Unit 14 Moral Learning

Teaching objectives By the end of the lesson, students should be able to: know what moral values should be carried out in English lessons. grasp the ways to promote moral learning know the roles of teacher in moral learning know the roles of school in moral learning

Teaching contents Moral leaning and English Activities for moral learning The roles of the teacher The roles of the school

1. Moral leaning and English There is a Chinese saying that “Teachers are engineers of the soul”. This suggests that we are not just responsible for students’ intellectual or physical development; teachers are also responsible for students’ moral development. In the Guidelines on Curriculum Reform of Basic Education, it states that basic education should aim for better development of students, not only in knowledge, skills and abilities but also in values, attitudes, and emotions.

Task 1:group discussion look at the moral values advocated by William J. Hutchins in 1924 on page 240 and discuss the following questions with each other: Are there any other moral values that you would like add to the list? Are there any items on the list that you do not consider to be important moral values? Why? What are the traditional Chinese moral values that you think are important? Do Chinese moral values and American moral values have anything in common?

Task 2 read text one answer the following questions: What moral messages do you think they are promoting? why do you think so? back

Activities for moral learning There are a variety of ways to focus on moral learning. Some approaches can be teacher-centered, other involve students in exploring moral issues themselves. Likewise, moral education can be seriously emphasized or lightly emphasized. Teacher has to choose the best approach which best suits their students.

suggested activities for an explicit focus on moral development sharing; posters; debates; comparison essays role plays; case studies for problem solving extension activities philosophy circle spontaneous reflection

Task 3 :group discussion read the teaching materials and discuss how they can use the materials to teach moral values. design an activity with detailed teaching procedures for each text and share them with the class. back

3. The roles of the teacher There are two aspects of the role of the moral educator. First, the teacher can serve as a moral exemplar or role model for the students to imitate. The second aspect is for the teacher to make appropriate decisions as a curriculum developer.

teacher’s role (1) teacher as a role model: not an exceptional human being; show consistency and commitment, and ask ourselves: how we treat our students? do we follow rules we set for our students? do we acknowledge our mistakes? (2) teacher as curriculum developer.

task 4 :group discussion How could you handle the moral aspects in an English lesson in the following situations? family break-up dating cheating in exams not listening attentively to others during conversations

crisis between friends over trivial things a disabled student attitudes towards work and study bullying war children’s rights back

4. The roles of the school The impact of moral education can be enhanced by adopting a whole school approach to morality. This means that all members of the school community share a commitment to moral education and a shared understanding of moral values.

the school’s role to carry out moral values to students. task 5 Discuss with your partner the current provision of moral education in our university.

Conclusion This unit has focuses on an important area of children’s education-the development of moral values. It has discussed the values that might be developed in English lessons, either through a strong, explicit focus on moral education, or through a light, implicit focus. The unit has also suggested ways in which moral values could be explored in an English lesson through a variety of activities. These activities could be linked to a whole school approach to make the school into a moral institution.

Thank you ^_^