Our Centers for Ethics:

Training program for U.S. Olympic coaches

---

Strategies and techniques for character education

The premise of the Arizona Sports Summit Accord is that sports can and should enhance the character and uplift the ethics of the nation. These lofty goals can be accomplished only if coaches at every level of sport embrace the special opportunities they have to instill in individual athletes a knowledge of and a love for the qualities and virtues that comprise good character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship (the Six Pillars of Character).

WHAT IS CHARACTER?

A person's character refers to dispositions, values, and habits that determine the way that person normally responds to desires, fears, challenges, opportunities, failures, and successes. We use the phrase "good character" when those dispositions and habits reflect core ethical values.

Ethics in action. A person of character is one who believes in and lives up to high standards of moral behavior. Character is ethics in action. It is moral strength.

Knows right from wrong. A person of character knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do what is right.

Good motives. A person of character does the right thing for the right reason.

How we behave when no one is looking. Character is about who we are inside. It is often revealed by how we act when we think no one is looking or when we're sure we won't get caught.

Three Dimensions of Character Education

1. Knowledge. Teaching principles of right and wrong to enhance the ability to perceive and understand the moral implications of situations as well as to make ethical decisions (the cognitive domain).

2. Feelings. Instilling a durable and deep belief in ethical principles while inspiring and reinforcing a desire to act ethically. There is a moral duty to be good and to do right (the affective domain).

3. Actions. Demanding and modeling ethical conduct so that ethical behavior becomes automatic and instinctive; living up to core ethical principles so they become habits (the behavioral domain).

Should coaches be involved in character education? Many coaches express the view that it is the parents' province to teach ethics and values; the coach's only job is to develop the physical and mental skills involved in athletics.

Primary responsibility is with parents. Of course, the primary responsibility for character development lies with parents, families, and caregivers. But what are we to do in situations where family efforts are not enough?

Coaches are already involved. Whether or not character development is a conscious objective of a sports program or an individual coach, both are deeply and inextricably involved in a process that influences the dispositions, values, and habits that are the foundation of character. From middle school on, many coaches have more influence on the values and behavior of young people than parents. The issue is not whether coaches should be involved in character development; the issue is will they do so intentionally and intelligently?

Principals overwhelmingly support character education. According to a 1997 survey conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, a majority of principals believe character education should be a component of public education.

• Seventy-eight percent of educators believe it is the responsibility of public education to instill a set of common core values in youth to prepare them to be good citizens.

• Seventy-seven percent of educators say schools can and should play a part in building students' character.

Parents want schools to teach character. According to a study by the American Federation of Teachers, an overwhelming majority of Americans want public schools to teach core ethical values such as honesty and respect.

• Ninety-five percent want schools to teach honesty and the importance of telling the truth.

• Ninety-five percent want schools to teach respect for those of different racial or ethnic backgrounds.

• Ninety-three percent want schools to teach kids to resolve problems without resorting to violence.

COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE CHARACTER-DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Purposeful. Clear and explicit objectives should be articulated and all elements of the program should be purposefully designed to influence values and behavior. You might begin by asking what attitudes and conduct do you want to see more of and what would you like to see less of. Once you've designated your outcome targets, it is easier to design strategies to achieve them.

Pervasive. The core values you want to teach should pervade all aspects of organizational activity and all direct contacts with athletes.

Repetitive. Messages about the meaning and importance of the Six Pillars should be frequently and conspicuously repeated in terms of the common language and definitions.

Consistent. Attitudes, words, and actions must be consistent with and supportive of the Six Pillars regardless of how inconvenient or costly it might be.

Creative. The program must go beyond moralizing; it should employ a variety of direct and indirect teaching/learning strategies to actively engage the imagination.

Concrete. The values should be expressed explicitly and directly in the context of concrete, realistic, relevant situations in both practices and games.

THE T.E.A.M. STRATEGY: TEACH, ENFORCE, ADVOCATE, MODEL

Teach

Coaches should consciously teach athletes the nature and importance of character, the definitions and application of the Six Pillars in a sports context, ways of predicting consequences and how choices affect various stakeholders, and decision-making strategies.

Provide and point to good examples. Use 10 minutes of every practice and before and/or after each game to discuss character in relation to events that occurred. Recap actual events while they're fresh in the athletes' minds.

Enforce

Clearly articulate expectations and standards of conduct and give both positive and negative feedback when appropriate. Give praise for good behavior and constructive reprimands for attitudes and conduct that undermine any of the Six Pillars. Remember, a coach's praise and criticism is amplified many times in the mind of a youngster. Praise works well in public; criticism in private.

• Importance of rules. Rules express agreed-upon standards of conduct that everyone has a right to count on. An organization that allows individuals to pick and choose the rules they will follow is chaotic and unjust. It favors the selfish and undisciplined.

• Consistency and fairness. Consistent and fair enforcement of rules is not only essential to a just system of discipline, it is necessary to highlight and uphold the core values advanced by the rule. Consistency is very important to teaching values. Kids may have a hard time understanding the differences from one situation to another, so it is best to make few exceptions and explain them when you do.

• Avoid uncertainty. Failure to consistently enforce rules generates uncertainty and cynicism about the rules and those who have the responsibility to enforce them.

• Double standards. When you tolerate behavior from your star athlete that would be unacceptable from other athletes, it ruins the star and undermines your authority.

Advocate

Communicate clearly, continually, and vigorously the importance that you and your organization attach to character and the traits you want to instill. Make moral judgments that cheating is wrong, that kindness is better than cruelty, and that there is an ethical duty to treat people respectfully.

Model

Everything coaches do sets the tone, takes a stand on what sort of character traits they valu,e and what sort of human beings they want their athletes to be. Thus, when coaches set up practice, talk about the game, or deal with discipline problems, they send important messages as to what they think is ethical and what is not.

• Admit when you're wrong. One of the most powerful demonstrations of integrity is to admit you are wrong. Recognizing your frailties and being accountable for them increases credibility and trust.

• Do good deeds. Actions speak louder and more persuasively than anything you say. Doing charitable work and showing integrity, accountability, and compassion on the job sends a stronger message than telling young people what they should and shouldn't do. However, coaches also send clear messages by throwing temper tantrums, being late for practice, or bending the rules of the game.

• Make tough choices with integrity.

THE THREE C's: COMMITMENT, CONSCIOUSNESS, COMPETENCY

In seeking to develop character, coaches should address all three domains of learning important to character development: heart, mind, and habits. From an educational perspective, this can be accomplished by focusing on the three C's: commitment, consciousness, and competency.

Ethical commitment.. Coaches must enhance in their athletes the desire to do the right thing. Ultimately, the test of ethical commitment is whether a person is willing to do the right thing even when it costs more than he or she wants to pay. Commitment can be enhanced by two separate approaches: appeals to self-interest and appeals to virtue for its own sake.

• Self-interest. Coaches should stress the long-term personal advantages of being a person of character: trusting relationships, self-esteem, peace of mind, and the good feelings and practical advantages of a good reputation and of being respected.

• Virtue. Coaches should advocate the idea that virtue is its own reward and that being a person of good character is an objective worthy of attainment regardless of whether or not it produces practical benefits.

Ethical consciousness. Coaches should strive to enhance their athletes' abilities to perceive and understand the moral dimensions of their choices and the applicability of rules and ethical principles to concrete sports situations. This can be done by teaching a two-step strategy to raise consciousness of the ethical implications of decisions:

1. Stakeholders. Athletes should be taught to systematically think about how their decisions will affect others. It normally helps to go through the exercise of listing major stakeholders (i.e., people affected by a decision) and determining whether they're likely to be helped or hurt by a particular action.

2. The Six Pillar filter. Athletes should also be taught to use the six core ethical values (the Six Pillars of Character) as a filter:

• Am I being trustworthy?

• Am I treating all people with respect?

• Am I acknowledging and living up to my responsibilities?

• Is what I propose to do fair?

• Am I demonstrating that I care about others affected by my decisions?

• Is my conduct consistent with good citizenship?

Ethical competency. Coaches should assist athletes in developing their abilities at moral reasoning including: evaluating facts; distinguishing known facts and informed opinions from conjecture, speculation, and assumption; developing creative and realistic options; predicting and considering unintended consequences; and implementing decisions with tact and good sense.

Special demands on student athletes. In stressing ethics and character, coaches should take into account the special demands on most student-athletes, particularly time demands. These can lead to a lack of experimentation and exploratory behavior at a time when both are critical to the personal, social, moral, and intellectual development of the individual.

« sportsmanship part II | top of page | table of contents