Contribute to a Better World
The centerpiece of the framework: students Contributing to a Better World, putting their learning to use as active citizens, working for social justice, environmental stewardship, and healthy, equitable communities (e.g., citizenship, service, advocacy). This outcome is a key goal of character development in EL Education.
Character is developed over time. Each layer provides a foundation for the one above. All the core Character outcomes are part of EL Education's three-dimensional view of student achievement.
How does this work?
- EL Education's three-part vision of character for students is at the core of the Character Framework: Contribute to a Better World, Effective Learners, and Ethical People.
- The academic environment is designed to support character growth (Compelling Curriculum, Student-Engaged Assessment, Deeper Instruction).
- The character core is supported by a positive student identity (Agency, Purpose, Belonging).
- The school’s learning community creates the positive context for character growth to occur (Empowering Leadership and Crew Culture).
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Contribute to a Better World
Schools establish and cultivate Habits of Character, such as Respect, Responsibility, Courage, Kindness, and promote and discuss these habits every day, within and beyond classrooms. The school community exemplifies educator Kurt Hahn’s vision that we are all “crew, not passengers,” working together as a team for the common good.
Video Excerpt:
-Contributing to a Better World
- [Boy 1] You can change the world or make a difference.
- [Boy 2] Yeah, you don't need to be an adult to do something. You can do things when you're a kid.
- Nobody's better than the youth to combat these social issues.
- [Boy] Generation after generation leaving a change on the world and a mark.
- [Teen Boy] When people say that we're rebellious, that comes with going against like the oppressions.
- Together we stand, we organize, we educate.
- We save our watershed and we help animals and we serve and.
- [Teen Boy] We have the power to make change and we're gonna make change.
- [Woman] Preserving our community so that the health of our watershed can improve. This is going to show them that there's hope.
- We've actually been taking care of trouts in my classroom.
- [Boy] We're releasing trout because it's a very important for the ecosystem to be balanced.
- Your diet is bloodworms, shrimp, mealworms, insects.
- Watch out for predators.
- And I kinda feel sad just letting them go but it's gonna be in a better environment. The life cycle's gonna keep on going.
- If you're here, if you're alive you know, you should be working to help other people.
- We're gonna have to actually go out out of the school and actually do certain things to experience.
- To keep action towards something, creating a change and then research, expanding your knowledge, making sure that you're aware of everything.
- I feel like education could just shift the whole universe.
Crew Culture
Watch the full-length version of these videos at ELeducation.org/resources/collections/character-framework-collection
CONTRIBUYE A UN MUNDO MEJOR
Los estudiantes contribuyen a un mundo mejor al poner en práctica su aprendizaje como ciudadanos activos, al trabajar por la justicia social, la protección medioambiental y por unas comunidades sanas y justas. Ponen en práctica el aprendizaje para mejorar las comunidades a través de ciudadanía, servicio y el apoyo.
Extracto de videos de: Contribuyendo a un mundo mejor
- [Niño 1] Puedes cambiar el mundo o marcar la diferencia.
- [Niño 2] Sí, no se necesita ser un adulto para hacer algo. Puedes hacer cosas siendo niño.
- No hay nadie mejor que la juventud para combatir estos problemas sociales.
- [Niño] Generación tras generación van marcando un cambio en el mundo y dejan su marca.
- [Adolescente] Cuando la gente nos dice que somos rebeldes, significa que vamos en contra de cosas como la opresión.
- Juntos estamos, nos organizamos y educamos.
- Salvamos nuestra cuenca y ayudamos a los animales y servimos y...
- [Adolescente] Tenemos el poder de cambiar las cosas y vamos a hacerlo. Escuela primaria Conway. Escondido, California
- [Mujer] Cuidamos nuestra comunidad para que el estado de la cuenca pueda mejorar. Eso les demostrará que hay esperanza.
- De hecho, hemos estado cuidando truchas en mi clase.
- [Niño] Liberamos a las truchas porque son muy importantes para que el ecosistema esté equilibrado.
- Les damos gusanos de sangre, camarones y otros insectos.
- Cuidado con los depredadores.
- Y me siento un poco triste de dejarlos ir, pero van a estar en un lugar mejor. El ciclo de la vida seguirá. Escuela Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School. Nueva York.
- Si estás aquí, si estás vivo, deberías esforzarte en ayudar a otras personas.
- Tendremos que realmente salir de la escuela y hacer algunas cosas para ganar experiencia.
- Debes tomar acción hacia algo, creando un cambio, y después investigar, expandir tu conocimiento y asegurarte de estar informado de todo.
- Pienso que la educación puede cambiar todo el universo.
CONTRIBUYE A UN MUNDO MEJOR
Mira la versión completa de estos vídeos en ELeducation.org/resources/collections/character-framework-collection