Understanding Character Education Approaches Applications And Issues

Understanding Character Education introduces readers to the key ideas, practices and concepts that are shaping character education in schools today. The book explores the principles underpinning character education and the pedagogical practices which ensure it comes alive in schools. Each chapter includes a variety of features to help navigate through the ideas, themes and practices examined. These include: •Chapter objectives to help readers understand the core focus and intentions of each chapter •Reflective activities to help readers to think more deeply about particular ideas and issues, and to consider how practices described are, or could be, applied in their own contexts •Case studies to help readers to understand how character education is approached and implemented by educators in and beyond schools •Annotated further readings to help readers take a closer and more detailed look at the methods, applications and issues covered This book is essential reading for all those involved in the teaching and learning of young people, as well as those studying this vital topic on education studies, teacher education and postgraduate level courses. “Highly recommended for all leaders and practitioners dedicated to enabling children and young people to flourish through the development of good character.” Tom Haigh, CEO, Association for Character Education “I wish Chapter 2: The Character of the Teacher was made a compulsory read for every person working in a UK school; that would be transformational.” Nat Parnell, Regional Director, United Learning “A must read for all trainee teachers of any phase.” Catherine Carden, Director of Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Arts Humanities & Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK Paul Watts is a Lecturer at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK. He has worked closely with school leaders and teachers in the research and development of character education. Michael Fullard is a Research Fellow at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK, having previously been a primary school teacher in the UK for 9 years. Andrew Peterson is Professor of Character and Citizenship Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK. He has worked with a number of schools to develop their approaches to character education.

The book aims to highlight the distinct challenges and opportunities that character education faces across several European countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain. By examining character education landscapes in these diverse contexts, this work provides insights into specific hurdles and potential avenues for advancement in promoting character development and positive impact across the region and beyond. Through a detailed analysis of country reports, practices, and research findings, the book sheds light on varying approaches to character education. It emphasizes the need for tailored strategies that resonate with each country"s cultural, social, and educational landscapes. These approaches, including traditional, liberal, psychological, and neo-Aristotelian, share a common goal of fostering strong character dispositions but diverge in their philosophical foundations, pedagogical methods, and political assumptions. While European character education grapples with significant challenges, its multifaceted approaches —particularly the neo-Aristotelian— offer robust strategies for developing character dispositions. By overcoming these challenges and harnessing the highlighted opportunities, character education in Europe has the potential to effectively address contemporary educational and societal needs and contribute to more flourishing school environments.

The Routledge International Handbook of Juvenile Homicide is the definitive work on juvenile homicide. This volume provides an up-to-date, comprehensive, and in-depth exploration of what is known about juveniles involved in murder. Taking an interdisciplinary approach to juvenile homicide, this handbook brings together the leading experts in social sciences, mental health, and law from many countries. The volume covers the phenomenon of juvenile homicide from beginning to end, by addressing the questions “why do kids kill?” all the way to “how does society stop them from killing?”. The tough issues involved in sentencing youths who take the lives of others, often deliberately and in horrific ways, are confronted through chapters addressing the legal issues, child development factors, risk assessment, public attitudes, and ethical concerns. The volume brings together research specifically conducted for this volume, in addition to summaries and discussions of clinical and empirical findings. Each chapter ends with key takeaway points. Contributors include psychologists, psychiatrists, criminologists, sociologists, lawyers, economists, biologists, epidemiologists, and public health and public policy experts. Uniquely, they examine murder by juveniles across the globe. The volume includes research pertaining to the causes, correlates, and theoretical explanations of juvenile homicide offending. Moving beyond discussions of juvenile homicide offenders (JHOs) as a homogenous group, the volume includes research on specific types of JHOs and research investigating age and gender differences among JHOs. In addition, it draws attention to the empirical factors associated with juvenile homicide offending, effective treatment of JHOs, recidivism, and prevention of violent behavior. The volume also makes recommendations for policy and practice, including how to shift government policy from punishing lawbreakers to saving lives. This volume is essential reading for scholars and students researching youth violence/juvenile homicide across a variety of disciplines including criminology, criminal justice, law, psychology, psychiatry, sociology, social work, public health, and education. It is also an invaluable reference for mental health professionals, practitioners in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, policymakers, and government leaders.

There is widespread agreement that schools should contribute to the moral development and character formation of their students. In fact, 80% of US states currently have mandates regarding character education. However, the pervasiveness of the support for moral and character education masks a high degree of controversy surrounding its meaning and methods. The purpose of this handbook is to supplant the prevalent ideological rhetoric of the field with a comprehensive, research-oriented volume that both describes the extensive changes that have occurred over the last fifteen years and points forward to the future. Now in its second edition, this book includes the latest applications of developmental and cognitive psychology to moral and character education from preschool to college settings, and much more.

This Handbook provides a comprehensive look at the educational scope of life and values that characterize 21st-century Asia, as well as those values shared across cultures. Some values are deeply resonant with the region’s past while others reflect modernity and the new contexts in which Asian societies find themselves. Exploring these values of different types and the way they are constructed in Eastern and Western contexts, the contributors delve into the diversity of religious, moral and social education to promote greater understanding across cultures. While a range of values is identified here, there is no single set of values that can be applied to all people in all contexts. The time has long gone, even for single societies, when values can be imposed. Yet this Handbook emphasizes both the extent and importance of values to individuals and their societies—how they respond to these values may provide the key to better and more caring societies and to better lives for all. Academics and teachers will find this Handbook resourceful because it raises important theoretical issues related to social values and their formation in distinctive contexts and provides novel insights into the diverse educational landscape in Asia. Policymakers and educators will also find this text helpful in learning to think about new ways to improve the quality of people’s lives.

The Handbook of Philosophy of Education is a comprehensive guide to the most important questions about education that are being addressed by philosophers today. Authored by an international team of distinguished philosophers, its thirty-five chapters address fundamental, timely, and controversial questions about educational aims, justice, policy, and practices. Part I (Fundamental Questions) addresses the aims of education, authority to educate, the roles of values and evidence in guiding educational choices, and fundamental questions about human cognition, learning, well-being, and identity. Part II (Virtues of Mind and Character) is concerned with the educational formation of personal attributes that are often seen as essential to flourishing individuals and societies. This section includes chapters on the cultivation of intellectual and character virtues, the nature and formation of expertise, Stoic virtues, and intellectual vices. Part III (Education and Justice) addresses fundamental and emerging issues of educational justice, from equal educational opportunity, racial domination, and linguistic justice in education, to educational problems of mass migration, global educational justice, the education of working children around the world, and the costs of higher education and upward mobility. Part IV (Educational Practices) addresses controversial aspects of contemporary education – pedagogical, curricular, and managerial practices – that deserve careful examination. These include controversies surrounding free speech and instruction in controversial issues; anti-racist, sustainability, and sex education; and the unfulfilled promises and demoralizing impact of high-stakes accountability schemes. The format and jargon-free writing in this volume ensure that topics are interesting and accessible, helping facilitate the work of advanced students and professionals in Education.

This book provides an effective, action-oriented way of addressing students' values and character growth. The contributors emphasize combining three vital aspects of teaching and learning: thinking, feeling, and acting. You will learn the principles that form the integrated approach to character education. Two chapters are devoted to each principle, with a practitioner and a research scholar to offer a balanced view. This book shows what you can do to promote character growth in students and teach them how to know right from wrong. An integrated approach to character education will make all the difference in the way your students think, feel, and act.