Education for Character: An Alternative to Values Clarification and Cognitive Moral Development Curricula

Abstract

Recently morality and values education has re-emerged. Many public schools have instituted specialized curricula originating at university departments of education. This paper discusses two such curricula (the values clarification method of Sidney Simon and the cognitive moral development method of Lawrence Kohlberg). It suggests that their emphasis on single class, isolated instruction necessarily leaves the affective, unconscious elements of character formation out of account. In contrast, John Locke's belief that the essence of all education is character formation may serve as an alternative context within which to structure the teaching of morality and values.