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Character Education in the Classroom

What role do educators play in the development of moral and ethical behavior in students? This course will address this question by assisting teachers in defining and identifying character traits that are important in both school and in life. Teachers will explore theories, identify skills that can be integrated into the classroom, create lesson plans, and analyze and critique these lessons to better understand the value of promoting character development in students.

This course explores the concept that the teacher can be an effective model for their students. Participants will identify their own personal character strengths and explore how these strengths work to aid them when problems occur in the classroom. This course is intended to apply not just to school, but to life as well. This course also involves exploring avenues to involve the entire school, parents, and the community.

Carlow University ED 618 • Madonna University EDU 5960.18 • Mercy University EDUT 511

The required text for this course is Culturize by Jimmy Casas. ISBN 978-1946444462.

Graduate participants earn 3 semester hours of graduate credit and will receive a transcript from one of our partner institutions below. Professional development participants will receive a certificate of completion for 45 hours of professional developments credit for face-to-face classes and 60 hours of professional development credit for online classes.

Professional
Development

Course Schedule

1/14/25 - 4/8/25
3/11/25 - 6/10/25
5/13/25 - 8/12/25
7/8/25 - 10/14/25
9/9/25 - 12/9/25
11/11/25 - 2/10/26

Course Schedule

Textbook List FAQs

Outline
Objectives
Partner Universities
Important Information
Student Academic Integrity

Print Online Course Outline Print Face To Face Course Outline

Outline

Session/Module 1: Setting the Stage - The Case for Character Education

Contents:

Defining character
Identifying the components of character
Exploring the importance of character education
Examining the school's involvement in character education

Session/Module 2: Encouraging Moral Reflection

Contents:

Identifying historical perspectives on education
Exploring Lawrence Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development
Gaining understanding of the need for moral development
Identifying skills that can be integrated into the classroom

Session/Module 3: Creating a Moral Community in the Classroom

Contents:

Examining the teacher's role in the classroom environment
Helping students connect with each other
Discovering ways to help students care for each other
Improving the quality of group interaction

Session/Module 4: The Teacher's Role in Nurturing Character

Contents:

Examining the six E's of character training
Exploring the virtues that promote commitment
Understanding how to respond when kids don't know the answer

Session/Module 5: Cultivating Character thru Curriculum

Contents:

Examining the curriculum - What is most worth knowing?
Identifying where character education fits
Developing lessons that teach moral literacy

Session/Module 6: Teaching Controversial Issues

Contents:

Structuring moral discussions
Exploring whether teachers should express their own views
Establishing guidelines for studying controversial issues

Session/Module 7: A Morally Disciplined Classroom

Contents:

Understanding the role of the teacher as the moral authority in the classroom
Setting up classroom rules
Dealing with the consequences of broken rules

Session/Module 8: Developing Character thru Conflict

Contents:

Understanding self-control in a morally disciplined classroom
Recognizing the role of perceptions in evaluating values
Assessing discipline, control and problem solving

Session/Module 9: Creating a Community of Virtue School-Wide

Contents:

Assessing a schools character education program
Identifying key elements for effective programs
Examining the mission statement
Creating a positive moral culture in the school

Session/Module 10: Engaging Parents and the Community in Character Education

Contents:

Exploring changes that have affected the home-school partnership
Promoting moral conversations between parents and children
Encouraging parents in leadership roles
Identifying means of soliciting community involvement

Objectives

Create a definition of character
Appraise factors that influence character
Explain how character education has changed in schools
Evaluate current school policies about character education
Examine the teacher's role in the classroom environment
Develop plans to help students connect with each other
Discover strategies to help students care for each other
Assess methods to improve the quality of group interaction
Analyze six E's of character training
Explore virtues that promote commitment
Create methods for responding when kids don't know the answer
Compare methods for integrating character education into the curriculum
Develop lessons that teach moral literacy
Implement a moral discussion in the classroom
Examine whether teachers should express their own views

Establish guidelines for studying controversial issues
Assess the role of the teacher as the moral authority in the classroom
Discuss creating classroom rules
Evaluate methods for dealing with consequences of broken rules
Describe self-control in a morally disciplined classroom
Evaluate the role of perceptions in evaluating values
Assess discipline, control and problem solving
Assess a school's character education program
Identify key elements for effective programs
Examine the mission statement
Compare and contrast methods to create a positive moral culture in the school
Discuss changes that have affected the home-school partnership
Promote moral conversations between parents and children
Identify ways to encourage parents in leadership roles
Identify means of soliciting community involvement

Partner Universities

Our Partners are well-established regionally and nationally accredited colleges and universities, recognized for academic excellence and their commitment to teachers.

Important Information

Online 3-graduate credit courses are 13 weeks in length.

On-site weekend courses are held Friday evening from 6:00pm-9:00pm and Saturday/Sunday, 8:30am-5:30pm.

Weekday courses are Monday-Friday from 8:00am- 6:00pm.

It is the responsibility of the student to check with their state, county, district, or school to ensure that all requirements are being met by the course you're taking.

Check the Partner Universities page for specific university information as well as course numbers which are specific to the university partner.

Students are required to purchase their own textbook, the information for which can be found here. If no book is required it will be specified on the list. We have copies of many of the textbooks should you wish to purchase directly from TEI.

Professional development (PD) participants receive a certificate of completion from TEI for 45 hours of PD credit for face to face classes and 60 hours of PD credit for online classes. These certificates are mailed within one week of the end of the class and reflect the course title, dates of attendance, and credit hour information.

Student Academic Integrity

Participants guarantee that all academic class work is original. Any academic dishonesty or plagiarism (to take ideas, writings, etc. from another and offer them as one's own), is a violation of student academic behavior standards as outlined by our partnering colleges and universities and is subject to academic disciplinary action.