Character Education and the Elementary Curriculum.

Overview & Synopsis

Because of problem behavior in society ranging from impoliteness to violence, character education for students has become a relevant topic. This paper asserts that character education for elementary students can be useful and discusses implementation of character education. The paper suggests that teachers should choose worthwhile goals for such education, provide appropriate learning opportunities, and evaluate progress. The section "Objectives of Character Education" discusses the importance of having students work in groups and how to achieve this. The section "Standards in Education" reminds educators that because of students' multiple intelligences, student progress should be evaluated in multiple ways. The section "Teaching Values" argues against exhortations and extrinsic inducements in favor of methods that teach self-control and learner involvement. The paper concludes that character education should be an inherent part of school curriculum. Contains 13 references. (EV)