INTEGRATING CHARACTER VALUES INTO EFL TEACHING

Published By Melissa (1507042035)

The idea of integrating human values in the school’s curriculum has attracted the attention of ESL/EFL teachers because traditionally ESL/EFL programs strive to create better environments for people to live in at the local and global levels (Shaaban, 2005). Melouk (2007) adds that EFL competent teachers are expected to be reflective practitioners; therefore, they should look for ways to grow professionally all the time and to seek collaboration with other professionals. One way for having professional growth is to include values in EFL instruction (Coleman (2010), since they would help learners develop a sense of social and personal responsibility (Shaaban, 2005).

According to Baba (2011), values are defined as the main beliefs that people use for determining what is right or wrong, good or bad, fair or unfair. As a result, human values such as tolerance, respect and cooperation affect people’s personal perceptions and judgments, motives and actions toward others indifferent situations in varying cultures, societies and religions.

Integration character values help pupils grow intellectually, morally and emotionally which eventually helps in creating a productive, healthy and peaceful society. The focus of the project is on three main values: respect, cooperation and tolerance. It aimed to improve relationships among the pupils, increase communication, create trust and enhance feelings of similarity among them. The student teachers worked in pairs during the intensive practical work week in a local junior high school, where they taught the same class for five days a week using materials from a book called “Learning to Live Together” which was published by UNESCO in 2008.

Character Values in Education

Character values are an important aspect in education since they determine human being behavior in society. According to Pinkley (2012), many parents and teachers acknowledge that classroom instruction of literacy and math is not enough and it should be accompanied with values that would ultimately help in producing ethical and responsible members of society. Munera, Gracia & Lo’pez (2008) add that teachers should not care only about the academic level and improvement of their students, but also their personal growth as human beings. As a result, they will be more human (Campero, 2008) and active caring involved citizens (Shaaban, 2005).

Integrating values in education is considered as the transformation of the culture and life of the school (Berkowitz, 2002). For example, Schaps, Schaeffer & McDonnell (2011) recommend involving learners in honest, thoughtful discussion and reflection in character education in terms of what they see around them, what they are told, and what do they experience and do personally.

In other words, moral education would help learners develop a sense of social and personal responsibility (Shaaban, 2005). In fact, it increases the engagement and achievement of the learners because they will have the chance to identify, reflect and act upon values that would lead to a healthy society.

Character Values in EFL Classrooms

  According to Munera, Gracia&Lo’pez (2008), value instruction in EFL classrooms would optimize aspects of the foreign language such as vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, writing and speaking. To include value education, teachers should consider the age of the learners, their cognitive abilities and level of English (Shaaban, 2005). For example, pupils at the elementary level cannot discuss values such as using animals for research purposes; however, they could be engaged with activities that promote the value of cooperation such as taking turns, sharing , taking care of a pet, being fair and punctual (Pinkley, 2012). Similarly, activities should be selected to meet the learners’ age, cognitive abilities and level of English.

    Munera, Gracia & Lo’pez (2008) mention that “factors like culture, socio-economic level, and domestic relationships should be considered when human values are implemented in an English class”. They also added the need for diagnosing the process before starting the instruction of human values in the English classroom. Statz (2000) adds the importance of preparing learners to think carefully and critically about moral issues.

Pillars of Education

   Qualifying teachers in the 21st century according to Doler’s report is based on four pillars of education: Learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together (Tawil & Cougoureux, 2013).

Learning to know is referred to mastery of learning tools as a means and an end. It means that pupils have to learn to understand the world around them, to lead their lives with dignity, develop their occupational skills and communicate with other people. Helping learners to think encompasses both practical problem-solving and abstract thought. The second pillar is learning to do which means how to adapt education in order to equip people to do the types of work needed in the future. Personal competence is based on a body of theoretical and practical knowledge combined with personal dynamism and good problem-solving, decision-making, innovation and team skills. It also includes the needed technological skills, which means the ability to locate, assess and represent appropriate information quickly. Learning to be includes equipping people to develop their own independent, critical way of thinking and judgment, so they can make up their minds on the best courses of action in the different circumstances in their lives. Education should enable each person to a fair-minded, responsible human being.

   Learning to live together as the fourth pillar promotes cross-cultural understanding. It is expected to teach pupils and students about human diversity and to instill in them an awareness of the similarities and interdependence of all people. It requires working on projects to enable people to transcend the routines of their personal lives and attach value to what they have in common as against what divides them. Therefore, there is a need to develop curriculum to introduce people to collaborative projects such as project-based learning and involvement in community activities.

The Humanistic Values

  Respect, tolerance and cooperation are three main humanistic values that promote
collaboration and peaceful living as well as accepting cultural or religious diversity and
individual differences.

a.      Respect

Respect is an intangible but essential aspect because it is crucial to an
individual’s welfare and wellbeing. Moreover, it is also an important factor as far as human
beings’ participation and involvement within their communities’ activities and affairs
(Bourgois, 2002; Sennett 2003).

Respect is the feeling when someone show when he accepts that different ​customs or ​cultures are different from ​his own and ​behave towards them in a way that would not ​cause ​offence (Cambridge Dictionary). Respect can be both given and/or received. Depending on an individual's cultural reference frame, respect can be something that is earned. Respect is often thought of as earned or built over time. Often, continued caring interactions are required to maintain or increase feelings of respect among individuals. 

b.      Tolerance

Tolerance also implies a willingness to tolerate disagreeable beliefs, thoughts, opinions or deeds (Rice 2009). Tolerance guarantees tolerating differences and disagreements. Being tolerant means, being able to control feelings of anger, disagreement, discomfort and dislike.
It can describe feelings, attitudes and states of mind. For more decent human relations, tolerance is regarded as a precondition (Rice 2009). "Tolerance in schools needs to be taught at an early age as it can significantly help decreasing the frequency of hate crimes and racial discrimination because being aware of racial and cultural differences from a young age reduces the possibility of developing stereotypes in mixed societies" (Ford and Young, 2009, p.4 ).

c.       Cooperation

Cooperation is the process of working or acting together; in other words, “it is a common effort of a group for their mutual benefit”( Gintis, 2011, p.210). Pennisi (2009) claims that people need to work together with willingness to cooperate, to help out or get involved, it means encouraging, sharing and working together. The more cooperative the group, the greater is the fitness for survival which extends to all of its members.

There are 3 strategies related to cooperation in EFL teaching:

1.                  Problem Solving Learning

The concept of problems and problem solving was introduced by Haseli (2008). It needs the use of the target language. Following this method would develop problem solving skills and content knowledge because the pupils are required to solve a problem.When the pupils discuss the problem and are required to propose solutions, they will be active learners who have an active role as problem-solvers. According to Gvardjancic (2001), while implementing problem-based learning, learners deal with problems and learn better because they would learn what is meaningful for them and feel control of what they are learning. Vukadinovic (2003) has introduced the problem-based learning model as another type of content-based instruction where a problem is given to a group of students who are required to provide a solution, prepare a report and present the results in class.

Munera, Gracia & Lo’pez (2008) mentioned that while the participants discussed the topics presented in the problem solving activities, they had the chance to interact during the activities, reflect on some real-life circumstances and put into practice their human values besides sharing their opinions and learning about their partners. It could be concluded that the human values component in the English class was appreciated by the students and allowed the learners to increase their language proficiency mostly in pronunciation and vocabulary. Shaaban (2005) proposes a comprehensive framework for a project for incorporating human values in ESL/EFL programs to create active, caring and responsible citizens nationally and globally who would be agents for positive changes in modern pluralistic societies. Participants of such a program will learn English indirectly and will develop their critical thinking through problem solving learning.

2.                  Incorporating Technology

With the development of advanced technology and the growing of the social media for transcultural communication, learning English is no longer a solo academic study, it became an essential skill for world citizenship (Cummins, 2000; Melouk, 2007). As a result, ESL/EFL teachers can involve the pupils in the learning process using interesting and authentic instructional materials in an attempt to develop positive character traits, understanding and appreciation of intracultural and intercultural norms and empathy. In addition, these issues stir discussions that require the participants to think, analyze, evaluate, reflect and think critically. They also learn to express their approval and disapproval politely using specific expressions such as “I don’t agree…”. Furthermore, multimedia and information technology not only develop social skills but also autonomous learners.

3.                  Recommended Activities

The following recommended activities are designed to develop language and values among learners through integrating language skills such as reading strategies including skimming and scanning and speaking skills and grammatical patterns such as adjectives and adverbs (Wijaya & Tedjaatmadja, 2009). Getting data from different sources encourages active learning through intensive student participation and interaction in open discussions (Shaaban, 2005). For example, dialogues are recommended since learners would have the chance to learn the value of conducting dialogues in terms of agreeing or disagreeing with others (Nord & Haynes, 2000). In addition, learners are expected to read, write and deliver oral presentations.

Cooperative learning embodies values such as cooperation, sharing, respect (Shaaban, 2005). Therefore, group and pair work are highly recommended for integrating values in EFL contexts. In addition, modeling role plays of characters or figures from history or literature who could serve as models of goodness or badness, courage or cowardice is one of the most recommended activities.

Active involvement is in line with the schema theory of reading which emphasizes the role of form and content background information to enhance comprehension. Participating in community service projects, social programs, defending human rights, participating in debates, writing letters to concerned bodies and making presentations need language and knowledge. For instance, community service allows learners to participate actively, think, talk, write deliver oral presentations and participate in dialogues and discussions.

   Shaaban (2005) recommends the following variant activities:
1) Identification of the characteristics of a good person or of a healthy social order

2) Researching especially controversial issues and arguing for one position or another in an atmosphere of tolerance respecting the opinions of others

3) Viewing a movie about hot issues like euthanasia, mercy killing sources of pollution and discussing in the content in groups

4) Inviting guest speakers to talk about issues and answer questions raised by the pupils
5) Conducting mini-research papers in groups to include brainstorming, looking for sources, consulting references, choosing ideas and quotations and discussing findings in the form of presentations

6) Employing formal and informal methods of assessment to include observation checklists, dialogue journal writing, self-and peer assessment, objective tests, written essays, research papers and presenting

. Emphaty

Emphaty is the ability to step into the shoes of someone else, seeking to understand their feelings and how they see the world, and to use that understanding to help guide our interactions with them. It is to be distinguished of course from kindness or pity.  Empathy is a quality that can only enhance the language learning in any setting.

References

Baba, S. (2011). Human values as common ideals and practical rules of behavior. Retrieved from http://www.saibabax.org.uk/4/

Ford, A. & Young, E. (2009). Teaching tolerance in the classroom. Retrieved from http://nyteachers.wordpress.com/2009/03/29/teaching-tolerance-in-the-classroom by-angela-ford-and-erin-young/ (October 22, 2015).

Munera, J. A., Gracia, L. A., & Lo’pez, M. T. (2008). Teaching foreign language
implementing human values. University Tecnologica De Pereira, Faculty of Fine Arts Humanities Department, Licenciatura of the Teaching of English, Pereira, Colombia. Retrieved from http://repositorio.utp.edu.co/dspace/bitstream.pdf (October 20, 2014).

Pennisi, E. (2009). On the origin of cooperation, Sience, 325, 1196-1199.

Pinkely, D. (2012). Values, character, and the curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.pearsonlongmancom/primaryplace.pdf (October 20, 2015).

Sennett, R. (2004). Education for respect in a new time. Educational studies, 45, 556–571. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1080/00131940903338308

UNESCO. (2008). Learning to live together: An intercultural and interfaith programme for ethics education. Geneva: UNESCO Headquarters.

Wijaya, H. S., & Tedjaamadja, H. M. (2009). Fairy-tales: The integration of values and
language skills in teaching. Retrieved from http://www.researchgate.net/publication_ (October 20, 2015).