| Report on SUNY Cortland Summer Institute |
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What follows is my report on the Summer Institute for Character Education at the State University of New York in Cortland June 30 to July 2, 2008. I highlight the key points of each session as I understand and remember them. I also include a book list and a brief reflection. This session was an introduction to the concepts and vocabulary of character education as well as to the goals of the Summer Institute. Much of the talk was devoted to breaking down A Report to the Nation: Smart and Good High Schools, Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work and Beyond. For the afternoon sessions, both speakers were administrators who spoke about many effective practices to create a culture of character in your school. Although much of the presentation seemed more suited to school principals and guidance counselors, I tried to see how some practices could be used in the classroom alone. Throughout the conference there were many opportunities to discuss with fellow conference attendees how we would “adopt or adapt” the practices for our particular situation. Speakers: Mr. Richard Parisi, former principal of Morgan Road Elementary and Wetzel Road Elementary, both in Liverpool, New York, and Phil Catania, former principal of Mount Ranier Elementary in Mount Ranier, Maryland. Dr. Matthew Davidson spoke on “The Four Keys to Maximizing the Power of Any Character Education Practice.” The essential questions: How can we get students to treat each other with respect and care? How can we get students to do their best work? The Institute has looked at what successful teachers have done and extracted the Four Keys. They are, briefly:
What this means is that a lesson will be most successful if it incorporates some type of self reflection in the process of learning (self-study), some examination of others who have had success or failure with the subject at hand (other study), and some type of public presentation (even just displaying of papers in the classroom). All must take place in a community of learners where it is safe for students to reflect and offer suggestions to one another for improvement. Examples were given of these keys in action and rubrics were shown that will facilitate self-study and create a framework for a culminating performance. The four keys do not need to take place in exactly the order listed above. Charlie Aboujilie spoke on “How You Can Have a Great Classroom and Great School: Tips From the Trenches.”
The entire presentation hinged on these three things: relationships, high expectations, and hope. He stressed things that hadn’t been touched on so much before like the quality of relationships amongst the adults in the school as being foundational for the ELC. Many practical ideas were presented including greeting students at the door or doing shout-outs to fellow educators when you note their efforts and success. High expectations need three steps:
Wednesday A.M. Finally we heard from a woman! Dr. Usha Balamore spoke on “Bringing Out the Best in Teachers and Parents: How to Build an Ethical Learning Community that Gets Everyone on Board.” Dr. Balamore is the director of Character Education at Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She began by telling of her personal journey into her vocation for teaching which was really part of her personal spiritual life. Her presentation was centered on the twin goals of ethics and excellence. Usha’s particular strength is her child-centered focus. One example: She is the person children are referred to for misbehavior at the Lower School. She decided this year that she would try to get background on each student and then would begin her interview with them by saying something like: “I know you are a good boy/girl, but something happened today. What was going on?” Then she really listens to them and finds out what went wrong. She then asks them how they can make it right. Usually their consequences include making an apology to their teacher and then reporting back to Usha to let her know what they did to make things right. This puts the responsibility on the students to think about their behavior and make effort to change. She might also challenge them to find a better way to handle a similar situation in the future. Wednesday P.M. The culminating speaker was Mr. Hal Urban, a pioneer in the field of character education and the best selling author of Life’s Greatest Lessons. He said the most important quality of a successful educator is enthusiasm. Some of what Mr. Urban shared was review since nearly all the previous speakers had quoted from him or borrowed practices from him. However, he addressed the necessity to create a nourishing atmosphere in your classroom rather than a toxic one. He also dealt with the students’ contribution to toxicity when they whine or complain or act disrespectfully. He basically encouraged being proactive in the efforts to create the atmosphere you want to have. Mr. Urban spent a bit of time talking about how the world views success (money, job) and what really constitutes success in life (happy, healthy relationships). Mr. Urban suggests we explore this reality with students and get them to reflect on their own hopes and dreams. This conference was rich with content and inspiration. At first, I felt overwhelmed and also somewhat judged by the standards I was being shown for engaging and encouraging students to be and do their best. I could recognize many ways in which my teaching did not “measure up”. Then, once I got my ego under control, I was able to receive and learn. If I can put into practice even a fraction of what was presented, I will have a great deal more “power” in my classroom—the ability to help students realize their true potential while also creating a more joyful classroom environment. Books Every day one book was given to each participant. We usually were able to choose from at least two. Since both Rob and I were registered participants, we brought home a lot of books. There was also a bookstore with many more wonderful offerings. Books we brought home: Abourjilie, Charlie, Developing Character for Classroom Success: Strategies to Increase Responsibility, Achievement, and Motivation in Secondary Students |
