Understanding Children’s Moral Development
By Laura Powell
EDI 15A Psychological Perspective: Teaching & Learning
School of Education
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 4, 2010
Long Island University, C. W. Post
February 4, 2010
Today’s lesson started out interestingly, Professor Boyanton asked us to think of our own definition of morality. My definition of morality was a mix of society’s idea of right and wrong as well as personal rules. I enjoyed hearing everyone else’s definition of morality, many people had great points, like Patty said that religion changes people’s morals, and someone else said that people choose what they feel is right and wrong. I thought the accumulation of all of our points is a good idea of what morality is, Professor Boyanton made a good statement however to say that there is no true definition of morality, I believe she is right because everyone’s morals are different depending on their cultures and the way they were brought up.
We then moved on to learn about Piaget’s definitions of morality, moral realism and moral relativism. Piaget says that everyone is either one of these two options according to their morals. I found out that I was more of a moral relativist. Kohlberg has a theory that defines the stages of moral development. These stages include punishment-obedience, instrumental relativist, good boy-nice girl, law and order, social contract, and universal ethical principle. This theory is very interesting because everyone is at a different point of moral development for different things. One example is that even though we should be at a social contract stage, when a policeman pulls up next to us we get nervous and revert back to a punishment-obedience stage. These stages are going to be very useful in a classroom because they can help me as a teacher know what to say and what not to say to get my students to do what’s right and wrong.
My self management project is going well. Every day I write down what I am eating and I keep finding that there are reoccurring treats I like to have. I am trying to cut the ice cream, cookies, chocolate etc. out of my diet and maybe switch some healthy snacks like unsalted peanuts, whole grain bars, or vegetables into it. If I am able to notice my mistakes and take out my unhealthy snacks better I’ll be able to reach my goal and eat healthier to feel more confident about myself.
We then moved on to learn about Piaget’s definitions of morality, moral realism and moral relativism. Piaget says that everyone is either one of these two options according to their morals. I found out that I was more of a moral relativist. Kohlberg has a theory that defines the stages of moral development. These stages include punishment-obedience, instrumental relativist, good boy-nice girl, law and order, social contract, and universal ethical principle. This theory is very interesting because everyone is at a different point of moral development for different things. One example is that even though we should be at a social contract stage, when a policeman pulls up next to us we get nervous and revert back to a punishment-obedience stage. These stages are going to be very useful in a classroom because they can help me as a teacher know what to say and what not to say to get my students to do what’s right and wrong.
My self management project is going well. Every day I write down what I am eating and I keep finding that there are reoccurring treats I like to have. I am trying to cut the ice cream, cookies, chocolate etc. out of my diet and maybe switch some healthy snacks like unsalted peanuts, whole grain bars, or vegetables into it. If I am able to notice my mistakes and take out my unhealthy snacks better I’ll be able to reach my goal and eat healthier to feel more confident about myself.
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