Several years ago, I started to include philosophical discussions in my art classes, driven by my desire to deepen pupils’ moral reflection on art projects. I established a community of inquiry in groups of 8th grade pupils, and the first artwork I proposed was René Magritte’s “Not to be reproduced” from 1937. Given the paradoxical... Continue Reading →
There was public disquiet when a BBC investigation revealed exploited child refugees from war-torn Syria were being used to make clothes for major British stores. The “sweatshop” factories in Turkey were reportedly using children as young as 15 to work 12 hours a days, ironing garments for sale. Some workers were exposed to hazardous chemicals,... Continue Reading →
Contemporary Polish education is at an ideological crossroads, attempting to construct new ways of thinking, and new concepts of education and teaching in line with contemporary understanding of young people’s development. Since gaining independence in 1989, Poland has been reforming its education system to help young people adapt to the new world order. The changes... Continue Reading →
Digital platforms and online teaching are revolutionising the delivery of educational programmes throughout the higher education sector. Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, are one of the latest developments and the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues’ own online course on character education has had nearly 20,000 registered learners. Such platforms allow institutions to engage... Continue Reading →
From an early age, children are encouraged to express gratitude and display thanks towards others. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – and mind your Ps and Qs. There are everyday scenarios that fit nicely into the “please and thank you” template, such as ordering a coffee, being served lunch... Continue Reading →
Philosopher Candace Vogler, of the University of Chicago, is a principal investigator in a project grappling with virtue, happiness and the meaning of life. Prof Vogler is seeking to establish if self-transcendence – the sense that life is part of a bigger good – helps to make the cultivation and exercise of virtue a source... Continue Reading →
One of the developing trends in education, internationally, over the last few years, has been the renewed attention to the moral dimensions of education, and more specifically, to character education. Spain is slowly starting to refocus its interest in the sphere of character education; however, it is happening more slowly than in other countries such... Continue Reading →
The value of engaging young people in positive social action has been working its way up the political agenda for some time. An independent review into youth social action launched by former Prime Minister David Cameron led to the #iwill campaign, which aims to harness the creativity, energy and talents of 10 to 20-year-olds for... Continue Reading →
In this Vlog, Professor Marvin W Berkowitz, Professor of Character Education at University of Missouri – St Louis, talks about the drawbacks of taking a purely pedagogical approach to Character Education. If the aim of Character Education is to develop children into good people, then Professor Burkowitz suggests that we need to adopt more sociological... Continue Reading →
On my first day of Army Basic Training back in 1998, my senior drill sergeant had us all in formation. We had just finished doing somewhere in the region of 10,000 press-ups and he said to us in a very calm, slow, and steady voice, “Privates… there are three things you have to do in... Continue Reading →
Professor Howard Curzer was a keynote speaker at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues’ annual conference at Oriel College, Oxford. Here, as Donald Trump is finally inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, Prof Curzer, of Texas Tech University, talks to journalist Richard McComb about the role of Aristotle in a “post-truth” world.... Continue Reading →
Preliminary findings of the Virtuous Practice in Nursing research project conducted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues point to concerns among early-career nurses who are on the verge of completing their initial three-year training. Many final year students who were about to qualify feel inadequately equipped to deal with the complex ethical dilemmas... Continue Reading →
When my son was little, his aunt sent him a VHS tape of a TV character; Barney the purple dinosaur. At the end was an “educational” message from Sandy Duncan, a celebrity attached to the series: “And remember kids, real friends come and go but imaginary friends are forever.” I almost put my foot through... Continue Reading →
University of Birmingham School principal Michael Roden talks to Richard McComb There cannot be many homework planners where one of the most prominent pages asks pupils: “What virtues have you shown today?” Below the question, embedded in a heart shape, are words such as kindness, courage, service, resilience, honesty, loyalty and kindness. Anchoring the page,... Continue Reading →
Being totally absorbed, feeling optimally challenged and concentrated – these are just a few of the characteristics that constitute flow, defined as a personal experience marked by deep enjoyment and total immersion in what one does. Nine dimensions have been described to make up the flow experience: a balance between challenges and one’s skills the... Continue Reading →
Amid the pressure to hit targets and the clamour to shine in school league tables, there is resurgent interest in the wider development of students’ character. Teachers and parents see the intrinsic value of helping young people to untap their potential as flourishing citizens of the world. But how does a school judge how well... Continue Reading →
“This is not politics as usual. This is disgraceful.”[1] These were the words of US first lady Michelle Obama on the Hillary Clinton campaign trail in New Hampshire last month. The speech, widely lauded as one of the best of the campaign, focused on the conduct of Clinton’s Republican opponent Donald Trump, in particular his... Continue Reading →
“A few years ago, I was speaking at one of my very first autism conferences, and a parent came up to me with one question: ‘What will happen to my child when I’m gone?’ For me, this became the million dollar question in our autism community. While this father was crying, asking me this question,... Continue Reading →
The dying art of letter writing and the simple act of saying “thank you” are being revived in a national award scheme for children run by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues. The Thank You Letter Awards encourage primary and secondary pupils to put pen to paper and express gratitude to an inspirational group... Continue Reading →
This year has seen some terrific football triumphs as underdogs Leicester won the Premiership and Wales out-performed England at the European Championships. But the last week of September 2016 will go down in English football infamy. Newly-appointed national team manager Sam Allardyce left his “dream job” by mutual consent after only 67 days in post,... Continue Reading →
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