The Great Character Education Experiment

MSAA Professional Development Workshop for Classroom Teachers

The Great Character Education Experiment

This is a workshop that uses the Science of Character (letitripple.org) as a basis to drive educating our students on character strengths and how to identify and build up the character traits that they feel, or they don't even realize might be weak. I have used this film and the periodic table of character strengths to explicitly teach each trait to my students through videos, short stories, discussion, introspection and good old vocabulary work. The students are active participants in learning who they are and what makes them tick.

Post COVID I feel the need for this type of education is even more important as we are dealing with so many issues as teachers that seem to set our kids back grade levels, not only academically but emotionally. I would like to present and then open the floor to a 'teacher kvetch' where we will get real about the problems we are facing as teachers and maybe find ways to combat the issues we CAN control.

Participants will:

·         Learn about the Periodic Table of Character Strengths

·         Learn how to explicitly teach each trait to students through short lessons geared to focus on one trait each week 

·         Have their voices heard about the issues in our buildings and hopefully come away with some concrete ideas to help sustain and possibly thrive again in classrooms

When: Friday, December 6, 2024, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am

Delivery Method: In-Person Workshop

Location: The MSAA Office, 33 Forge Parkway, Franklin, MA

Presenter: Britt Patterson, Dr. Kevin M Hurley Middle School

PD Hours: 3 in Content Area Leadership and Administration

Fees: Member $150 / Non-Member $205

MSAA Contact: Ethel Kawesa, ekawesa@msaa.net 

Britt Patterson | Dr. Kevin M. Hurley Middle School

Britt Patterson has been teaching in the Seekonk Public School System for 24 years as a special educator. She started off in kindergarten to third grade and then middle school where she has been for the past 21 years. She has taught a substantially separate program (three years), seventh grade (over 8 years) and then sixth grade where she has been since.

Mrs. Patterson is passionate about teaching students lessons that students will take with them for life and will hopefully make them happy and successful, regardless of the test scores. She wants her students to realize they ALL have something to offer and that we all can strengthen character traits. 

Mrs. Patterson understands the constraints concerning time, content demands, standardized testing schedules, parent pressure, technology, social emotional need increase etc. so she has woven many of these lessons into the content to be able to continue to teach what she loves and feels is important to students' lives.