Gary Smit, CHARACTER COUNTS! Trainer
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
At a Character Development Seminar, I ask participants to describe an everyday hero. They are to think of people in their life who have impacted them for good and the way this has happened sticks with them for years, shaping who they are. As they tell others who their everyday hero is, common themes emerge. The individuals named have demonstrated in their lives the importance of being an honest, respectful, responsible, caring person. We learn that by what others have said and done and, most importantly, who they are does make a difference and that compassion and courage, tenderness and tenacity, honesty and integrity are the stuff of true heroes.
Often when we think of heroes, we imagine showy acts of bravery, but quiet heroes are just as important. Quiet heroes do something special during the normal course of their day. They do it without fanfare, parades or dinners to honor their accomplishments. Their actions help people and set a positive example for others to follow.
Dave Knell says, “A hero is a person who does the right thing when the right thing is the hardest thing to do.” Dave overcame spinal cord surgery and then won two medals at the Senior Olympics. He swam to celebrate his journey through extreme back pain, surgery and recovery. He set an example for the people around him. He showed people they could do virtually anything if they set a goal and pursued it with determination and enthusiasm. He is a hero.
Quiet heroes are all around us. They give us a smile when we need it, a hug at just the right time or some stern advice when that is appropriate. Through their unselfish efforts they make our day better.
Suggestions for implementation with your students:
1. List five people from your family, neighborhood, church or
school who you think are quiet heroes.
2. Give a short description of the special thing each person does.
Questions for discussion:
1. Why did you choose these five people?
2. What lessons can you learn from them?
3. How can you show your quiet heroes that you
appreciate their efforts?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Here is an ethical dilemma that could be used with your secondary students. Archer is facing a thorny, but common, ethical dilemma: should he lie to his parents in order to receive a reward he's not entitled to, or tell them the truth and give up the reward? For the complete story with discussion questions:
http://www.goodcharacter.com/dilemma/dilemma19.html
Before one acts, here's a few tests a student could use to see if the decision is effective and ethical:
• In the News: How would you feel if your decision was on the front page of the paper or on the 10pm news?
• Mom & Dad: What would your parents think of your decision? Is your decision something you would be okay explaining to your own children?
• Everybody's Doing It: Would it be okay if everyone in your situation made the same choice as you?
NON-COGNITIVE, AND KEY
A new report from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research summarizes research on five categories of non-cognitive factors related to academic performance: academic behaviors, academic perseverance, academic mindsets, learning strategies, and social skills. It then proposes a framework for thinking about how these factors interact to affect academic performance, and about the relationship between non-cognitive factors and classroom/school context.
It evaluates evidence that non-cognitive factors matter for students' long-term success, clarifying how and why these factors matter, determining if these factors are malleable and responsive to context, and how educators might best support the development of non-cognitive factors within their schools and classrooms.
The report concludes that if teachers want students to be successful -- both within their current courses and in future endeavors -- then they must attend to student engagement in class material and coursework performance, not just tested performance. To make this shift, educators must understand how best to help adolescents develop as learners. This should not be framed as an additional task for teachers, though for many it may mean teaching in new ways.
By helping students develop the non-cognitive skills, strategies, attitudes, and behaviors that are the hallmarks of effective learners, teachers can improve student learning and course performance while also increasing the likelihood that students will be successful in college.
See the report: http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/teaching-adolescents-become-learners-role-noncognitive-factors-shaping-school#.T-Bg5j-0Cp4.email
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TIPS UTILIZING MINI-POSTERS AND CHARACTER COUNTS!
On Michael Josephson’s What Will Matter website, you can find over a hundred mini-posters that can be used with your students in the direct instruction of values. http://whatwillmatter.com/category/commentary/
Here are specific strategies to utilize the mini-posters as a tool for classroom management:
Dedicate class time to homework assignments. Hurriedly shouting out the assignment as the bell rings sends the message that homework is an after-thought. Set aside five minutes at the end of the lesson to explain the task and due date. Allow time for students to ask questions and clarify your expectations. This also provides an excellent opportunity to use the common language of the pillars. What does being a responsible student mean? A teacher could also a mini-posters that addresses the desired belief related to students completing assigned work.
Use a student agenda. If you don't have ones available for students now, consider purchasing a CHARACTER COUNTS! Agenda for your students next school year. However, one can be created using any software calendar program. This could be done on a month-to-month basis. A specific pillar may be focused on for the month. A teacher could also include thumbnails of the mini-posters that reflect your school’s behavior expectations.
Respect their homework. If a teacher doesn’t give students constructive and thoughtful feedback on their work, they won’t value doing it. Make sure the criticism and/or praise is constructive.
Use rubrics. Make sure students understand what they must to do attain each grade. A rubric can include your school’s key beliefs as the desired outcome of a student’s choice.
Present time management to the class. Distribute time-management worksheets to the class and discuss what it means in the context of school and, by extension, character. Tell them everyone has responsibilities and outline what they are, including yours.
Hold one-on-one time for trouble-shooting. If students are still having problems, talk to them individually. A teacher might have to set more manageable goals with them. Ensure students understand the importance of goal setting for not only the academic content but also for character
Praise students when they hand in work on time and completed, make sure you recognize it. Acknowledge appropriate behavior that lives up to the expectations your school has established. You could even allow a student to choose one of the mini-posters that best reflects what they accomplished.
Publish their work. When students see that their work has meaning beyond the context of the classroom lesson (submitting it for publication, giving class presentations, or simply hanging it on the wall), they’ll more likely take pride in the assignment. It gives the end-product meaning. What if they were to use one of the mini posters as a template and allow students to create they own with a slogan that identifies the desired behavior?
A 10-MINUTE LESSON ON CHARACTER
Using the mini-posters, specific lessons have been crafted that include discussion questions for students to answer either as a class, in small groups or for personal reflection. The lessons would work great for classroom meetings, advisory groups or as a weekly introduction to one of the Pillars or other non-cognitive traits. The resource is being field-tested now but available for interested teachers either as an elementary or secondary guide.
If interested in receiving a free copy of the sample guide, please contact me and ask for either the elementary or secondary lesson guide.
CHARACTER ACTIVITY
Character Questions
Learning Objective: Having students write their own questions about character is an effective method for reviewing key concepts. When students know how to ask their own questions, they take greater ownership of their learning, deepen comprehension, and make new connections and discoveries on their own.
Instructions:
· With a partner, use the question starters below to create complete questions. You could modify or add specific sentence starters related to the values you are striving to instill.
· Exchange your questions with another team to answer.
Question Starters:
1. How would you describe…
2. What role does character play…
3. Does character…
4. How honest…
5. How do you decide…
6. What would you do if…
7. How would you feel if…
8. What is the importance of…
9. Do your actions…
10. Who deserves…
As a table group, choose one of the ten questions to share with the
class. Be prepared with a response. Others in the class can also
respond differently to the question.
Process and Reflection:
So What?
· On a scale of 1–10, how effective was this activity in making you think about character?
· Why do you think this activity involved you as students in writing questions rather than having you answer questions written by the teacher?
· What did you learn from writing the questions?
· What did you learn when answering questions written by others?
Now What?
· If you were asked to rewrite the question based upon the feedback received, what would you do differently?
· How could the answers to the questions be used to create an agreement related to expectations for our class?