Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 7, 2001 Page: 11
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standing objectively worthwhile moral val-
ues; being able to take the perspective of
others; being able to reason morally; being
able to make thoughtful moral decisions;
and having moral self-knowledge, includ-
ing the capacity for self-criticism.
Bringing this knowing side of character to
maturity is one of the most difficult chal-
lenges of character education. It requires
clear ethical thinking by the teacher as well
as a sophisticated set of teaching skills.
Teachers can foster moral reflection
through reading, research, essay writing,
journal-keeping, discussion and debate. At
the secondary level, a promising approach
to developing moral reflection through con-
troversial issues is called "structured aca-
demic controversy." Developed by coop-
erative learning experts David and Roger
Johnson, this approach defines controver-
sies as "problems to be solved rather than
win-lose situations."
The teacher assigns students to groups of
four, composed of two, two-person "advo-
cacy teams." Within each group, one team
is assigned the responsibility of advocat-
ing one position (for example, that there
should be more government regulation of
hazardous waste disposal), the other team
the task of arguing the opposite position
(that there should be less regulation), both
teams using background information sup-
plied by the teacher.
In the course of the week, each team must
do a position-switch and argue for the po-
sition it originally opposed. Finally, the four
group members synthesize what they see
as the best information and reasoning from
both sides into a consensus solution and
write and submit a group report. Follow-
ing that, each student takes an individual
test, which holds everyone accountable for
learning the information and arguments on
both sides of the issue.
Ten years of research on the academic con-ter than is true with either debate or indi-
vidualistic learning formats.
9. Teaching conflict resolution. Teaching
students how to resolve conflicts without
force or intimidation is a vitally important
part of character education for two reasons:
(1) conflicts not settled fairly will prevent
or erode a moral community in the class-
room; and (2) without conflict resolution
skills, students will be morally handicapped
in their interpersonal relationships now and
later in life, and may end up contributing
to violence in school and society.
There are a great many ways to teach con-
flict resolution skills in the classroom. Su-
san Skinner, a kindergarten teacher at
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Co-
lumbia, South Carolina, uses two methods
she finds effective. When two children have
a conflict, she stops the action and uses it
as a teachable moment. She invites two
other children (not the ones involved in the
dispute) to come to the front of the class to
role-play a positive solution to the conflict.
She then asks the whole class for their sug-
gestions. Finally, the two children who were
involved in the conflict are invited to act
out a positive solution that draws on what
they have just seen and heard.
When one child has hurt another, teacher
Skinner teaches a reconciliation ritual. She
instructs the offending child to say, "I am
very sorry-will you please forgive me?"
If the victim judges the apology sincere,
that child is instructed to respond, "I do
forgive you."
These behavior patterns have the best
chance of becoming part of a child's char-
acter when they are learned early and prac-
ticed often. But effective training is still
possible at the adolescent level, where the
stakes are even higher because conflicts
more easily explode into deadly violence.
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Smith, a Harvard
professor and physician, has developed aTeaching students how to resolve
conflicts without force or intimi-
dation is a vitally important part
of character education for two
reasons: (1) conflicts not settled
fairly will prevent or erode a
moral community in the class-
room; and (2) without conflict
resolution skills, students will be
morally handicapped in their in-
terpersonal relationships now and
later in life, and may end up con-
tributing to violence in school and
society.troversy process finds that students gain in
their perspective-taking abilities and dem-
onstrate greater mastery of the subject mat-10-week mini-course that teaches teenag-
ers what causes violent conflict and how
to avoid it. Says one 18-year-old who took
11
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Tarleton State University. Effective Schools Project. Journal of the Effective Schools Project, Volume 7, 2001, periodical, 2001; Stephenville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth201684/m1/13/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarleton State University.