Character must be intentionally and explicitly taught and never left up to chance. There are some who say they only teach character when there is a “teachable” moment. There is no doubt that character education must be relevant and meaningful to students. In addition to those moments, you will want to consider opportunities to effectively teach character throughout the day.
The 3-minute lesson plan to intentionally and directly teach character has the teacher respond to three questions: The Why? The What? The How?
Application
- What are the challenges that teachers face today in teaching character to students?
- You realize that almost all you do in the classroom is character-based. What does this mean to you? What are examples of how this applies to you?
- Let’s put the 3-minute lesson plan into practice. Choose an upcoming academic lesson, concept, or story:
- Why? Why are students learning this skill? Why do students need to know or do this? What’s in it for them? How do they benefit?
- What? What do you want your students to know or do? Identify the content or skill.
- How? How will students learn? What methods, strategies, tools, or activities will you use to make sure they get it?
Hear more from Gary on Twitter – @GSmit4Character
