Encouraging a Link Between Character Education and Social-Emotional Learning

By David B. Wangaard, Ed.D.

Character education and social-emotional learning are two distinct movements that educators are embracing with the hope of promoting positive student behavior in schools. Each movement is distinct from the other; however, they share common program elements and great promise if implemented together. Recognizing the risk of oversimplifying both fields, the following overview is suggested as an outline to encourage a linkage between advocates of character education and social-emotional learning.

Character education promotes the recognition of shared community values such as respect, responsibility, and caring. Definitions of these values are translated into observable behaviors that can describe positive character. Strategies to teach shared values and character at home, in schools, and within communities include an ethical/moral dimension. Character education thus acknowledges the existence of good and bad behavior and ethical choices. Character education challenges students, parents, and teachers to live up to agreed upon moral standards that model good character. Moral motivation is widely recognized as a strong support for character development, which also can include personal and social rewards.

Social-emotional learning also represents the understanding of shared cultural norms and how those norms translate into observable prosocial behavior. Prosocial behaviors include respectful listening and speaking skills, cooperative work skills, and peaceable conflict resolution. These skills are taught by demonstration, role-modeling and practice with the reward of social affirmation. The motivation to develop social-emotional skills is often represented to include personal success and social harmony.

Social-emotional learning minus character education can miss the benefit of ethical and moral motivation. Character education minus the emphasis of skill instruction (a strength in social-emotional learning programs) misses the opportunity to practice prosocial behaviors (good character).

One strength of many character education programs is the focus on the cognitive activities such as the integration of character lessons into academic curricula and ethical reflection which support positive character development. These cognitive lessons create an ethical and moral motivation which can have a strong affective link to the behaviors and skills so well taught by social-emotional learning programs. Together, social-emotional learning and character programs can help motivate personal and group success and the development of positive skills and character.

The linkage of character education and social-emotional learning strategies creates a powerful teaching and learning model that balances the cognitive (head), affective (heart) and behavior (hand) needs of a child or adult. So the next time you hear an advocate for character education or social-emotional learning, inquire into the possibility of linking one program with the other. Educating the head, heart, and hand together is a great way to put ethics in action.