Shaping the Character Development
of a Child through Literature
Casey Bowen
Appalachian State University
May 4, 2004
Abstract
Children are vulnerable to the environment around them. They are introduced to various aspects of the world and asked to base their entire lives, thoughts, and feelings on it. Literature provides a catalyst to offer an outlet of opportunity to learn and understand what society hands them throughout life. Using a variety of reading material in and outside of the classroom promotes a well-rounded portrayal of the affects of decision-making and problem-solving skills. Being subjected to various reading materials provides an opportunity to relate to characters and their lives. Children will learn character traits relevant to their own lives that will shape their moral beliefs and values. Young readers will make these connections with their own lives and use them to their full advantage in order to achieve goals that are significant to them.
Shaping the Character Development
of a Child through Literature
Educators have instilled values in children ever since there have been schools in this country. These values are what shape our society as a whole. They can be identified as honesty, compassion, respect, responsibility, and loyalty, just to name a few. There seems to be a demand for such character traits in the schools among teachers and parents in the United States. Using literature as a concrete basis to guide students into the right path of society is relevant to a child’s education because it’s where values are most present. With a teacher’s guidance, a child can simply read a book that possesses character traits and form an additional piece of understanding easily. Character development is a holistic approach that makes connections morally and socially in the dimension of education.
Character education is a general term used to portray teaching and learning for a child’s personal development. Life skills, moral education, virtue, and cognitive reasoning are all included in influencing a child’s character. Character education addresses various aspects of moral and civic education, as well as character development. It is a multi-faceted composition that emphasizes what is important and examines the standards of right and wrong. It also provides an outlet for school and community involvement. Educating a child’s character offers a foundation for active involvement in a child’s family, classroom, and community.
Students are introduced to character education through the study of heroes and heroines in literature. These characters in books exemplify the well-known traits that heroes and heroines consistently portray such as courage and respect. The grounded basic values are very apparent to students when reading any genre of literature. Children see the goodness each character possesses, takes it seriously, and in turn, strives to be like them. Whether fiction, poetry, or picture books, any type of literature can be used to teach character education for pre-kindergarten through high school students.
Students are taught to approach character education through values clarification. They are given the opportunity to come to terms with their individual values preferences, reflect on them, and confirm or change their choices. This important process encourages students to make choices, discover alternatives, and to act and live according to their own preferences. Students will become more conscious of behavioral patterns in their lives as they develop. Literature helps students define their value preferences and compare those with core values of society (Edgington, 2002, 3). Young readers will be faced with a values decision while learning to use reasoning and decision-making skills appropriately. Stories and fables provide an excellent opportunity for values analysis. Students have the ability to make value decisions based on alternatives and consequences that reflect their choices in life. These decisions are an important aspect of character education and development. Students will be able to relate the story in their own perspective and examine their values in comparison to the core values stressed in today’s society.
Literature is relevant to the lives of students, therefore, creating and providing an important component to character development. When literature is paired with appropriate value instruction, it provides a powerful display of character education. Character building is attractive to young readers because the literature can be applicable to any grade level. Educators must find ways to incorporate literature appropriately in order to achieve the authentic and meaningful acts of goodness in each child. For example, a third grade classroom reads Officer Buckle and Gloria when studying communities. A middle-school class reads Sounder and is influenced with the idea of respect, caring, and citizenship. Finally, a high school English class reads To Kill a Mockingbird only to be taught the evils of racism, prejudice, and injustice. Young readers are influenced and motivated to read literature that possesses a wholeness in which they can commonly relate.
It is essential that educators emphasize character building to give children roots to grow and develop. Discovering new ways to plan for better instruction by discovering learning, multiple intelligences, and diversity are important to what it truly means to be a good people. The most fundamental aspect of education is learning what it means to be truly human (Croissant, 1997,1). Having the foundations of love, generosity, and respect are traits humans learn to possess to become a good people. The understanding of this foundation provides stability for personal and social existence. Education in building character reflects on a key goal of good people. Adolescents often feel sheltered from the outside world. The use of literature influences young readers to connect themselves to family and society. Children are in desperate need of self-worth and purpose in life. Providing character building literature can bring them closer to a sense of self- confidence and worth when learning to make good decisions for themselves and others around them.
Human nature causes us to have a tendency to model behavior that of others we respect or admire (Hurst, 2002, 1). Discussion of character in literature helps to identify good decision-making and problem-solving skills. Young readers learn from positive, as well as negative behavior. The best literature tends to describe characters that are neither good or evil, just human. It provides an easy outlet for students to relate to a character of any type of book. If children are taught how to critically focus on characters, their decisions and motivations as a result of problem-solving and decision-making, they are stepping into building character education. Good educators will focus on the literature provided and add appropriate discussion to facilitate and encourage students to think for themselves outside of the box.
Reading lays the foundation for a love of learning and for pushing a child’s mind to question beyond the printed page (Rosen, 2004, 2). There is early development in language and reading in the beginning of a child’s life although it is not obvious until a child reaches one or two years in age. A child’s listening and conversational skills are sharpened by reading while sparking the imagination and expanding knowledge of the world around them (Rosen, 2004, 2). A child’s thinking is opened up to discussion more easily when given the opportunity to read books on a more challenging level. Topics that are generally more difficult to bring up will be introduced with more ease. Focusing on books that contain issues relevant to a kid’s life will provide an outlet for them to realize they are not the only ones that struggle with a particular issue. Today’s literature includes a plethora of information and language for understanding typical issues that many children face everyday. For example, reading a story dealing with divorce, bullying, marriage, or death leaves a great opportunity of relating, reflecting, and discussion on the topic at hand.
All of the reading materials that children are allowed to practice their reading skills should be carefully selected for content as well as teaching purposes. Because childhood is such an influential time when a person develops long-lasting habits and behaviors, the choice of literature is essential. It is wise to choose literature which portrays different people; hard-working families that help one another and continuously work towards well-rounded goals in life. If a story contains improper behavior, children should be knowledgeable of the actions and discuss the consequences of such action. Understanding of bad decision-making on a character’s part will influence a young reader to learn from the situation and strive to avoid the same for themselves. It is very important to choose literature for children that provides them with role models to imitate in both actions and attitudes (Dunlap, 2002, 6). Children will discover the meaning of living useful, loving, constructive lives in the present society through appropriate reading material.
Exposing students to a wide variety of literature allows them to discover similarities in values across geography, culture, and time. It is recommended to incorporate classics, folk literature, legends, and contemporary stories, all drawn from various cultures (Brynildssen, 2002, 2). Building character development is a more in-depth process than just processing and storing information. Character education must “encompass the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of morality” (Brynildssen, 2002, 2). Teachers must hold discussions of literature to understand the core values at hand and act upon them with their own lives. Using instructional strategies such as debate, research, role-playing, and journaling prompts students to relate to the character traits provided in the literature. Students will be able to make assessments, build opinions, and relate it to their own lives. This will broaden their understanding of the literature as well as how it affects society.
Using literature to help build a child’s character is essential in the learning of values in society. The goodness in people builds a community of learners that evolves the world into what it is today. As educators continue to use these stepping stones to mold young readers into a concrete people, the outside world will consistently possess an opportunity for growth and development in scholarly views of life, love, and happiness.
References
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Dunlap, Joy M. (2002). Reading Shapes a Child's Character.
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