Lawrence Kohlberg · 1927–1987
Moral development
Moral reasoning grows from 'don't get in trouble' toward 'what kind of person / world do we want' — and children need dilemmas, not only rules.
Why it matters when you teach
A five-year-old who tattles is often at 'maintain order.' An eleven-year-old can begin to wrestle with fairness that conflicts with a rule. Teach the why, or you only get compliance when you are looking.
Core ideas
Preconventional
Punishment and deal-making.
Conventional
Please others; keep the rules.
Postconventional
Principles that can critique the rules. Rare and hard-won.
In the room
- Ask 'what would be fair?' more often than 'what is the rule?'
- Stories with no clean ending. Let them sit in it.
- Gilligan's critique: care and relationship are moral too. Include them.
Try this
- One dilemma at dinner: the last cookie, the friend who cheated, the rule that hurts someone.
Hold it lightly
- Male-centric and Western in original samples (Carol Gilligan). Complement with care ethics.