Moral Development and Values
Education
Sue Walker
Moral development




How and when do children develop an
understanding of standards and of right and
wrong?
How do interactions with parents and siblings in
the family contribute to moral understanding?
How do interactions with teachers and peers
contribute to moral understanding?
What can parents and teachers do to nurture
children’s moral development?
Sense of Morality
 Distinguish right from wrong (cognitive
component)
 Prepared to act accordingly (behavioural
component)
 How we feel about it (affective component)
It is not just prosocial behaviour – sharing, helping
It is not just habits of politeness – please, thank you
It is not just certain character traits – honesty, generosity
Factors affecting moral development





Cognitive development
Interactions with peers
Use of reasons and rationales
Moral issues and dilemmas
Sense of self
Morality in preschool interaction



What moral values and norms do teachers
encourage children to develop?
How do teachers attend to the values that children
express in their daily interaction with teachers and
peers?
Morality is based on concrete experiences and
develops as a result of interactions
–
–
Moral situations
Moral values and norms
Promoting moral development




Clarify which behaviours are acceptable and
which are not
Engage children in discussion about moral
issues
Help children to understand a friend’s
emotional feelings
Help children to understand others’
perspectives

“Individuals can realise their potential only
within a community. Participation in any
community requires knowledge and
understanding of its norms, rules, and
values” (Katz & McClellan, 1997, p vii).
Values for Australian Schooling

Care and compassion
–

Doing your best
–

Treat others with consideration and regard
Responsibility
–

Moral and ethical conduct
Respect
–

Be honest, sincere and seek the truth
Integrity
–

Enjoy the rights and privileges of Australian citizenship
Honesty and trustworthiness
–

Try hard, pursue excellence
Freedom
–

Care for self and others
Be accountable for one’s own actions
Understanding, tolerance and inclusion
–
Be aware of others and their cultures, accept diversity
Educating young children for
democracy


What kind of education is most suitable in
helping children learn to live in a democracy?
Education for a democracy demands that the
individual be recognised
–
–
–
Valuing children’s individuality
Valuing different perspectives and opinions
Nurturing independent critical thinking


Ask questions that have many possible answers
Give children time to think and the resources to
investigate
(Cincilei, David & Grob, 2000)
Benefits of democratic participatory
approaches in early childhood

Children can acquire the ability to:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Trust themselves to make meaningful decisions
Learn to trust others
Assume responsibility for their own actions
Acknowledge their own value by learning that opinions
count
Build skill competence and independence
Respect authority
Understand that diversity is to be celebrated
Respect themselves and others
Value a sense of community membership
(Erwin & Kipness, 2000)
Promoting democratic values







Allow children to make important decisions that affect the whole
group
Encourage children to address real challenges by problem
solving and negotiating
Teach children to respect uniqueness and appreciate diversity
Assist children in assuming responsibility for the classroom
environment
Respect children’s right to decide how they want to spend their
time and with whom
Encourage children to try to do things independently even if
they may have difficulty
Teach children that others also have rights
Values for democratic participation




Respect for diversity
Recognition of multiple perspectives
Welcoming curiosity
Critical thinking
Respect for diversity






religion
race
language
Interests
ethnicity
age






abilities
values
gender role
family composition
lifestyle
skin colour
Respect for the environment


“Think globally act locally”
Sustainability in early childhood
–
–
–
–
–
context-specific
natural play spaces and bio-diversity
water conservation
compost food scraps
waste reduction
(Davis & Pratt, 2005)
Values in ECE

Helping children to develop empathy
–
–

Helping children learn to be generous,
altruistic and able to share
–

Encourage role playing
Help children understand how other people feel
Help children learn to share equipment
Help children learn that being kind to others
feels good
–
Helping is one way of expressing kindness
(Hendrick & Weissman, 2006)
Values in ECE

Teach children that everyone has rights
–

Emphasise the value of cooperation and
compromise
–
–

…..and that rules apply to everyone
Model cooperation and helping behaviour
Teach the art of compromise
Help children discover the pleasure of
friendships
(Hendrick & Weissman, 2006)
Moral classroom, moral children


Creating a constructivist atmosphere in early
care and education
Organising to meet children’s needs
–
–
–
Physiological needs
Emotional needs
Intellectual needs
Constructivist alternatives to discipline



Avoid sanctions/punishments
Encourage children’s ownership of logical
consequences
When children suggest a consequence that
is too severe, ask the wrongdoer to say how
he or she feels (and support this feeling)
Constructivist alternatives cont…




Verbalise the cause-effect relation when
natural consequences occur
Selectively allow natural consequences to
occur
Offer opportunities for restitution
Avoid indefinite consequences
Conditions for democracy





Supportive conditions – a commitment to and
support of democratic participation
The child is viewed as a competent citizen
Parents are seen as competent citizens
Educators are recognised as practitioners of
democracy
Time to reflect upon, interpret and evaluate
practice
(Moss, 2007)
References






Cincilei, C., David, J. & Grob, B. (2000). Changing to a child-centred approach:
Teachers reflect on the Moldovan experience. Journal of the International Step
by Step Association, 1 (1), 9-13.
Curriculum Corporation (2006). Implementing the national framework for values
education in Australian schools. Curriculum Corporation: Carlton South, Vic
Davis, J. & Pratt, R. (2005) The sustainable planet project: Creating cultural
change at Campus Kindergarten. Every Child, 11 (4).
Erwin, E.J. & Kipness, N.A. (2000). Fostering democratic values in inclusive
early childhood settings. Journal of the International Step by Step Association,
1 (1), 18 – 21.
Hendrick, J. & Weissman, P. (2007). Total learning: Developmental curriculum
for young children (7th ed.). Pearson: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Moss, P. (2007). Bringing politics into the nursery: Early childhood education as
democratic practice. Working Paper 43. Bernard van Leer Foundation: The
Hague, The Netherlands.