About Character Based Learning
What is Character Based Learning?
Hi, I'm George Rogers
What is Character Based Learning and why is it so important to you and your students?
Character Based Learning (CBL) takes place when students are gaining useful knowledge, growing in virtue, and developing their thinking skills as part of the same learning experience.
As we enter the 21st century, young people are confronted with unparalleled opportunities and challenges that will require of them greater intelligence and greater strength of character than perhaps any previous generation in history. At the end of World War II, Winston Churchill wrote:
"Mankind has never been in this position before. Without having improved appreciably in virtue or enjoying wiser guidance, it has got into its hands for the first time the tools by which it can unfailingly accomplish its own extermination."
Since he wrote those words, the march of science has pierced the innermost secrets of the atomic world, has plunged travelers into the outer reaches of space, has deciphered the genetic code, and has made instant communication possible with almost any spot on the globe. Similar progress may be observed in medicine and every other field of technological endeavor. Yet, though the need has increased exponentially, man still has not improved appreciably in virtue nor do we enjoy wiser guidance. Never before has the moral development of the human race played a larger role in its continued existence than it does today.
What the future holds is yet unclear, but one thing is glaringly obvious. Unless the rising generation can somehow surpass the present in both virtue and wiser guidance, unless they develop the moral reasoning skills necessary to solve the problems we face, the future is in doubt. Already we lose large numbers of young people who self-destruct for want of both virtue and wisdom. As parents and teachers, we must do more to transmit to our own children and students the three things they most need to take advantage of the opportunities and to overcome the challenges that face them, both now and in the future. They are:
KNOWLEDGE
The knowledge and skills necessary to effectively participate in a rapidly
changing and increasingly complex world
VIRTUE
The virtue to use their knowledge and skills in ways that are truly
beneficial, both to themselves and to others, and
THINKING SKILLS
The mental and emotional faculties and the moral reasoning skills
necessary to sustain the acquisition of both virtue and knowledge
The promise of character based learning is that by treating all three of these dimensions of learning as a unified educational objective, we create a highly synergistic relationship in which personal growth in all three is significantly enhanced.
Each dimension enriches the others, and in a marvelous manifestation of the economy of nature, it can be found that teaching the three in conjunction with each other is easier, more efficient, and more effective than teaching them separately, or any one of them alone.
How is CBL
Different Than Traditional Learning?
All three elements—the acquisition of knowledge, growth in virtue, and the development of thinking skills—are present in virtually all learning experiences, though not in the same degree. As things are, teachers cannot teach without activating the thinking and influencing the character of their students in one way or another.
The difference in CBL lies only in doing on purpose what we otherwise do unawares, and therefore do it better. When the development of virtue and thinking skills are left to chance, the results are always indifferent, and often unsatisfactory. On the other hand, when they are thoughtfully taught and consciously learned, growth is far greater and much more certain.
For Example
A typical arithmetic lesson on integers and whole  numbers will only deal with helping students understand how numbers work. In this teaching model, whatever students learn about the concept of integrity and the extent to which their thinking skills are developed all happens by chance, if at all.
A character based lesson, on the other hand, might also explore the relationship between the concept of integer and the concept of integrity and then consider the practical implications of these two concepts in both mathematical calculations and human interactions.
The idea might be reinforced by demonstrating what happens when money is not added correctly, or something is not measured accurately, and likening the result to what happens when people don’t tell the truth or are misled. This provides students with a visual demonstration of the concept of trust and enhances their understanding of the importance of integrity in both numbers and people.
These discussions may be accompanied by brief observations on the benefits of math in helping students develop their critical thinking skills, and the need for such skills in separating truth from error, whether in numbers or other forms of information they may be required to act upon.
Such discussions may be as frequent and as lengthy as the teacher feels is appropriate. Since all three aspects of the lesson—the mathematical operations, the discussion on integrity, and the discussion on thinking skills—are all mutually supportive, any time spent is advantageous to student development in all three areas of understanding.
These relationships already exist. All we are doing in CBL is calling attention to them to assure that an important principle in life is understood.
 Similarly, a spelling lesson is typically a lesson in the arrangement of letters to form specific words with perhaps a brief explanation of what the words mean.
In character based learning, the same lesson might be expanded to a discussion of why words have meaning, the advantages of using the right words in expressing your thoughts, and the importance of saying what you mean and meaning what you say.
This kind of discussion can lead young people to think more seriously about the importance of the words they are learning and the value of honesty in communi-cation.
These are simple examples, but you can see how character based learning reinforces the knowledge or skill set being taught, while at the same time guiding and encouraging the moral and mental development of your students. |
In traditional learning our focus is essentially task oriented. The goal or objective is for the student to be able to demonstrate a set of knowledge or perform a skill at a specified level of competence. Virtue and thinking skills, if taught at all, are typically taught as separate and distinct subjects. Hence we talk about things like teaching social skills lessons, or teaching character education lessons as though social skills and character education have nothing to do with math, science, history, sports, and music. Yet, these very disciplines offer rich and abundant opportunities to teach moral reasoning skills, and it is in the day to day use of math, science, sports, and music etc. that we must use our moral reasoning skills to determine if what we are doing will truly benefit ourselves and others.
Character based learning incorporates the learning of virtue and thinking skills as an integral part of learning other useful knowledge. While teaching students language, history, math, science, and other subjects, particular attention is given to helping students develop essential virtues and thinking skills.
Embedded in every branch of learning and in every field of study are demonstrations and examples of important principles that apply to human affairs. Our goal at ChoiceSkills™; is to teach you how to draw from this inexhaustible well of invaluable lessons and provide you with teaching strategies that will enable you to effectively communicate them to your children and students.
What are the Benefits of CBL?
To establish in your mind the important relationship between the three dimensions of character based learning—knowledge, virtue, and mental and emotional development—I simply ask you to complete the following sentences in your own words. You may see my answer by placing your pointer over “Answer.”
1. Knowledge without virtue is ______. 
2. Virtue without knowledge is ______.
3. Knowledge without mental and emotional maturity is _____.
4. Virtue without mental and emotional maturity is ______.
5. Mental and emotional maturity without knowledge is ______.
6. Mental and emotional maturity without virtue is ______.
Free Mini-Course
To learn more about character based learning, I invite you to sign up for a free 7 part mini-course titled “An Introduction to Character Based Learning.” It’s a free gift for a limited time and there is no obligation.
In addition to the mini-course, you will receive our monthly newsletter titled “Cinch by the Inch” which contains additional tips and sample lessons. You can unsubscribe at any time, but we believe you will find the information invaluable in helping your students develop the social skills they so very much need to learn.
Note: your email address will not be sold to, or shared with, any other person or organization.
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