Morality, in addition to raw academics, plays an important role in society. It raises an important question, “Who is responsible for teaching morality?” Is it society’s responsibility, including teachers, to pass on the virtues of civilized life to the next generation? Or is this strictly within parents’ purview to oversee? Who gets to decide which morals get attention and which don’t?
There’s little doubt that including some kind of character or moral education in addition to strict academics positively influences students. The question then is not if we should include discussion and education of morality in schools, but how.
Teach Positive Behaviors. One of the first ways that you, as an educator, bring moral education into your classroom is by directly speaking about positive behaviors. Sometimes we assume that students know the correct, moral thing to do in any given moment. But do not allow this assumption to cause you to overlook the opportunity to make “Teachable moments” out of situations in your classroom. Openly share with students what the “right” thing to do is, and engage them in a discussion that challenges them to evaluate for themselves what seems the most appropriate course of action.
Be a Role Model. It’s not just what you say; it’s what you do that counts. As one of the few adults in the life of a child, it’s important that you use your conduct to model for students what an ethical professional looks like. Make sure that you do the right thing and conduct yourself along the highest moral standards. Judge fairly, practice honesty and respect, share, demonstrate responsibility, and allow students to see how you embody these characteristics in and out of the classroom.
Connect It to Your Content. Sometimes learning certain content is straightforward learning. But look for those opportunities where aspects of your content raise the moral question or connect to character issues. Students enjoy being challenged to think critically about themselves, and connecting ethical discussions to your content both reinforces their content knowledge and their characters.
Talk with Parents. Your students are important to you, but you are not the sole adult interested in your students’ moral development. Share your aspirations of your students’ characters with parents, converse with parents about how students are doing academically and ethically, and always make sure you allow parents to remain in the driver’s seat of their children’s character development.
Source: teachhub.com
Other sources:
goodcharacter.com- Teaching Guides for K-12 Character Education & Social Emotional Learning
ossory.ie- Moral Decision Making (Lesson Plan)
educators.brainpop.com- Ethics Lesson Plan: Determining What is Right and Solving Conflicts
pbslearningmedia.org- Ethics in the Classroom
smu.edu- Introducing Basic Concepts in Moral Thought and Reasoning (Lesson Plan)
teensundayschool.com- Ethics and Morality (Lesson Plan)
serendipstudio.org- Morality and the Brain (Lesson Plan)
sophiainstituteforteachers.org- Morality: The Journey in Christian Living (Lessons)
Morality Lesson Plan- Complete lesson plan for middle to high school students. (Lesson plan I did for middle to high school students)
Puzzles & Worksheets:
smp.org- Making Good Decisions (Crossword)
smp.org- Morally Good or Morally Suspect #1
For each situation, determine whether the action is right, neutral, or wrong; whether the intent is good or not good; and whether the circumstances allow you to decide freely or keep you from deciding freely.
smp.org- Morally Good or Morally Suspect #2
For each situation, determine whether the action itself is good, neutral, or bad; whether the intent is good; and whether the circumstances keep the person who is considering the action from acting freely.
smp.org- Dilemma Decisions
A worksheet with tough decisions students may be faced with in their lives.
Games:
The Catholic Toolbox- WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) & Moral Dilemmas Card Game
A Question of Scruples is a card game based on ethical dilemmas. Players are given five yellow cards apiece, each yellow card with a moral dilemma such as, "You accidentally damage a car in a parking lot. Do you leave a note with your name and phone number?" Each player also has a single red card, with either "YES", "NO", or "DEPENDS" printed upon it. The player must ask the question on a yellow card of the person whom the holder of the yellow card believes most likely to reply with the answer on the questioner's red card. The game thus tests how well players know each other. If the answer matches that on the red card, the questioner discards both yellow card and red card, then takes another red card. The game is won by the player who first discards all five of his yellow cards.
Scruples: The Game of Moral Dilemmas- Download a PDF and make your own Scruples cards, or buy the physical game, or download for free on the App Store
teacherspayteachers.com- Moral Dilemmas Game
This is a great game to play in the classroom. It helps students understand the idea of moral dilemmas and gives them examples of various situations. There is a worksheet and cards (with different moral dilemmas) attached to this upload. There are also rules on how to play the game. This game always creates excitement and great discussion within the classroom.
Dilemmas Game- The Dilemmas Game invites you to flex your moral muscles and compare your problem-solving skills with those of your friends and family. Players must propose different solutions to 52 common dilemmas, using analogies or drawing on real-life experiences to explain their answers. It’s a fun and enlightening way of practicing for the inevitable quandaries of life. The cards cover five categories: Relationships, Work, Sociability, Family, and Leisure.
