy
room
v
Accentuate the positive
o Positive
affirmations
o Brag
on your buddy
o Fill
buckets
o Thank
you notes
v
Write down 5 goals and put them in a
box
v
Cultural Festival – Whole school
v
Peer Tutoring (older students
tutoring younger students)
v
Buddying
o Cross-age,
2 years apart—whole school
v
Lunchtime student meetings
o Two
Students per class (alternate throughout the year)
o Each
grade has a character coach
§
How
do we improve character?
§
How
do we make our school better?
v
Make Palm Coast a community of
character
v
Parent Surveys beginning of the year
(Survey Monkey)
o When
you have a teacher’s conference, what do you want to hear most about your
child?
o Expectations/Suggestions
for character development
v
Character Trait Class Discussions
o What
does respect look like on the bus, cafeteria, classroom, at home?
o How
do you rate on respect 1 to 5 – to self, to property, to friends, to family, to
teacher
v
Jail Words
o Shut
up, retard, sucks, screwed, butt, stupid, pissed, idiot, dork, dumb, loser,
nerd, fat, chubster, fart, crap, gay, queer, fag
o Make
a list and post
v
Staff PD on Character
o Living
and Modeling good character
o Integrating
into content
o Methods
of integration
v
Use Community Builders at each Staff
Meeting
v
Ask staff – what do we do to make
the school better?
v
Increase Parent Involvement in
Character Ed
v
Increase Student Involvement in
Character Ed
v
Parent Town Hall
v
Parent Book Study
v
Class assignment – Interview parents
– How does good character play a role in your job?
v
Each and every teacher does a JIF
lesson in the beginning of the year
v
Create an Honor Code for academic
integrity
v
Create a Code of Behavior for PE
v
Peaceful Conflict Resolution
o Teach
No Blame to staff and students
v
Peace Path
v
Review Mission Statement – create a
touchstone???
v
School-wide expectations regarding
service learning
v
Diminish use of extrinsic rewards
v
Student Focus Groups
o More
student input and student-lead initiatives
o Pedagogy
of empowerment
v
Take minutes at character meetings
v
No Failure Policy
o Retake
tests
o Finish
homework during lunch/recess
o No
zeros for late work
v
Re-visit Ron Berger, Ethics of
Excellence
o Project-based
learning
o Model
of excellence
o Positive
peer critiques
o Public
presentations
o Authentic
§
e.g.
ABC’s of homelessness
§
Butterfly
example
v
Requirement in lesson plans
o Character
content
o Character
method
§ e.g.
Children of the Dustbowl video
·
content
·
method
– concept mapping/journaling
v
Include Character in daily
objectives
v
Teacher Assessments
o How
many F’s
o How
many nurse’s visits
o How
many office referrals
v
Start each day with one of these:
o Good
news
o Compliment
o Humor
v
Four Phases to Change School
o Enlist
and Train Key Leaders
o Work
with the “willing”
o Invest
in PD
o Some
people will never comply –push them out
v
Form Partnerships with community
members and solicit their help with character development