Summarize the main ideas presented in theories of moral development why this knowledge is important for an ECE Teacher?
Course: Human Development & Learning
Course code 8610
Level: B.Ed Solved Assignment
Answer
Morality is a system of
beliefs about what is right and good compared to what is wrong or bad. Moral
development refers to changes in moral beliefs as a person grows older and
gains maturity. Moral beliefs are related to, but not identical with, moral
behavior: it is possible to know the right thing to do, but not actually do it.
It is also not the same as knowledge of social conventions, which are arbitrary
customs needed for the smooth operation of society. Social conventions may have
a moral element, but they have a primarily practical purpose. Conventionally,
for example, motor vehicles all keep to the same side of the street (to the
right in the United States, and to the left in Great Britain). The convention
allows for smooth, accident-free flow of traffic. But following the convention
also has a moral element, because an individual who chooses to drive on the
wrong side of the street can cause injuries or even death. In this sense,
choosing the wrong side of the street is wrong morally, though the choice is
also unconventional.
When it comes to schooling and
teaching, moral choices are not restricted to occasional dramatic incidents but are woven into almost every aspect of classroom life. Imagine this simple
example. Suppose that you are teaching, reading to a small group of
second-graders, and the students are taking turns reading a story out loud.
Should you give every student the same amount of time to read, even though some
might benefit from having additional time? Or should you give more time to the
students who need extra help, even if doing so bores classmates and deprives
others of equal shares of “floor time”? Which option is more fair, and which is more considerate? Simple dilemmas
like this happen every day at all grade levels simply because students are
diverse, and because class time and a teacher’s energy are finite.
Morality of justice is
about human rights—or more specifically, about respect for fairness, impartiality,
equality, and individuals’ independence. A morality of care, on the
other hand, is about human responsibilities—more specifically, about caring for
others, showing consideration for individuals’ needs, and interdependence among
individuals. Students and teachers need both forms of morality. In the next
sections therefore we explain a major example of each type of developmental
theory, beginning with the morality of justice.
Preconventional justice: obedience and mutual advantage
The pre-convention level of moral
development coincides approximately with the preschool period of life and with
Piaget’s preoperational period of thinking. At this age, the child is still relatively
self-centered and insensitive to the moral effects of actions on others. The
result is a somewhat short-sighted orientation to morality. Initially
(Kohlberg’s Stage 1), the child adopts an ethics of obedience and punishment—a
sort of “morality of keeping out of trouble.” The rightness and wrongness of
actions are determined by whether actions are rewarded or punished by
authorities such as parents or teachers. If helping yourself with a cookie brings
affectionate smiles from adults, then taking the cookie is considered morally “good.”
If it brings scolding instead, then it is morally “bad.” The child does not
think about why an action might be praised or scolded; in fact, says Kohlberg,
he would be incapable at Stage 1 of considering the reasons even if adults
offered them.
Eventually, the child learns not
only to respond to positive consequences but also learns how to produce them
by exchanging favors with others. The new ability creates Stage 2, an
ethics of market exchange. At this stage, the morally “good” action favors not only the child but another person directly involved. A “bad”
action lacks this reciprocity. If trading the sandwich from your
lunch for the cookies in your friend’s lunch is mutually agreeable, then the
trade is morally good; otherwise, it is not. This perspective introduces a type
of fairness into the child’s thinking for the first time. But it still ignores the
larger context of actions—the effects on people not present or directly
involved. In Stage 2, for example, it would also be considered morally “good”
to pay a classmate to do another student’s homework—or even to avoid bullying
or to provide sexual favors—provided that both parties regard the arrangement
as being fair.
Conventional justice: conformity to peers and society
As children move into the school
years, their lives expand to include a larger number and range of peers and
(eventually) the community as a whole. The change leads to conventional morality, which are beliefs based on what
this larger array of people agree on—hence
Kohlberg’s use of the term “conventional.” At first, in Stage 3, the child’s reference
group is immediate peers, so Stage 3 is sometimes called the ethics of peer opinion. If peers believe, for
example, that it is morally good to behave politely with as many people as
possible, then the child is likely to agree with the group and to regard
politeness as not merely an arbitrary social convention, but a moral “good.”
This approach to moral belief is a bit more stable than the approach in Stage
2 because the child is taking into account the reactions not just of one other
person, but of many. But it can still lead astray if the group settles on
beliefs that adults consider morally wrong, like “Shoplifting for candy bars
is fun and desirable.”
Eventually, as the child becomes
a youth and the social world expands even more, he or she acquires even larger
numbers of peers and friends. He or she is therefore more likely to encounter
disagreements about ethical issues and beliefs. Resolving the complexities leads
to Stage 4, the ethics of law and order, in which the young person
increasingly frames moral beliefs in terms of what the majority of society
believes. Now, an action is morally good if it is legal or at least customarily
approved by most people, including people whom the youth does not know
personally. This attitude leads to an even more stable set of principles than
in the previous stage, though it is still not immune from ethical mistakes. A
community or society may agree, for example, that people of a certain race
should be treated with deliberate disrespect or that a factory owner is
entitled to dump wastewater into a commonly shared lake or river. Developing
ethical principles that reliably avoid mistakes like these requires further
stages of moral development.
A Passion for Early Childhood Education
Education is not a field that
just anyone can go into and be both successful and fulfilled in their career.
Prospective educators must have a passion for teaching young children. This enthusiasm
should reach beyond playground fun and focus on helping young children meet developmental
milestones.
Patience and a Sense of Humor
Young children are full of energy
and curiosity. Early childhood educators should bring a great deal of patience
and a dose of humor to the classroom to keep children engaged in the day’s
lessons.
Creativity
Reaching children and helping
them learn requires creativity while guiding students in connecting the dots
and relating lessons to their current stage of development. Early childhood educators should be able to
adapt lesson plans to concepts that children can understand. Incorporating
learning games and other teaching techniques can keep children engaged and
focused throughout the day.
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Communication Skills
Children are sponges at this
early age, but they are also new to learning. Early childhood educators must be
able to communicate with young learners on their level, including being able to
break complex subjects into easily digestible pieces. They must be able to offer
details about classroom progress to parents so they are aware of their child’s
performance and achievement level. Communication helps parents identify
teachable moments in everyday situations and boost their child’s kindergarten
readiness.
Flexibility
Even the best early childhood
teachers will go off course throughout the day due to unforeseen circumstances
or learning hiccups. While creating a lesson plan to outline important concepts
that should be addressed in the curriculum is important for any classroom, even the
best plans sometimes don’t happen the way we hope. Being flexible can help
lessen stress levels and keep things on track.
Understanding Diversity
Children come from different home
environments and backgrounds, which can lead to different learning styles.
Early childhood teachers should be able to accept these differences and be
willing to work with varied learning styles to ensure all students leave the
classroom having achieved the identified learning objectives.
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