New Rules For Character Education
By definition children are developmentally a moving target making interventions that target behavior a challenge. In schools children are subjected to a vast number of well-meaning programs that sound absolutely great on paper but fail the test of scientific analysis.
In the book “Nurture Shock” Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explore the constellation of factors that shape children. They found that schools hurriedly adopt programs to combat scary issues like drug abuse. Taking their responsibility seriously to breed good citizens and not just good students schools mistake good intentions for good ideas.
The data on character based interventions shows that at best they have a size effect of 15%. This means that 15% of children altered their targeted behavior while a whopping 85% did not. Interventions with a size effect of only 4% can still be considered quite good even though they have no effect on 96% of the students.
The question is; how can a school implement any character education program and expect a sizable effect?
Research shows that high order thinking like self-reflection encourages children to listen to the inner voice and not act impulsively. The only way children discover this inner voice is to be consistently asked to evaluate their own behavior. They must be given the right tools to develop this awareness.
Creative World Connections is just one tool in this toolbox of child development. Our daily messages give not just encouragement to children but serve as reminders to teachers the role that cognitive control plays in learning and decision-making.
Cognitive control is necessary in many contexts. It’s necessary to avoid external distractions and more importantly internal distractions like the thought, “I can’t do this.”
To find success schools must be willing to step out of their institutional comfort zone and step out of the box. The science on all of this is exciting and empowering and will ultimately enrich any school willing to embrace change.