Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Analyzing the Concept of Moral Intelligence in the view of Curriculum Reconceptualists
Saeed Vaziri Yazdi Department of Curriculum Development, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan Branch, Esfahan, Iran
Alireza Yousefi Department of Medical Education, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran Tel: 0913-116-1037. E-mail: [email protected]
Narges Keshtiaray Department of Curriculum Development, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan Branch, Esfahan, Iran
Abstract
Morals and its education, suggest the precise frameworks of how to be and how sublime and sacred life is. Evaluating the relationship between morals and rationality for education officers, moral education in particular, is very important. A vast majority of experts believe that morals and moral skills can be strengthened and promoted through education. This article is aimed at achieving a new sense of Moral Intelligence structures from a comparative viewpoint of the perspective of moral intelligence theorists and curriculum reconceptualists. The current research considered qualitative research in terms of method and is a case of content analysis. The areas studied in this research include textbooks such as opinions on the latest insights of moral intelligence Michele Borba and Thomas Lickona, as well as the opinions of the ethical issues considered by some curriculum reconceptualists such as Dwayne Huebner, Maxine Greene and Nel Noddings. The authors of the present study tried to explore the meaning and virtues of moral intelligence such as basic human traits, being assessed, assessing worthwhile, virtuous character, truth and honesty, self-development, responsibility, devotion, intimacy, inner guard, continence, respect, kindness, justice, wisdom and humility. In addition, they achieved certain common points among the studied theorists, including moral competence development through training, task of school and curriculum on ethical issues, moral teaching art and the role of religion in the development of moral virtues.
Keywords: Moral Intelligence, Curriculum, Reconceptualism.
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2091
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Introduction How can we incorporate the spiritual, mental and moral world into the world of school and classroom, in a way that the students can take advantage of daily living and feed it? How can we combine the knowledge and wisdom with the spirit of relaxation and calm it down in postmodern and metacognition age? How can we enrich the people’s internal lives and embed eternal capital in them? How can we make fundamental changes in education, and what is the main direction of these changes and developments? How can we direct the changes in education towards morals via precise training? How can we regain the joy missing in the huge load of the educational textbooks and painful exams to students and restore inner calmness and confidence in them in order to increase their life expectancy? With what order can we realize these reforms, changes and developments in our students? (Miller, 2002) Today, all experts agree that education is the only way to achieve perfect man, and subsequently, is the unique way to achieve desirable communities. Proper education can lead the individual to goodness and happiness, and beautiful and desired life, and can put him in the direction of perfection and growth, therefore education considers the future. Education determines that humanity has not completed its task, but it is just getting started. Education is not pessimist; rather, it is a promising window to hope and brightness (Mayer, 1996). Today’s society is confronted with critical crises related to our children; our most important possessions. Everyone agree on the existence of this problem. Legislators, physicians, clergymen, businessmen, educators, parents and the general community also express similar concerns, and we all should be concerned about it. These defects, shortcomings and weaknesses are related to the moral virtues of our children. If parents were asked what kind of children they desire, many of the answers would be the same; it is natural that everyone wants children who are responsible, kind, polite, obedient, caring and interested in their education. In other words, the goal of educating children for many parents is clear while the path to reach the target for them is unclear. Is having a healthy child sufficient to achieve these goals? Why as soon as children grow up, parents do not find the appropriate language to communicate with them and the children complain of not being understood? Why are most of the disputes and conflicts in life due to disability in communicating and the lack of empathy and self- control? The reality is that most of us do not know that we have moral and behavioral characteristics rooted in our childhood and we are educating our child today, turning to adulthood with moral characteristics that are the product of today’s education. One of the aspects of development, from childhood to adult years, as well as other aspects of growth, is children's moral development. When people talk about moral development, they refer to their behaviors and attitudes towards other individuals in their society. In other words, they are following social norms, regulations, customs and practices. To put it in simple words, in the case of children, we have described their ability to distinguish between the right and the wrong (Borba, 2005). In the 1980s, the United States was faced with increased sexual activities and the need to change the bases of self-education. The major change occurred in 1995 when the United States Congress announced federal laws enforcing implementation of programs for training self-control. Sexual affairs are extremely sensitive and vulnerable. Some character educators regard it as a result of the fear of weakened character education at a broader level; therefore, this issue is like ignoring the elephant in the room. Sex is prevalent in every corner of the
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2092
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
quite sexy society of America. To all teenagers, perceiving sex and making decisions on it are growing key practices. At this destructive level of life, some young people make mistakes that harm themselves, others and the society. Although pregnancy among adolescent girls has decreased in the United States in comparison with the 1990s, three out of every ten teenage girls experience pregnancy at least once. Furthermore, about 30 percent experience an abortion. One out of every four teenagers is suffering from sexually-transmitted diseases. Teen sex is followed with high levels of depression and increased violence due to decreased self-esteem. Fatherless families are major places fostering distracted teenagers. Journal of Pediatrics reported sex-related suicide rate among the girls of 12 to 16 years was six times more than virgin girls. Self-control training was followed with risk prevention instead of reducing it. This encouraged teenagers, apart from respect for themselves and others, to avoid all the risks of sexually-transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and mental trauma resulting from improper sexual relations. The change in character development education in the United States was very effective at the elementary level (5 to 10 years), had less significant effects at the level of middle school (11 to 13 years) and at the level of high school had the lowest rate (14 to 18 years); however, high school students were most at risk of mistakes. After all, if we do not make effective efforts concerning character education at the high school level, we have wasted all our activities for character development in youth (Lickona, 2014). So, if we hope to renew our moral culture, we have to change our manner. In undertaking that formidable task, we do well to remember the old proverb, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Education of the next generation is the way society renews itself. Our best hope for the future is to try to prevent pathology by promoting health. One of the best ways to do this is to deliberately foster the virtues necessary for individuals and societal flourishing. We must do it with the belief that every human being has the capacity for goodness, however deep it may be buried, and that we retain that capacity throughout our lives. How can we do a better job of nurturing the human capacity for virtue—in our families, schools, and communities? What virtues should we foster? Any effort to promote virtue in a person or society must begin by asking: what are the virtues that comprise good character and contribute to a fulfilling life and a healthy culture (Lickona, 2012). One aspect of development from childhood to adult years, alongside other forms of development, is moral development of children. When people talk about moral development, they refer to their own attitudes and behavior towards other people in the community. In the other words, they consider the fact that we follow social norms, rules, traditions and customs. Simply put, in respect with children, we describe their ability to distinguish between the right and the wrong. Moral intelligence is a relatively new issue. As emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence are different from each other, moral intelligence is a completely separate intelligence. Moral intelligence is the capacity to understand the good from the bad stuffs. From the perspective of practical intelligence, the capacities have become an educational process to values and morals (Ismaili Tarzi et al, 2014). Moral intelligence is the ability to distinguish right from wrong, which is consistent with universal principles. Moral intelligence is common in different cultures. Moral intelligence, as the ability to use universal moral principles, is one of the principle goals and transactions. In terms of perception, judgment about good and evil deeds is rooted in universal principles and crosses all cultural barriers. The Code of morals is important in all cultures responsibility
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2093
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
detection, contrast, and the ability to sympathize. The major religions of the world have also considered jointly values such as commitment, responsibility, respect and dignity of other human beings. Moral intelligence is the range of metacognition which makes it possible to recognize reactions, attitudes and moral activities only within individual value systems. Moral intelligence is able to take the morally responsible choices and activities. Four principles of moral intelligence are essential for continuous organizational and personal success: Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion and Forgiveness (Lennick & Kiel, 2010). Reconceptualism is a movement in curriculum development that does not provide any format or model for designing curriculum and does not pay attention to the technical aspects of the curriculum. Reconceptualists tend to discuss ideological and moral subjects in education and also to study the political and economic institutions in addition to schools. A reconceptualist’s approach is rooted in philosophy and this movement continued to show as much of the social and political backgrounds (Ernestine&Hankins, 1993, quoted Ghaderi, 2015). In the viewpoint of the reconceptualists, what essentials now, is a kind of fundamental conceptual revision concerning the goals and educational processes. Therefore, teachers should try to understand the nature of the child's experiences. In other words, they must shift their behavioral attitude to the phenomenological attitude (Talebzadeh Nobarian & Fathi Vajargah, 2004). They believe that what missing in schools today is deep respect for personal purposes, lived experience, emotional life and those perceptions and experiences that cannot be measured. According Reconceptualists, learning is not how to make income to make an important life; what important is learning how to live. To learn how to live, the child needs to learn to listen to the voice of his personal circumstances in an environment that makes such attention not only possible but also desirable (Mehrmohammadi, 2012). Evaluating the relationship between morals and rationality is especially important to educational operators, particularly those dealing with moral education. Accordingly, it is necessary to examine the moral theories with reference to the criteria of rationality, because only those moral theories can be perceived as rational bases for morality and moral education that have their cognitive moral propositions. One of the basic points in the perspective of moral intelligence theorists is their emphasis on acquisitiveness of moral intelligence and its constituent components. In other words, the conditions of learning concepts and moral virtues should be provided. In respect with moral education, experts of curriculum studies have proposed certain comments and discussions that are justifiable and effective. The curriculum states that children live in the community and are part of it, also that they deeply affect their moral and personal development by their relationships at home, school and other people in the community. The curriculum has to entirely attract moral children in the community and to create a balance in the child's life. It finally returns to the state education system in the country that illustrates how various aspects of learning in life for children and to teach him how to act in partnership with others in the work moral. According to the article, researchers have tried to appeal to a specialized text of the views of the great thinkers of moral intelligence and curriculum areas, with comparative and qualitative content analysis methods to achieve a new concept of moral intelligence in thinker perspective curriculum reconceptualists. Thus the main question in this research is:
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2094
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Is it possible to find common ground of the concept of moral intelligence in curriculum reconceptualists’ ideas, as the ones raised in theories of moral intelligence theorists?
Methods In this study and to answer the question posed, qualitative content analysis and deductive categorization system have been applied. Content analysis is a method for analyzing technical data, and can be applied to a vast range of products from the media to interview data. One of the salient features of this method is using factors often derived from theoretical models and applied to the data. The basis of content analysis is its categorization system (Flick, 2013). To explain and justify the reasons, researchers were required to support a strong argument which was provided through searching the literature and theoretical research. Researchers have logically linked general statements to the details of the investigation and have concluded. Areas studied in this research, including textbooks and books, are available on the latest insights of moral intelligence such as Michele Borba and Thomas Lickona ideas, likewise the comments also related to the field of moral education of some curriculum reconceptualists as Dwayne Huebner, Maxine Greene and Nel Noddings. Thus, all samples of the available resources were analyzed. Furthermore, notes were taken from the related sources in order for data collection. Results In order to answer the question, it is necessary to seek the opinion of the moral intelligence thinkers as well as those of curriculum reconceptualists. Part of the texts belonging to the experts used in qualitative content analysis is as follows: Michele Borba She has a PhD in education, has worked in more than two decades with more than half a million parents and teachers. She has held hundreds of lectures and workshops on important topics such as promoting character development, self-esteem, academic achievement and behavior in children. While parents, educators, politicians and policymakers are searching for new ways to combat youth obvious differences in respect with right and wrong actions, Borba has introduced a new way to build and train a virtue, character and values, considering that they are able to measure the moral intelligence. Borba has proposed a new way to understand, evaluate and create seven basic virtues in our children without relying on moral theories or abstract philosophy (Borba, 2013). Thomas Lickona Lickona is a developmental psychologist and professor of education at the State University of New York Cortland, where he was director of the Fourth and Fifth R& S meaning respect and responsibility. As the former director of moral education, he served for education and participation character and gives speeches worldwide for teachers, parents, religious educators and others concerning the development of youth personality.
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2095
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Lickona believes that intelligence and excellence are not the same. According to Lickona, in respect with the discussions between the recognition of the moral and ethical performance, schools must develop moral ideas on a large scale to be considered along with other moral or ethical knowledge as its argument (Lickona&Davidson, 2005). In general, it can be concluded that moral intelligence refers to the ability to apply moral principles to personal goals, values and individual activities and it means the capacity to understand the good and the bad stuff. Moral intelligence consists of meta-cognitive or meta- practical components, which make possible the reactions within individual value systems of knowledge, attitudes and moral activity. Moral intelligence is vital intelligence for everyone (it is a turning point for all intelligences), because moral intelligence leads other forms of intelligence to valuable activities. Curriculum means to move step by step towards a life of supreme and ultimate perfection, also the curriculum of moral education, one of the most important means by which we can take steps towards achieving the various aspects of moral education. In this field of study, famous thinkers have expressed their opinion, and have significant discourse and reflections. Dwayne Huebner Huebner, born in 1923 as an educational philosopher and theorist in curriculum, is one of the brightest figures in the second half of the twentieth century. Huebner also had a significant impact on Christian education as a coach and mentor to a generation of graduate students. Huebner, who is a leading thinker reconceptualists curriculum in 1970, argued in his book about the use of political sciences in research curriculum issues. The terms he used including ideology, democracy, control over resources, power, and political slogans are differentiated from other articles in terms of of their contents. Also considering the language in the curriculum created the basis for understanding the curriculums in context of text or speech (Huebner, 1966 qouted Ghaderi, 2010). His ideas were used as a processing reconceptualist curriculum studies against traditional thinking - administrative ruling and the underlying developments in the field of research curriculum, especially the emergence of political and religious phenomenology, it is possible that in this respect, he desired components in phenomenology which put him among the founders of the phenomenological studies in the curriculum. Instead of learning and objective, he regards the valuable activities as the central idea of thinking in the curriculum. To illustrate this concept, Huebner proposes five valuation frameworks to help people involved in the curriculum in order to assess the value of specific training activities. These frameworks include technical, political, scientific, aesthetic and moral. Aesthetic and moral frameworks are reflective of the phenomenology of the curriculum in the early stages (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). Huebner believes the aesthetic value of educational activities include three dimensions: 1. The first element is the psychological distance. Since the world of aesthetics is separated from the practical world, it is possible to achieve a perceptual gap. 2. The second dimension is the integration and design. Educational activity may be evaluated in terms of the integrity, unity, balance, and design.
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2096
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
3. The moral dimension of educational value refers to an understanding where educational activity is seen as a confrontation between the parties and humane treatment. The deal is basically a judgment based on moral issues. So in terms of moral, metaphysical or even religious language, it becomes a means to validate the idea of educational activity (Huebner, 1975 qouted Fathi Vajargah, 2013). According to Huebner, teachers and curriculum theorists can, with technical understanding of the curriculum, consider it as a moral and aesthetic phenomenon. He believes that the current language of curriculum is very limited for resolving the issues and complexities of language and meaning of the classroom. The teacher must get rid of the restrictive plans and through this way, again and again listening to a world that thought tries to fix and remove barriers (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). Nel Noddings Nel Noddings, born in January 19, 1929 is an American feminist, educationalist, and philosopher best known for her works in philosophy of education, educational theory, and ethics of care. She has described her early educational experiences and her close relationships as key factors in the development of her philosophical position. Noddings' approach to ethics of care has been described as relational ethics because it prioritizes the concern for relationships. Like Carol Gilligan, Noddings admits that justice- based approaches, which are supposed to be more masculine, are genuine alternatives to ethics of care. However, unlike Gilligan, Noddings believes that caring, rooted in receptivity, relatedness, and responsiveness is a more basic and preferable approach to ethics (Noddings, 1984). Noddings' works have become a key reference point for those who wish to assert moral principles and ethics in education, school and instruction. Noddings has a non-authoritarian approach to moral learning in schools. She believes that when the moral judgments about the school's goals, interpersonal behavior, academic requirements, disciplinary rules and dressing orders are formed, the opinions of the students must be considered more seriously than before. In studies and official discussions on values, a discursive approach should be used. Teachers, like students, need to recognize that they need for fundamental and extensive learning about values and can learn a lot from their students. Noddings introduced this concept as the center of care and compassion. These issues must be addressed so that students are willing to perform their share. Teachers in this process are mainly supposed to do their duty as responsible, facilitator and trainer rather than moral experts. Teachers should provide the circumstances of the situation to update what their students think. Teachers hired for the creation and implementation of learning programs, therefore, should involve students in designing training programs. In fact, if teachers do not constantly create perpetual learning, they will be an obstacle to students’ learning. This is because students are constantly creating new learning while teachers remain constant and are relied on their previous learning. Teachers and students should be involved in learning with moral issues. Noddings sees schools as places where students get mental power, and states that teachers are in touch with the students and their parents and often this is done and cannot influence the impression that schools are designed as places without bias. He is co-founder of caring in the classroom. She believed that interest in our children is developed when we have
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2097
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
the feelings of empathy and oneness with other children and establish an ethical relationship with all the children. Noddings introduced the concepts of caring, voice and solitude in the curriculum (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). Maxine Greene Sarah Maxine Greene (1917-2014) was an educational philosopher, writer, social activist and American teacher. Green is one of the experts of the curriculum, who, like Noddings, holds reconceptualist approach to the curriculum. She does not look for a linear process and the modernist vision and prescription to the curriculum, but has an emphasis on the individual's experience in the process of education and considers education as moral action. Greene regards the curriculum as a means to prepare the opportunities for people to search for meanings, which is open to the world, especially today with the mind. In fact, the curriculum must be able to sustain and in fact encouraged to broaden the minds of students to search and get the meanings of their world. In an article, Greene emphasizes the importance of the youth in the field of artistic aesthetics and self-seeking and self-critical to the curriculum. Greene believes that the moral life can result from an attempt to implement a plan within an environment where other individuals are also present and also from activities in the shared world where they are responsible for the interactive tasks against each of the members of society. Greene believes that the origin of many institutions in our society, including schools and social structures and turning them into people accept demotions human beings is the viewer, not the observer and hearer, not listener. She focuses on the learners' artistic and social experiences to create critical thinking in those different issues. She regards the work of the teacher as an artist who paints an imaginary landscape plan. The artist changed the plan but does not get caught. When speaking of the curriculum as learning opportunities, it is considered as providing a range of learning opportunities by which students will be able to get a set of meanings. As stated, Greene also focuses on social experiences, therefore she emphasizes that the curriculum must meet the needs of students (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). Little explanation seems acceptable about the nature of the aesthetic response and its importance. Beauty is in the spiritual and inspirational force in a child's education. However, education should be a permanent part of life and should increase spirituality. Children should be encouraged and guided by the virtue of attraction practices, behaviors and good ideas toward the spiritual and moral life. The beauty is what increases the desire for life. The beauty is anything that makes us more aware of or sensitive to the world in which we live. Aesthetics will not become a major part of the curriculum unless both teachers and administrators understand the extent necessary to the life of all human beings. Teachers should make aesthetic as a vital part of their lives. Even teachers need to think about the true nature of aesthetics and should make aesthetic evaluation an important part of their own life. But still there is another step for all teachers that should be taken and it is related to the aesthetic knowledge and interests of students in their lives (Ghadimi, 2014). The idea of teaching as moral art and our aesthetic experiences engage us in different entities. If the identity and uniqueness of aesthetic approach to art is proven, the old ones will be lost and we can achieve insight plurality or multiplicity of realities. She believes that through art, people can be exposed to particular shocks to be alerted and aware, by which they escape from getting caught in the routine life, and learn to acquire things and look at phenomena with
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2098
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
suspicion. Aesthetic education aims to enable young people to express their perceptions, feelings and ideas through thoughtful use of media and devices such as painting, pottery, music, speech and writing and gestures (Greene, 1994 qouted Fathi Vajargah, 2013). In summing up the discussion above, it can be said that moral thinking is a new subject that has been of considerable interest to researchers, scholars and philosophers. However in this field, as in other areas, there are many different ideas but certain points have been considered almost common among most approaches. The main idea is that thinking, like any other activity, has certain codes of morals and values that should be respected by all those who persist in doing the thinking. Indeed, a thinker must also consider some moral values. However, alongside this discussion should be noted, cultural differences in moral reasoning are driven by various influences -- history, leadership, religious belief, experiences with peace and warfare, available resources and the strategies for extracting and distributing those resources. These cultural differences are not limited to the scale of nations. There can also be differences in the culture and moral reasoning between schools, communities, companies, even families. Moral reasoning has a way of adapting to or being shaped by people's needs and perceptions. There's an ongoing, cross-cultural debate on whether moral values are absolute or relative. Are there universal morals that apply to all regardless of culture, or are moral values a negotiation between the environment, natural selection and social conditions? It's a hotly debated topic, but clearly moral reasoning diverges among cultures. In some areas, gay marriage is accepted and not in others. Some countries permit personal firearm ownership in others you can be jailed. The same is true for possession of certain plants. Eventually, to answer the research question, after careful study of selected texts, statements concerning the investigation were determined.The main concepts were extracted, then coding and categorizing were carried out. After the initial encodings, related codes were placed in the same category, and alternative concepts were considered for them through accurate diagnosis of the situation with theoretical saturation. Furthermore, to meet the research question, after a detailed comparative study of texts relating to psychologists and moral intelligence theorists, as well as the views of thinkers and scholars of curriculum reconceptualists, researchers obtained the following conclusion and findings.
Conclusion and discussion Morality is among the important scientific and philosophical topics, which has been investigated since long time ago. On the other hand, promotion of moral values education, science and culture, flourishing individual and social virtues and contribution to personal, emotional and behavioral growth can be considered as major tasks of educational systems. The vast majority of experts believe that morals can be taught and promoted by strengthening of moral skills (Arasteh, 2011). Achievement of content analysis of the responses to the research question for the conceptual model is shown below:
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2099
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Basic Human Trait
Being Assessed
Assessing Worthwhile
Virtuous
Concepts Character
(Meanings) Truth and Honesty
Self Development
Responsibility
Devotion Moral Intelligence Intimacy
Inner Guard
Continence
Respect Components (Virtues) Kindness
Justice
Wisdom
Humility
Figure1- Conceptual model of Moral Intelligence (Meaning and Virtues) One of the main themes and newly-emerging issues of human sciences is the examination of adaptability of these sciences to each other in close areas in order to find the similarities and differences between them and to achieve new results; it should be considered when implementing these ideas. The thoughts of Michele Borba and Thomas Lickona as moral intelligence theorists, and the viewpoint of curriculum reconceptualists like Dwayne Huebner Nel Noddings and Maxine Greene toward moral education have many factors in common:
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2100
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
1. Borba believes that moral intelligence is a new approach to establishment and training of virtue, character and values, considering their measurability (Borba, 2013). In this regard, Noddings believes that the main goal of our education should lead to the development of competence, care, love and loving people and the education of moral values must be non-authoritarian approach (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). 2. Lickona believes that schools should foster widespread moral thought to be considered along with other moral or ethical knowledge as its argument (Lickona&Davidson, 2005). Instead of objective and learning, Huebner considers valuable activity as the core idea of curriculum thinking, and to explain this concept, proposes valuation frameworks to help those involved in the curriculum in order to assess the value of specific training activities (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). 3. Lickona regards curriculum as being full of opportunities to explore the life and character development. Curriculum is the primary source for our moral knowledge. Stories, biographies, historical events and human reactions make us all familiar with the guidelines to understand what has led us to the good life and shape our strong moral character (Lickona, 1984). As mentioned previously, in Greene's opinion, the idea of teaching as moral art and our aesthetic experiences in pursuing meaning will engage us in different entities. She insisted on individual experiences in the educational process and regarded education as a moral action (Fathi Vajargah, 2013). Huebner also believes, in this regard, that teachers and curriculum theorists can consider curriculum as a moral and aesthetic phenomenon with technical understanding of it (Ibid). 4. Lickona, in respect with character issues, expressed some important virtues required for the full development of the character. Virtues that he considered are essential and have been adopted in other cultures. According to him, the most important virtues include wisdom, justice, tolerance, self-control, love, positive attitude, hard work, honesty, gratitude and humility. Since the virtues have a psycho-dynamic connection with us, we place them in our heart. Serious efforts to improve even a virtue may be combined with healing other virtues, just like a weakness in one of the virtue that are likely to adversely affect the other virtues (Lickona, 2012). Noddings also expressed her opinion on the matter as it follows: Ethics as a dynamic virtue requires two emotions, not just one. The first feeling is normal care. No moral sense would exist without initial and enabling feeling. In situations where we act from the other side, we actually act as natural care. The attempts of a mother to keep her child are usually not considered ethical but normal. Even the animals take care of their children and we do not give moral value to their work. The second sense is in response to the first reminder. Being aware of the fact that ethical care requires an effort that is not needed in natural care should not lead us to a higher moral care than our natural care. It is a moral principle-based care and is, thus, dependent on the natural care rather than being superior to it. In this case, the source of ethical behavior is in dual feelings; feelings toward others and toward their best. Here one can accept the first feeling instead of rejecting it. Many
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2101
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
philosophers endorse the need to discuss virtue enhance performance as a factor in ethical behavior. Indeed, they are trying to rationally provide a detailed description of their positions regarding the necessity and justification. When we are talking about the moral ideal, we will as well speak of "virtue", but we will not allow becoming "virtues" and being divided into abstract groupings. The holy man living abstemiously on top of the mountain, praying thrice daily, and denying himself may represent “virtues,” but they are not the virtues of one-caring. The virtue described by the ethical ideal of one-caring is built up in relationships. They are manifested in confrontation with and responding to other individuals (Noddings, 2014). 5. In respect with the role of religion in relation with development of moral virtues, Lickona believes that practicing a religious faith provides supports for living virtuously. Religion helps us lead a virtuous life in part by providing support systems—family, friends, a faith community—that hold the same beliefs and values as we do. Religious teens, for example, tend to seek out friends who share their moral values. The expectations and support of like- minded others help to keep us on the straight and narrow (Lickona, 2012). Huebner states that the moral and educational values refer to the notion that educational activity is considered as human encounter between individuals (Huebner, 1975 qouted Fathi Vajargah, 2013).
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2102
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
References Arasteh, H.R (2011). The survey of moral intelligence in Iranian Students.Tehran: Rahbord-e- Farhang.Tenth and eleventh issues. Borba, M (2013).Building moral intelligence: The seven essential virtues that teach kids to do the right things.Translated by F.Kavosi.Tehran: Roshd Publications. Borba, M (2005).The step-by-step plan to building moral intelligence, Nurtuing Kids Heart & Souls, National Educator Award, National council of self-esteem.Jossey-Bass. Fathi Vajargah, K (2013). Curriculum, toward the new indentities.Tehran: Aeej Publications. Flick, O (2013).An introduction to qualitative research.Translated by H. Jalili.Tehran: Ney Publication. Ghaderi, M (2010). Substrate understanding of Curriculum (second edition).Tehran: Yadvareh-e-Ketab Publications. Ghaderi, M (2015). Practice and theory in curriculum studies.Tehran: Avay-e-Noor Publications. Ismaili Tarzi, Z, Beheshtifar, M&Ismaili Tarzi, H (2014).The relationship moral intelligence and restore confidence in managers.Tehran: Iranian Association For Ethics In Science And Technology, Vol. 8. No 1.Pages 84-70. Ghadimi, L (2014). Educational implications in Maxine Greene's aesthetic theory.Master thesis oriented educational philosophy. Malayer University: Faculty of Humanities, Department of Educational Sciences. Lennick, D&Kiel, F (2010).Moral Intelligence, New approaches to organizational effectiveness and success of business leaders.Translated by A.M. Goodarzi. Tehran: Rasa Cultural Services Institute. Lickona, T (1984).Combatting Violence with Values: The Character Education Solution.Law Studies. NYSBA.LYC.Vol XIX. No2. Lickona, T&Davidson, M (2005).Smart and Good High schools: Integrating Excellence and Ethics for Success in School, Work and beyond. Cortland, N.Y: Center for the 4th and 5th/ Washington.Education Partnership. Lickona, T (2012). Formation of Moral Character and Virtue: The Wisdom of Prevention.John Henry Newman Lecture Series Institute for Psychological Sciences. Washington, D.C. Lickona, T (2014). My 45-Year Journey as a Moral and Character Educator: Some of what I think I’ve Learned.An Invited Lecture at the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues University of Birmingham, England. Mayer, F (1966).A History of Educational Thought.Translated by A.A. Fayyaz.Tehran: Samt Publications.
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2103
Special Issue INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND December 2015 CULTURAL STUDIES ISSN 2356-5926
Mehrmohammadi, M (2012).Curriculum, Views, Approaches and Perspectives (second edition).Tehran: Samt&Astan-e-Ghods Publications. Miller, J.P (2002).Education and the Soul, Toward a Spritual Curriculum.Translated by N.Gh.Ghoorchian.Tehran: Andisheh Metacognition Publications. Noddings, N (1984).Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education. Berkeley: University of California Press. Noddings, N (2014). Ethical Theory, an Anthology. Part XII. “An Ethic of Caring” (second edition). London. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Talebzadeh Nobarian, M&Fathi Vajargah, K (2004).The specialized curriculum topics.Tehran: Aeej Publications.
http://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/ijhcs/index Page 2104