Character Education In Europe Challenges And Opportunities

The book aims to highlight the distinct challenges and opportunities that character education faces across several European countries, including Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain. By examining character education landscapes in these diverse contexts, this work provides insights into specific hurdles and potential avenues for advancement in promoting character development and positive impact across the region and beyond. Through a detailed analysis of country reports, practices, and research findings, the book sheds light on varying approaches to character education. It emphasizes the need for tailored strategies that resonate with each country"s cultural, social, and educational landscapes. These approaches, including traditional, liberal, psychological, and neo-Aristotelian, share a common goal of fostering strong character dispositions but diverge in their philosophical foundations, pedagogical methods, and political assumptions. While European character education grapples with significant challenges, its multifaceted approaches —particularly the neo-Aristotelian— offer robust strategies for developing character dispositions. By overcoming these challenges and harnessing the highlighted opportunities, character education in Europe has the potential to effectively address contemporary educational and societal needs and contribute to more flourishing school environments.

Understanding Character Education introduces readers to the key ideas, practices and concepts that are shaping character education in schools today. The book explores the principles underpinning character education and the pedagogical practices which ensure it comes alive in schools. Each chapter includes a variety of features to help navigate through the ideas, themes and practices examined. These include: •Chapter objectives to help readers understand the core focus and intentions of each chapter •Reflective activities to help readers to think more deeply about particular ideas and issues, and to consider how practices described are, or could be, applied in their own contexts •Case studies to help readers to understand how character education is approached and implemented by educators in and beyond schools •Annotated further readings to help readers take a closer and more detailed look at the methods, applications and issues covered This book is essential reading for all those involved in the teaching and learning of young people, as well as those studying this vital topic on education studies, teacher education and postgraduate level courses. “Highly recommended for all leaders and practitioners dedicated to enabling children and young people to flourish through the development of good character.” Tom Haigh, CEO, Association for Character Education “I wish Chapter 2: The Character of the Teacher was made a compulsory read for every person working in a UK school; that would be transformational.” Nat Parnell, Regional Director, United Learning “A must read for all trainee teachers of any phase.” Catherine Carden, Director of Learning and Teaching, Faculty of Arts Humanities & Education, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK Paul Watts is a Lecturer at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK. He has worked closely with school leaders and teachers in the research and development of character education. Michael Fullard is a Research Fellow at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK, having previously been a primary school teacher in the UK for 9 years. Andrew Peterson is Professor of Character and Citizenship Education at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, University of Birmingham, UK. He has worked with a number of schools to develop their approaches to character education.

Literature and Character Education in Universities presents the potential of literary and philosophical texts for character education in modern universities. The book engages with theoretical and practical aspects of character development in higher education, combining conceptual discussion of the role of literature in character education with applied case studies from university classrooms. Character education within the academic context of the university presents unique challenges and opportunities. Literature and Character Education in Universities presents perspectives from academics in Europe, the USA and Asia, offering unique insights into the ways that engaged reading and discussion of core texts can promote the development of intellectual and moral virtues. Chapters draw on a wide range of texts from Confucius’ Analects to J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, focusing on themes such as truthfulness, self-knowledge, prudence, tolerance, friendship, and humility. Literature and Character Education in Universities will be of real use to researchers, academics and postgraduates in the fields of higher education, philosophy, and literature. It should be essential reading for university educators interested in character development and advocates of literary education in modern universities.

What is character education? Why has it risen up the political agenda in the UK in recent years? And what does it mean in pedagogical practice? This book addresses these questions, challenging the individualistic and moralistic ideas underlying the clamour amongst politicians, educators and authors to promote ‘grit’, ‘resilience’ and ‘character’ in schools. Closely examining a range of teaching resources, the book shows that the development of character is wrongly presented as the solution to a wide variety of social problems, with individual citizens expected to accommodate themselves to the realities of the contemporary economic context, rather than enhancing their capacities to engage in civic and political activities to bring about changes they wish to see. The book argues that there is a tried and tested alternative to character education, which is far more likely to strengthen British democracy, namely, citizenship education.

Offering guidance to teachers on including character education within their lessons, this book shows how teachers can provide an encounter with literature that enables students to be more responsive to ethical themes and questions.

Discusses the history of educational programs designed to foster good character development in students.

This book argues that the liberal arts and sciences (LAS) model of education can inspire reform across higher education to help students acquire crucial civic virtues. Based on interviews with 59 students from LAS programmes across Europe, the book posits that LAS education can develop a range of citizenship skills that are central to the democratic process. The interviews provide insight into how studying LAS prepares students for citizenship by asking them to reflect on their education, what it taught them, and how it did so. Building on these insights, seven key democratic competencies are identified and linked to concrete educational practices that foster them, leading to an agenda for higher education reform. Ultimately arguing for making the teaching of civic virtue a more central part of university education in Europe, this book will appeal to researchers, educators, and politicians with an interest in education policy, philosophy of education, and democratic theory, as well as concerned citizens. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.