Years ago, a theory of human development evolved along side Piaget’s famous work, but without the fanfare so often afforded to Piaget. The work of Lawrence Kohlberg and his relationship to Piaget’s is a broader than I want to examine here, but his Six Stages of Moral Development is worth looking at, even at a cursory level.
In a nutshell, Kohlberg posited that our human morals develop in six stages as we grow up. My question is: Could we hasten/improve the development of these stages simply by making our students aware of their existence?
I like to couch the stages in words which complete the statement “I am moral because…”
stage 1: I want to avoid punishment
stage 2: I want to receive the benefits of obedience.
stage 3: I want to be “good.”
stage 4: I want to be law-abiding (legal.)
stage 5: I want to be a good citizen.
stage 6: I want to be a good human being.
Yes, this short article is just a scratch on the surface, but some thought given to it might yield and idea or two worth pursuing. I plan on talking with my students about Kohlberg’s work and see where it takes me.
If you do the same, let me know how it goes.
