Claim: Teaching methodology greatly affects the way story books are utilized to teach morality to children.
Claim: Morality might become questionable due to the way teachers teach children.
Claim: Children should be taught different pieces of literature in the form of folklore, fairy tales, fables so that they understand the diversity in moral values across culture.
Neuroscience research states that by the first four years of life, the intelligence of a child develops to about 50 percent whereas by the age of eight years, their intelligence reaches a maximum of 80 percent. Developmental theorists like Piaget and Kohlberg have all stressed upon the excellent learning abilities of individuals during their childhood which forms the basis of a learning environment and consequent teaching practices in order to optimize the resources of children. For this purpose, early childhood serves as a core period of shaping the personality of individuals and this is therefore a crucial period where children learn to differentiate between right and wrong, between good and bad. With the transition into the ages of 4 years and above, children began to understand the world from the perspective of others. Hence, this is the period where children are taught about the key concepts of morality and values. This is communicated through literature which is such a powerful tool which cannot only develop personalities but also shake nations. In this regard, the significance of story books have long been stressed by scholars and incorporated in studies. Despite its importance, several schools are still devoid of these practices. It is the recent approach of teaching morals through children literature that have interested schools in various areas. “Unfortunately, In Jordan, the attention on early childhood education and programs has been introduced recently; the traditional curriculum and programs of teaching young children are still applied and these are mainly focusing on teaching, letters and numbers as the main goal” (Husni and Maila 535). However, regardless of the actions of the fictional character, it also depends upon the teaching strategies and the teacher’s views that greatly impact the way students learn.
In order to support my argument about teaching children through morality, I will utilize a number of different sources. Since there is a dearth of literature addressing the issue of teaching morality through fictional characters which present a mixed opinion regarding the teaching methodlody and text, I will extend my claim regarding the impact of teaching methodlodgy by incorporating various ways like moral reasoning and alternative solution method of Pinnochio to teach morality. Furthermore, to complicate my assertion on debatable morals taught by the educators, I will introduce the example of Santa Clause and Tooth Fairy to highlight the questionable values. Finally, I will also add in the advantages of incorporating various texts to promote cultural diversity by integrating the work titled as ““Harmony, Empathy, Loyalty, and Patience in Japanese Children's Literature” by Kelly. By using all these sources, I aim to draw light upon the various aspects related to teaching morality to children via fictional characters.
The incorporation of story books in the school curriculum can be looked from a number of different perspectives. Although some teachers place their entire focus on building the language skills of the children as compared to other instructors who simply teach for the sake of the school curriculum, I have come to believe that the real purpose of story books is not only limited to language and cognitive development, but it extends to the realm of values and morality. From a very beginning, children are often instructed to behave in certain ways and to follow a standard code of conduct. As a result, they continue to follow what is being taught regardless of going in the depth of its consequence. In this regard, it is the duty of the teacher to guide the children by acquainting then about the effect of their actions. In other words, if a story such as The Crow and the Pitcher in Aesop’s fable which conveys the message of hard work and patience is taught to the children, the advantages of adhering to such a behavior must also be highlighted during the course of the study. In this way, children would not simply learn a set of moral principles, but will understand the responsibility and accountability attached with these acts. In this way, they would successfully associate and implement these principles in their real lives. Studies therefore suggest that the early educators must continue to address literature in a way that it aids in the interconnected moral, physical and the cognitive development of children.
Story books play a significant role in character building where the function of these books is often dependent upon the teaching methodology practices. Despite the importance of children literature, there are still many places which on the basis of the assumption that children only understand colors and rhyme, do not consider it important to completely educate the child. One such example is that of Jordan where educators have recently started to teach morality through story books. However although Somadi complicates the stance by regarding “teachers as simply supporting the text” (Somadi 535), this study places great emphasis upon the role of teachers and the way they teach which have a direct impact on the way children grasp the concept of morality. Teachers must therefore be aware of the character insights which students have in order to develop a strategy accordingly. This is essential so that the incorporation of story books in the lives of children serve the main purpose of acquainting them with the right behaviors. Teachers must nurture these insights by aiding the discussion in the light of peeling off all the layers of a character to understand it regardless of the age of the student. Complex stories can be made easy by the instructor asking students about how characters tend to react and feel thorough out the story. For instance, probing and asking questions about how the characters feel thereby enabling them to identify the reason behind their emotions of happiness and sadness may lead children to dig deep down in analyzing the traits of the character. This process strengthens the cognitive and mental ability of children which is further enhanced by the use of visuals and illustrations. Teachers do not only use flashcards, magnify the illustrations or draw characters to help students understand, but the illustrations in the book itself reflect the feelings and characteristic features of the character which help students understand the character as well as the story in a better way. While trying to make a child understand and identify the actions and behavior of characters, their thinking abilities can be enhanced by making them look for alternative behaviors that could have been adopted by a character. For instance, in the case of Pinocchio lying and going through an elongated nose, children could be asked to think about an alternate behavior such as telling the truth which could have been adopted by Pinocchio. In this way, students are being guided about the positive alternative of a negative action. Also, the moral reasoning approach can be implemented by teachers. This approach has been put forward by Kohlberg who talks about the manner in which the reasoning ability of children can be fostered by exposing them to dilemmas which do not have an obvious right or wrong. In this way, children can come up with their own set of values and ideas which can further be supported by their teachers.
It is the views of the teacher and her way of instruction which often regulates the thinking mechanism of a child. In this regard, although fairy tales and myths serve the purpose of morality, I have come to believe that it often deceives and confuses the child to distinguish between reality and imagination. Despite considering Red Riding Hood as an imaginary non-existent character, children eventually believe in the existence of Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause. This is due to the way these myths are presented by instructors. Although the character of Tooth Fairy is introduced to make children believe in things which they don’t see and to alleviate their fear regarding losing a tooth, this myth tends to become a reality for children. In a similar manner, the jolly bearded character known as Santa Clause is often introduced due to its resemblance with God and his characteristics of selflessness and generosity. Despite the initial purpose of teaching morality to children, these myths take the form of a lie where young children are unable to distinguish between realities and make believe concepts. This can be noted in the following words:
“Although young children generally have a difficult time distinguishing real things from make believe, research suggests that their attitudes toward Santa Claus are significantly different from their attitudes toward storybook entities Young children discover the truth about the unreality of Superman more quickly than they do the truth about Santa Claus. This suggests that children pick up on the difference between adults’ attitudes toward Santa Claus and other storybook entities” (Wooley and Sharon 300).
Although the intention of the educator is to teach values and morals to children via fictional characters, using some characters result in the instructor moving away from morality. This is further elaborated by Somadi in the following words: "Literary characters have almost the same potential for influencing the reader as the real people with whom a reader might share a reading experience" (Somadi 535). In other words, the example of Santa Clause and Tooth Fairy is seen to be a lie. Although the intentions of the instructor may be positive, the myth itself is based on a lie. Therefore, teaching morality through such fictional characters tend to question the concept of morality itself as the instructor is herself not practicing these principles. For this reason, it is essential to understand the ability of children to differentiate between reality and imagination and teach accordingly.
Apart from the importance of teaching methodology for conveying the message of morality to children, the incorporation of the text is also vital for teaching children values and the desired principles. As a matter of fact, which traits to emphasize on also becomes an important aspect to worry. For instance according to Lickona “trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, justice, and citizenship” are to be incorporated into the curriculum (Lickona 65). In contrast, other researchers often include characteristics like responsibility, respect, trustworthiness, care, fairness and citizenship to be taught to the children. Regardless of the slight variation, the universal value system revolving around kindness, respect and help is practices along the globe. However, apart from focusing upon selecting the appropriate traits to stress upon, educators must also address the issue of which text to incorporate. In this regard, while several studies have entirely focused upon the role of story books, researchers also propose varying purpose served by the different form of literature such as fairy tales, fables, myths and folklore. Thus, I believe that children should be acquainted with a variety of texts so that they understand the universal principles as well as grasp the manner in which values are seen and practiced in different cultures. In this way, children will not only come across the diversity of characters and their actions, but will also learn to respect and tolerate the views of the other. This is further discussed by Somadi (534-559) who mentions the uses of exposing students to various piece of literature as it lets students discover the similarity in morals across culture, geography and time.
Story books have long been used to promote political ideology where it has often been stressed to include characters belonging to lower class, black protagonists an females so that children develop the anti-sexist, anti-racist and working class values. This is also embedded in the multicultural literature today. The different forms of literature will not only help children observe the various ways in which characters act and behave, but as put forward by Kelly (61), “Multicultural children's literature is a passport to foreign cultures. Because we live in a global and multicultural society, it is important to help children understand cultures different from their own” (Kelly 61). In this way, children can identify the similarities and difference between the practices of various cultures which is coherent in the following words: “Multicultural literature helps children identify with their own culture, exposes children to other cultures, and opens the dialogue on issues regarding diversity” (Colby 24). In this way, introducing children with the concepts of poverty, sexism, gender difference and racism at an early age will eventually result in individuals who would tolerate and respect differences instead of playing a role in discriminatory practices.
Teaching children morality through fictional characters is a responsible task which needs to be carefully handled as it greatly depends upon the manner in which the text is being used and taught. Therefore, as put forward by Kelly, I also belief that the incorporation of different forms of literature helps children understand the aspect of cultural diversity enabling them to tolerate and respect differences which would aid in peace building around the globe. However, to complicate my belief that the opinions held by the teachers regarding the values of the characters, Sharon and Woolley have focused upon the disadvantages of using myths and characters such as Santa Clause and Tooth Fairy. Regardless of how they view these characters, I still hold the view that the intention and the underlying message attached to these characters are more important. In a similar manner, I also agree with the various approaches used by teachers to teach morality as discussed by Somadi as the teaching tools regulate the way the concept of morality is learned and implemented by children. Thus, school curriculum must stress upon incorporating various forms of children literature as it greatly contributes in their overall development. Schools must train teachers regarding the appropriate strategies in order to convey the message of morality so that children are able to distinguish and consequently implement the right behavior in their lives.
References
Colby, and Lyon. “Heightening awareness about the importance of using multicultural literature.” Multicultural Education 11.3 (2004): 24-28. Print
Kelley, Jane. “Harmony, Empathy, Loyalty, and Patience in Japanese Children's Literature.” Social Studies 99.2 (2008): 61-70. Print
Lickona, Thomas. (1991). Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. Print
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Palmer, Craig, Wright, Jennice, Wright, Scott, Cassidy, Chriss, VanPool, Todd, and Coe Kathryn. “The many manipulations of Morty Mouse: Children’s stories and the parental encouragement of altruism.” Journal of Anthropological Research 62.2 (2006): 235-257. Print
Rahim, Husni, and Rahiem, Maila. “The use of stories as moral education for young children.” International Journal of Social Science and Humanity 2.6 (2012): 454-458. Print
Roser, Nancy, Martinez, Miriam, Furhken, Charles, and McDonnold Kathleen. “Characters as guides to meaning.” The Reading Teacher 60.6 (2007): 548-559.
Sharon & Woolley. “Do monsters dream? Children’s understanding of the fantasy–reality distinction.” British Journal of Developmental Psychology 22 (2004): 293–310. Print
Somadi, Farid. “The effect of story based programe on developing moral values at the kindergarten stage.” Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business 4.7 (2012): 534-559. Print
Turner, N. T. How do we develop values? USA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2013. Print.
Wilson, Barbara. “Media and Children’s Aggression, Fear, and Altruism.” The Future of Children 18.1 (2008): 87-118. Print.
