"The virtues which make up character enable us to enjoy rewarding and productive lives," or so James Arthur argued. Arthur is the director of the Jubilee Center for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom). He made these statements in the framework of an international conference funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation and organized by the University of Navarra in collaboration with Austral University (Argentina).

The British expert argued that, "character can be taught and learnt and reinforced” and “it should be put at the heart of education." He claimed the need to integrate it into the school environment and the curriculum for the benefit of all. "If we get children to flourish, society will do so too," he said.

In this sense, he pointed out three lines of action for schools to promote the development of character, including by setting an example, as well as creating a culture and the inspirational influence to motivate and promote it; by encouraging educational experiences inside and outside of the classroom to provide students with the language, knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes that make it possible; and by providing opportunities to students that help them build personal habits.

He mentioned some strategies, such as including stories in the curriculum to encourage personal reflection and debate, and the integration of virtues in high school classes.

Cornerstones of character

During his presentation, Professor Arthur pointed out the cornerstones of character, including intellectual virtues, moral virtues, civic virtues and performative virtues. In addition, he added that practical wisdom weaves through all of them.

The first ones are "character traits necessary for discernment, right action and the pursuit of knowledge, truth and understanding," he said. Some examples are autonomy, critical thinking, curiosity, reflection, reasoning, etc.

The second set consists of “character traits that enable us to act well in situations that require an ethical response,” he explained. Among them are compassion, courage, gratitude, honesty, humility, respect, etc.

The third ones are, in James Arthur’s words, "character traits that are necessary for engaged responsible citizenship, contributing to the common good," such as community awareness, civility, neighborliness, volunteering, etc.

The fourth consist of character traits that have an instrumental value in enabling the intellectual, moral and civic virtues, which include motivation, determination, resilience, teamwork, etc.

When they are in conflict— telling the truth or maintaining loyalty to a friend, for example— practical wisdom comes into play. "It is developed through experience and critical reflection and enables us to perceive, know, desire and act with good sense," he noted.

Professor Arthur delivered these remarks during the closing session of an international conference on Character Education in Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities, which took place on June 13 and 14, 2018. It brought together researchers, teachers and educational policy makers at Austral University’s IAE Business School in Pilar (Argentina).

The conference was organized by Researching and promoting character education in Latin American secondary schools, a joint research project of the School of Education and Psychology and the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS). It received funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation.