Developing Moral Intelligence: Strategies for Building Good Character

1. Dr. Michele Borba Moral Intelligence By Cayla Davenport

2. All About Borba Michele Borba, Ed.D. is an internationally renowned educator, award-winning author, parenting expert and child and adolescent expert. She is recognized for her practical, solution-based strategies to strengthen children’s behavior, character, and social development, and to build strong families. A sought-after motivational speaker, she has presented workshops and keynote addresses throughout North American, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific and has served as an educational consultant to hundreds of schools. Her proposal: “Ending School Violence and Student Bullying” (SB1667) was signed into California law in 2002. She offers realistic, research-based advice culled from a career of working with over one million parents and educators worldwide.

3. Developing Moral Intelligence • Moral Intelligence is an essential quality called “good character” • School should be a place where children can learn the value of responsibility, caring, respect, and cooperation by observing adults displaying those traits consistently. • Good discipline depends on teacher’s creating a moral learning community in the classroom where students can feel safe and cared about.

4. Step Into Borba’s Theory • Get into groups of three • Assign roles: Eddie, Juan, and Teacher • Read through the handout, discussing each step.

5. Replacing Negative with Positive • If students persistently misbehave in school, their character invariably diminishes. • Teachers should target and address specific behaviors that damage respectful classrooms and student character such as: • Vulgarity, Cruelty, Bullying, and Disrespect • Teachers must help students replace these negative behaviors with positive ones by teaching and practicing: • Responding, Reviewing, Reflecting, and Making Right

6. The Seven Virtues of Goodness • Empathy- Notice when people are hurting • Conscience- Sense right and wrong • Self-Control- Behave properly even when tempted • Think, Stop, Act Right • Respect- Acceptance and tolerance of others • Kindness- Consideration for the well-being of others • Tolerance- Acceptance for the conditions and behaviors of others • Fairness- Treating others equally without showing partiality

7. Manners in Character Development • 85 Important Manners Children Should Learn: • Polite words • Meeting and Greeting others • Conversation Manners • Sports Manners • Anywhere and Anytime • Table Manners • Telephone Manners • Manners toward older people

8. Gossen’s Self-Restitution Self-Restitution is a process used when students who have behaved inappropriately 1)reflect on the misbehavior 2) identify the need/condition that prompted the misbehavior 3) create new ways of behaving that correspond with the people they are striving to be

9. Why reward-punish approach is bad Gossen believes this approach fails because it discourages students from reflecting on their misbehavior it does not promote moral growth or emotional intelligence With self-restitution, offenders can restore themselves and have a sense of personal responsibility.

10. The Restitution Triangle

11. Following the Least Coercive Road • Phase 1: Opening up the territory—maximizing freedom • Does it really matter? • Yes, if… • Phase 2: Establishing the social contract and building a sense of belonging • What we believe in • The Social Contract • Phase 3: Establishing limits and clarifying personal power • My job, your job • Enforcing the bottom line • Phase 4: Restitution—making things right and healing oneself • Teacher/student I want to be

12. Teacher/student I want to be Teacher I want to be Student I want to be • “How can I best teach you?” • “It’s ok to make a mistake—that’s how we learn.” • Talk about needs of teacher and students • Model self-restitution and use the Restitution Triangle • Seek to understand others • Have fun teaching! • Learns new things and thinks for self • Learns self-restitution • Identifies own needs and recognizes needs of others • Has fun learning • Thinks about the ideal person to be • Helps make and maintain a Social Contract with the class Teacher I don’t want to be Student I don’t want to be • Tells you what to think • Does your work for you • Criticizes or shames you • Tells you what I think you want to hear • Says “sorry” just to get off the hook • Watches the clock

13. Borba vs. Gossen Self-Restitution Roles Manners Virtues Morals Punishment 4 Solutions Time

14. Resources • www.micheleborba.com • Mosaic of Thought • www.dailymoaner.com • The picture of the boys fighting • Clip art • Reward/punish pictures • http://www.mbl.is/mm/gagnasafn/grein.html?grein_id=734996 • Picture of Diane Gossen • http://aubrey.sd41.bc.ca/admin/principalsmessage.html • Restitution Triangle