Understanding moral reasoning or right and wrong judgment is another strategy toward stimulating learning and intelligence with children and adolescents.
Just as the key to teaching most successful lessons is to understand the students? skill level, so must we understand the level of right and wrong judgment with children and adolescents as a strategy to deal with the challenges of growing up in a complex world.
The difference between a classroom learning experience and understanding right and wrong judgment can also become a positive 24/7 experience when connected to higher order thinking.
Thomas Lickona?s book, "Raising Good Children," addresses right and wrong judgment of children?s and adolescent?s responses to everyday dilemmas.
For example, two 14-year-old girls attend a dance and both are interested in the same boy. Girl A has no problem asking the boy to dance, while Girl B does.
According to Dr. Lickona, Girl B could end up losing the boy not because of shyness, but because of her level of right and wrong judgment. On the other hand, Girl A has no problem asking the boy to dance because Girl A?s thinking skills are concrete. She sees the world in black and white or can entertain (only) two ideas at one time -- Girl B and the boy. However, Girl B views the situation more abstractly and can entertain three ideas at one time -- the boy, Girl A (her rival) and the peer group, who are watching the two girls compete for the same boy. Girl B is hesitant about asking the boy to dance because she does not want the peer group to view her as someone who has ?cut in? on Girl A. Rather then being viewed by the peer group as ?not nice? she takes the high road and does not ask the boy to dance.
Dr. Lickona would say that Girl B is at a higher level of right and wrong judgment because she can take the perspective of the group, rather then simply satisfying her individual needs like Girl A.
Of course, there are many factors that could affect our example, but for children and especially adolescents, such dilemmas are often an everyday experience.
The problem with Girl A?s response is that someday when challenged to make right and wrong decisions about more serious issues such as sex, drugs, alcohol, etc., her judgment -- seeing the world as satisfying her personal needs first, can be troublesome for obvious reasons. However, Girl B, who thinks abstractly, her judgment takes in other factors, such as the group, which can represent the family, society, and the school and in many ways her judgment about serious issues will not be so personally tainted.
In short, Dr. Lickona would say that we can raise Girl A?s level of right and wrong judgment by having her address issues that Girl B faced, such as what will the peer group think of her if she ?cuts in? on Girl B? Or, what feelings does girl B feel?
As for Girl B, she needs to understand that by taking the high road, although sometimes painful, could benefit her down the road. In other words, the more abstract her decision-making skills are, the greater the opportunity for higher order learning and even intelligence?
Therefore, just as we are trained to remediate academic lessons, so must parents and teachers have a foundation about how to effectively deal with right and wrong judgment in the classroom and at home.
Should there be any difference in how we approach the student who struggles with higher order math than with right and wrong judgment?
In my opinion, understanding how to raise a child or adolescent?s level of moral reasoning or right and wrong judgment is directly connected to higher order thinking, or ?taking the high road to learning and intelligence.?
*David Sortino, Ed.M, Ph.D. For further information contact davidsortino@comcast.net or 707-480-1649
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