An Introduction to Character Development Education for Secondary Schools in Africa: Leadership by Character Dev. Edu.

By Iwobe S. Kingsley

It is time to infuse more character consciousness into our social systems to meet the much needed leadership values.
It is time to stand up against the hydra-headed monster known to us all as Moral Degeneration helplessly limiting our generation upcoming via their need for conformity with social life and trends.
It is time we realise that skill and management which makes up 95% of our academic curriculum has failed to deliver unto us the maximum benefits of education which is to produce graduands with educated minds.
It is time we understand that character can and should be taught in schools to help students/teenagers with the capacity to make principle centred judgment, choices and decisions that will help them through contemporary times.
It is time we realise that quality education is more a function of the character learning content within the academic program; than the emphasis placed on skill and management subjects and academic environment.
It is time we realise that only character/leadership knowledge develops the mind of a learner and inspires creativity; while our skill and management keeps our intellect developed.
Institutions, Ministries of education, parents, and teachers in Africa must therefore understand that character development by far exceeds the parental advices given to their wards to promote their welfare/safety and acceptable social conduct; they must understand that character development education is much more about empowering a student/teenager with the capacity to make effective personal judgment, choices and decisions through the knowledge of the ethics and dynamics of his life (Practical dimensions of self-awareness).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing Africa
• Release date: Mar 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781482861327

Iwobe S. Kingsley

Iwobe Kingsley is the lead teacher/trainer at Iwobe Character Literacy Centre, at Idiroko road, Lagos Nigeria. He has worked with a number of secondary schools to help integrate the character education development program into their academic program and has made a lot of difference. It is a vision to see a morally empowered generation of youths and corrupt free African society.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Kingsley Iwobe.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4828-6131-0

                eBook          978-1-4828-6132-7

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CONTENTS

1.   About the Character Education Material

2.   Character & Corruption

3.   Why Teach & Learn Character Education?

4.   Introduction To Character & Leadership Development Education

5.   Lesson 1 Understanding Character Education

What Is Character?

Composition/Components Of Our Character

Developing Your Character

Benefits Of Developing Your Character Strength

Character Education

Why Character Education Again?

How To Understand The Character Curriculum

How Does This Apply To Your Life

Practical Discussion Class - Pdc

Assessment Questions

6.   Lesson 2 The Concept Of Knowledge And Personal Capacity Development

Types Of Knowledge

Competence and character

Benefits of Intellectual Knowledge

Advantages of Leadership by Character Knowledge Development Program

Definition Of Character Knowledge

Definition Of Leadership

How Does This Apply In Your Life Personally

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

7.   Lesson 3 Understanding Principles And Paradigms

Introduction

What Are Principles?

Features Of Principles

Examples Of Principles -- Possible Categorization

Major or Umbrella Principles

Basic Principle

Principles & Values -- The Connections

Paradigm

Subjective Paradigm

Features

Objective Paradigm

Features of Objective Paradigm:

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

8.   Lesson 4 Exercising Objective Paradigm (Op) -- The Elements Of Effective Personal Perspective & Judgment

Introduction

Judgment

Choices

Decisions

Subjective Paradigm

Advantages of having an Objective Paradigm

Elements of Our Life's Result

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

9.   Lesson 5 Understanding The Strength Of Your Character

Introduction

Classification Of Strength

Emotional Strength

What It Takes To Exercise & Develop Our Emotional Strength

Corruption

Styles & Types Weaknesses

Physical Strength

Enlivening Both Strength

Benefits Of A Strong Character

Habitual Strength & Weakness

Overcoming Habitual Weaknesses - Addicts

How Do I Apply This In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

10.   Lesson 6 Values: Vices & Virtues

Introduction

Types Of Values:

Virtues

Vices:

Effect Of Valuing Vices:

The Act of Valuing Vices:

Virtues

Subordinating Vices For Virtues

Identifying Vices (Social Vices)

True Values

How Do I Apply This To My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

11.   Lesson 7 Potentials, Principles & Practices

Introduction

Potentials:

Tapping Into & Developing Your Potentials

Uses Of Potentials

Principles

Five Distinct Features Of Principles

Principles & Potentials

Practices

Categorising Practices From The Character Dimension

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

12.   Lesson 8 Maturity Dynamics -- The Concept Of Courage And Consideration

Introduction

Definition Of Maturity:

The Attitudes Of Maturity COURAGE:

Understanding Courage & Cowardice

A Cowards Character

What Courage Is Not

Applying Courage

Developing Our Attitude Of Courage

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

13.   Lesson 9 Consideration Building And Developing Your Attitude Of Consideration

Introduction

Selfishness

Emotional Strength

The Strength Of The Consideration Attitude

Age & Maturity -- The Distinction

Applying Our Attitude Of Consideration

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

14.   Lesson 10 The Concept Of Responsibility & Influence

Introduction

Responsibility

Developing Our Attitude Of Responsibility:

Dynamics Of Blaming

Influence

Influence Dynamics

How Can This Lesson Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

15.   Lesson 11 Understanding Attitudinal Concepts

Introduction

What Is Attitude?

Attitude & Leadership

Key Factors For Developing The Right Attitude

The Right Attitude

Contrasting Attitudes & Behaviors

How Can This Apply In My Life

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

16.   Lesson 12 Building Your Mind -- Personal Growth

Introduction

Location Of The Mind

Building The Mind

Putting The Mind To Work

The Nature Of The Mind:

The Mind & The Heart

Qualities & Features Of The Mind

How Does This Apply In My Life?

Practical Discussion Class

Assessment Questions

17.   References

18.   About The Author

ABOUT THE CHARACTER EDUCATION MATERIAL

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAM

In a corrupt ridden society as ours and in such a time where globalization fosters both good and bad values, the need for maximum emphasis on character development in our schools has become a supreme task.

This material is drawn out of a deep understanding that self awareness literatures are the most effective dimensions to character and leadership values development amongst teenagers and its inspired to help schools at all levels harmonize and integrate the essential values of sound moral and character principles into the educational curriculum of our students and citizens.

No doubt by now, we all must have fully comprehend the fact that our learning curriculum through the three tiers of the education process -- Primary, secondary and tertiary -- is 90% skill and management oriented with little or no emphasis on the prime value of the human nature -- Character. This costly mistake we all are paying for through the lashes and torment of surviving in a corrupt society like ours and the wishful desires of a society driven by leadership values, is the rooted in the neglect and subordination of character knowledge to skill and management knowledge and anyone will agree with me, that this penalty is very expensive for Africans -- the margin between our world and the western world validates this fact.

Character -- undoubtedly -- the most significant dimension of the human nature, because of its capacity to develop the mind and inspire all-round success -- have been subordinated to personal thrust and parental empowerment. Education -- the most effective of our human learning and empowering sources have been ignorantly or consciously deprived of this aspect of human development thereby making skill, management and corruption the basic value to hang on to for survival. We can change this.

Character education curriculum seeks to bridge this gap by creating the understanding of the ethics and dynamics involved in the human thought process, value systems, actions and reactionary processes, character and leadership development so as to create the individual capacities for effective personal judgment, choices and decisions as well as self awareness and many more knowledge common within our circle but illusionary and mythical to most of us especially amongst our teenagers.

CHARACTER & CORRUPTION

Corruption is the predominant value in our society, but corruption itself is negative character that can effectively be overcome by the integration of character education into the learning/scripting programs of our society

Character education basically exposes the hidden truth that reveals corruption as the opposite of character because "a society or an individual that sees character as a lesser value will inevitably experience corruption as its or his dominant value." This material and its series from the author equally grants the idea that can effectively help us draw the line between management and leadership in our individual lives so that leadership becomes as tangible and effective as management is to us in our business space and relationship dimensions through the leadership by character dimension of learning which it promotes. It is recommended for every student and