Transcript Building a Human Rights Learning Community

Moral Reasoning
and Human Rights Education
Moral, Character, and
Human Rights Education
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Hidden Curriculum: Schools and teachers inherently
teach values.
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Values Clarification: Can we identify what’s really
important and reach consensus on Universal Values?
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Moral and Character Education: To help learners
make informed, responsible choices and create a just community
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Human Rights Education: Focus on remedying the
human condition within the global community
Illinois School Code
Every public school teacher shall teach the pupils:
 Honesty
 Kindness
 Justice
 Discipline
 Respect for others
 Moral courage
for the purpose of lessening crime and raising the
standard of good citizenship.
(105 ILCS 5/27-12 Sec. 27-12 Source: P.A. 90-620,
eff. 7-10-98.)
What Are Morals?
Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding
standards of right and wrong
What Is the
Educator’s Role?
Instill character?
Or
Facilitate moral development?
Or
Both?
Universal Values
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Can you come to a consensus on
what character traits are most
valuable and which should be
instilled in children by educators?
Values and Attitudes
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Based on the UDHR
“Strengthening respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms” (UDHR, Article 30.2)
Nurturing self-esteem, respect for others, and hope
Understanding the nature of human dignity and
respecting the dignity of self and others
Empathizing with those whose rights are violated and
feeling a sense of solidarity with them
Recognizing that the enjoyment of human rights by all
citizens is a precondition to a just and humane
society
Perceiving the human rights dimension of civil, social,
political, economic and cultural issues and conflicts
between groups, within groups, and across groups
Valuing non-violence and believing that cooperation
is better than conflict
Kohlberg’s Cognitive
Developmental Theory
of Moral Reasoning
Kohlberg’s Stages:
Level I
I. Pre-Conventional Reasoning
Rules governing moral life are external to the self. Child uses rules
imposed by authority figure. Morality is self-serving & guided
by a desire to avoid punishment.
Stage 1 Orientation: Punishment-Obedience
“I don’t want to be punished”
Moral judgment of an act (good or bad) measured by its consequences. The act
isn't bad if you don't get caught.
Stage 2 Orientation: Instrumental-Relativist
Naive hedonism orientation for personal gain, “You scratch my back, I'll scratch
yours."
“I want a reward.”
Kohlberg’s Stages:
Level II
II. Conventional Reasoning
Social norms and rules are obeyed in order to maintain and win
other's approval. Social praise and the avoidance of punishment
have become tangible rewards for moral behavior.
Stage 3 Orientation: Interpersonal Concordance
Moral behavior is that which pleases, helps, or is approved by others, whose
perspectives are taken into account when making a moral judgment. “Good boy/
Good girl orientation.”
“I want people to like me.”
Stage 4 Orientation: Authority & Social Order
Maintaining
Moral behavior is motivated by a want to maintain social order.
“I would be breaking the law.”
Kohlberg’s Stages:
Level III
III. Post-Conventional Autonomous or Principled
Reasoning
Morality is defined in terms of a broader sense of justice that may
or may not be reflected in societal law.
Stage 5 Orientation: Social Contract Legalistic
Moral thought makes a distinction between what is legal and what is just. The
individual sees that laws are important for maintaining social norms, but may
be unjust or unfair.
“I’m obliged not to do it.”
Stage 6 Orientation: Universal Ethical Principle
The individual defines their own concepts of right and wrong based on selfchosen ethical principles that reflect the individual’s conscience. Moral
guidelines are not concrete rules but abstract moral concepts.
“It’s not right, no matter what others say.”
Moral Behavior and Cognitive
Development
 Moral reasoning is impacted by an individual’s stage of
cognitive development
 A study of college students in the 1970s found that only
25% were operating in the formal operations stage of
cognitive development
 Research suggests that adults tend to be in the concrete
operations stage of cognitive development, except in some
very specific areas in which they have gained a high level
of expertise.
Piaget: Cognitive Development
Stage
Age Range
Description
Pre-Operational Stage
2 to 7 yrs
Children begin to use
mental symbols to
represent objects (words,
images), however they are
not engaged in cognitive
operations such as higher
order perspective taking.
Concrete-Operational
Stage
7 to 11-14 yrs
Children become less
egocentric in their thinking
and reasoning and begin to
develop reversible
thinking, but still lack the
ability to reason abstractly.
Formal Operational
Stage
11-14 yrs and beyond
Children begin to reason
abstractly and rationally.
This stage is not reached
by all individuals or
permeated to all areas of
reasoning.
Moral Reasoning
In what stage of moral reasoning is an adult who:
 Will not cheat on tests because it’s against the college code of conduct
 Has money deducted from her paycheck for a charity, in order to impress the
boss
 Has children selling drugs for him on the street corner
 Won’t eat anything with a face because of her membership in PETA
 Covers for someone’s failure to show up for a meeting, so that person won’t
tell on him
 When state would not intervene, stayed for years in a job at a school where
children were mistreated, in order to change the school culture
Kohlberg’s Critics
Kohlberg’s theory has been criticized for the
extensive research on males, as well as for
underestimating social and cultural influences on
moral development, including the care perspective
of females
Gilligan’s Findings
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The moral reasoning of females has been impacted by
how they have been socialized to demonstrate care and
behave in socially responsible ways
The female caring and responsibility orientation is
particularly evident from adolescence through adulthood
Level 1 Survival Orientation: Caring for self
Level 2 Goodness Orientation: Caring for others
Level 3 Caring Orientation: Caring for self & others
Think About How You Have Been
Socialized to Determine Right from
Wrong and What Rules Govern Your
Decision-Making and Behavior Today
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Do you regularly reflect and examine the
decision-making processes that contribute to your
own behaviors?
Have you accepted or rejected the moral code of
your family, religion, culture, or community?
Have you attempted to formulate your own
standards by which to measure right and wrong?
General Moral Principles
Classicists: The Greeks, St. Thomas Aquinas, and
the Golden Mean
 Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth
living”
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must use our intellect for self-reflection and,
through thoughtfulness, we can determine how to
act reasonably and according to the Golden Mean,
avoiding extremes
 “Everything
in moderation”
Judeo-Christian Ethic
Golden Rule --Doctrine of Reciprocity
 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you.”
 “Love they neighbor as thyself.”
Secular Doctrine of Reciprocity
Empathetic Reciprocity
 “Walk a mile in my shoes.”
 We must try to imagine what it’s like for others
Utilitarianism
Jeremy Bentham & John Stuart Mill:
 “The greatest good for the greatest number.”
 The
right action is the one that promotes good for the
greatest number of people
Causalism
An individual’s acts affect society; consider how
actions impact the general welfare
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Categorical Imperative
Kant’s rule by which to judge maxims of conduct:
 An act is only moral if it can be applied to all
rational beings without contradiction or exception
 An
action that is appropriate in one situation must
be appropriate in all similar situations
How Can We Determine What Is
Equitable for Underrepresented
Groups and Special Populations?
Something to Think About: What is Equity for Diverse
Populations?
 Can you make exceptions to rules, in order to create
a level playing field for those who are at a
disadvantage?
 Richard La Voie contends:
“Fair does not mean that everyone gets the same
thing; it means that everyone gets what they need.”
What Are Human
Rights?
Human Rights Are:
The rights that someone has
simply because s/he is a human
being.
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Inalienable/Universal
Interconnected
Indivisible
Both Rights and Responsibilities
Five Primary Categories of
Human Rights:
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Civil Rights
Political Rights
Economic Rights
Social Rights
Cultural Rights
What Is
Human Rights Education?
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“Where, after all, do universal rights begin? In small
places, close to home – so close and so small that
they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet
they are the world of the individual person; the
neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he
attends; the factory, farm or office where he works.
Such are the places where every man, woman, and
child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal
dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights
have meaning there, they have little meaning
anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold
them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress
in the larger world.”
Eleanor Roosevelt - The Great Question, 1958
Why Human Rights
Education?
Inappropriate Behavior
for Age and Stage of Development
Physical Behaviors
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Spitting, hitting, choking, jeers, pinching, scratching, hand
gestures, writing on other’s work, throwing objects,
drumming, pulling hair, out-of-place, striking with objects,
etc.
Verbal Displays
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Swearing or using vulgar language, talking too loudly, racial
or sexist slurs, taunting, booing, talking back, arguing, regularly
complaining or interrupting
Uncooperative Behaviors
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Refusing to comply or follow rules, acting defiantly, refusing
to take turns or share, cheating and lying
Human Rights Education:
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Produces changes in values and attitudes
Produces changes in behavior
Produces empowerment for social justice
Develops attitudes of solidarity across
issues and nations
Develops knowledge and analytical skills
Produces participatory education
How do we move from learning
about human rights to action
on a personal and community
level?
Goals of a Human Rights
Learning Community
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Know your human rights
Value your human rights
Be inspired to take action toward
protecting the human rights of
yourself and others
Human Rights Learning Community
Inspire
Know
Celebrate
Value
Reflect
Connect
Act
Heal
Where does human rights
education fit into the school
community and curriculum?
HRE includes learning about
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Knowing and using human rights law
 to protect human rights
 to call violators to account for their actions
Human rights violations
 Emotional and physical hostilities --Teasing, bullying,
torture, genocide, or violence against women and others,
and the prejudicial climates in which they flourish
The persons and agencies that are responsible for
promoting, protecting and respecting human rights
The Leader’s Role
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Regularly self-reflect to take your own Human
Rights Temperature and examine possible
prejudices and biases
Create a school culture respectful of the
Human Rights of all humankind, which
emphasizes cooperation and non-violent
conflict resolution
Support the implementation of daily activities
to help students feel a sense of community in
the classroom
Ensure the integration of Human Rights
Education into curriculum
Leader Facilitated Tolerance
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Model appropriate behaviors
 If
respect for human dignity and justice are not
demonstrated in the learning environment, many
difficulties are likely to arise.
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Be responsive to concerns related to diversity:
 Be
open-minded to a variety of perspectives regarding
 Race, culture, gender, religion, national traditions, etc.
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Celebrate differences but also point out similarities:
 Focus
on the inherent dignity of all people and their right
to be treated with respect
 We all have feelings, thoughts, needs, concerns,
preferences, etc.
Creating School Culture
Provide an Environment That Welcomes Diversity:
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Create a caring climate where respect, acceptance, justice
and equity for heterogeneous populations is evident
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Display posters and photographs of diverse people in halls
and classrooms
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Make books and materials from and about many kinds of
people regularly available
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Develop educational activity-oriented cooperative campaigns
around human rights and ecology issues
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Establish a non-violent conflict resolution program with peer
mediation
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Focus on human rights matters on designated bulletin
boards, in school assemblies, newsletters, at PTA meetings,
etc.
Principles for Human Rights Education
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Connect people’s lived experiences directly to abstract
concepts and legal documents.
Keep lecturing to a minimum
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Use participatory methods for learning
 Songs,
rhymes, and finger plays to promote community spirit;
projects, role playing, discussions, debates, mock trials, games
and simulations
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Be concerned with both content and the learning
process.
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Change happens after new learning occurs and with
opportunities for application over time
 Include
an action dimension that provides opportunities to act on
newly developed attitudes and understandings
 Actions should address problems in school, at home, in the
community, and elsewhere in the world
Principles for Human Rights Education
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Provide an open-minded examination of human rights concerns.
 Give opportunities for people to arrive at positions that may
differ from those of others.
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Include an international/Global dimension to the human rights
theme being examined.
 How it manifests itself both at home and abroad
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Avoid too much focus on human rights abuses.
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Emphasize human rights as a positive value system and a
standard to which everyone is entitled.
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Affirm the belief that the individual can make a difference.
 Provide examples of individuals who have done so.
Those Who Have Made a Difference
Non-Violent Civil Disobedience
 Ghandi
 Martin Luther King
Black Pride
 Malcolm X
Others???
What were their strategies for effecting change?
Education for human rights
helps people feel the
importance of human rights,
internalize human rights
values and integrate them into
the way they live.
Human Rights is not a subject that can be
studied at a distance. Students should not just
learn about the Universal Declaration, about
racial injustice or about homelessness without
also being challenged to think about what it all
means for them personally. As human rights
educators, we must ask our students and ourselves,
“How does this all relate to the way we live our
lives?” The answers to this question will tell us
much about how effectively we have taught
our students.
- David Shiman, “Introduction,” Teaching Human Rights
Education for human rights also
gives people a sense of
responsibility for respecting and
defending human rights and
empowers them, through learned
skills, to take appropriate action.
Skills
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Recognizing that human rights may be promoted and defended
on an individual, collective and institutional level
Developing a critical understanding of life situations
Analyzing situations in moral terms
Realizing that unjust situations can be improved
Recognizing a personal and societal stake in the defense of
human rights
Analyzing factors that cause human rights violations
Knowing about and being able to use global, regional, national
and local human rights instruments and mechanisms for the
protection of human rights
Strategizing appropriate responses to injustice
Acting to promote and defend human rights
Examples of Human Rights
Learning Projects
Human Rights Badges A Human Rights Quilt
Letters to Congress
Memorials
A Democracy Wall
Donation Stations
Petitions Against
Pollution
Speakers
Dramatic
Presentations
Celebrations of
Student Diversity
Activities to Promote Cooperation
and Kindness
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Encourage children to collaboratively create Human
Rights murals for common spaces
Have a Secret Pals Day so that students can
perform acts of kindness and create unique gifts for
randomly selected peers
Establish a buddy system for new students so they
will have peer supports readily available
Others???
10 Things You Can Do
1 - Get to know your human rights
6 - Be heard! Put human rights
matters on the agenda at meetings,
etc.
2 - Get involved as a Human Rights 7 - Find creative ways to
Educator
communicate human rights issues in
your community such as media
strategies, teach-ins, tribunals, etc.
3 - Use the framework of the
8 - Join efforts to have the U.S.
Universal Declaration of Human
ratify the human rights treaties
Rights to describe, defend or define
your social justice issues
4 - Launch a local human rights
9 - Ensure accessibility for all
celebration on the anniversary of the
UDHR on Dec.10th
5 - Put human rights language to
10 - Contact Human Rights
work for social justice
organizations for further information