Article Critique

Article Critique

Introduction

The article that I have selected for this assignment is "Teaching moral character: two alternatives for teacher education". The article is written by Darcia Narvaez and Daniel K. Lapsley. Both the authors belong to the Department of Psychology of the University of Notre Dame. The article debates that whether the teachers should teach the values and the questions arising because of it or not. It also throws light on how the teachers should be trained to teach the students the moral values that help them in building their character. The authors in this article provide two types of strategies to educate the children in building their character and moral values. The first strategy discussed is the minimalist strategy. Whereas, the second strategy that can be employed in teaching, is the teachers in moral development of children is the maximalist strategy. The article also outlines the five steps that are needed for the development of the moral character. These steps are apprenticeship instruction, ethical skills, supportive climate, adopting a systems approach that throws light on development and self regulation.

Discussion

Literature Review

The literature review section of this article was not clearly differentiated from the rest of the article through a proper heading. The article makes use of extensive literature. The authors have provided examples of the schools where this system of moral education and character building is implemented already. There also are many examples and facts that have been quoted from different periodicals and journals. These journals include the Phi Delta Kappan, the Educational Leadership, and the Journal of Teacher Education. The authors have made use of these journals and periodicals to portray the fact that the importance of providing moral and character education is not only important, but also the need of the day. The article also makes use of literature from different books. The use of books has been made to show the importance of inducing moral education in the minds of the teachers. The use of books have has also been made to make the readers understand that the values are already embedded in all the settings of the classrooms. There are books from the 1980s and there are books from the past decade. The authors are trying to make the readers understand that the moral values and character education has been a part of teaching and classrooms since a long time. This is present when ...