How We Brought Character Education to Our Afterschool Program
By Caroline PhillipsThis article was written by Caroline Phillips, who has worked at The Maker’s Clubhouse afterschool program in Pittsburgh Public Schools for three years. The Maker’s Clubhouse is a STEAM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) afterschool program in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, serving roughly 100 K–5 students each week at Faison and Lincoln Elementary Schools with hands-on lessons, maker challenges, athletics, robotics, and homework help.
Getting Started: Designing Character Education for an Afterschool Setting
When I started working on the plans for the character education program this year at The Maker’s Clubhouse afterschool program, I was excited to get started with the Positivity Project for our lessons. Arranging lessons for an afterschool program has some challenges when most curriculums are designed for in-school instruction. Figuring out how to put together a program that gives the students the framework to build up themselves and others without the amount of time available during the day was a little intimidating, but I knew that the resources available to me through P2 would be perfect to meet the needs of the students and help them grow. The focus on positive character strengths with really practical application to their everyday lives was an ideal starting point.
Adapting Weekly Lessons for Less Frequent, Longer Sessions
The weekly lessons from Positivity Project are a great way to introduce the concepts of each character strength to the students. As an afterschool program with multiple locations, I can’t see each group everyday. With the weekly lessons, I can easily adapt them to a less frequent but longer lesson. Because there are multiple short lessons for each character strength with lots of activities and videos, I can use parts of each day from the PowerPoint to create a 45-minute lesson, and the students don’t get bored. They stay engaged with the materials and with each other because there is more than enough material provided by P2. I can show a video, have a great discussion with the kids, and do a fun activity. With everything already put together for me in the lesson, I can make the most of my time.
When Character Strengths Start to Click
Honestly, my favorite part is reviewing previous lessons each week with the kids. Each week, I ask them what we have talked about before and what words they know. They remember so much from week to week! And slowly over the weeks, I have seen them start to put each character strength into context with each other. During kindness week, while coming up with examples of kind things they can do, a student said that they could follow the rules of the classroom — even if the teacher wasn’t there. Another student chimed in that following the rules even when no one is looking is what we talked about during integrity week. It’s so exciting to watch them begin to really put all the pieces together and see how each character strength they learn about connects to their everyday life.
Character Cards: A Take-Home Reminder Students Love
The character cards are another resource that has been hugely helpful. Handing them out to each student as they line up is the perfect way to wrap up the lesson. I love that I can send home a reminder for the kids to look at and read. Having a paper with the key points of the lesson and a picture of the character strength in action makes it easier for the kids to remember what we’ve gone over. And the students look forward to getting their card each week. When one kid dropped his and it ripped, he insisted that his teacher come back to me to get a replacement. Another student told me that her mom takes the cards and hangs them up on the wall at home.
Building a Shared Language Across Staff and Students
One of the best parts of using The Positivity Project is that it creates a shared vision and language for everyone at The Maker’s Clubhouse to help each other grow in their character and behavior — students and staff. I have had staff tell me that they have brought up the character strengths, like integrity, and the ‘Other People Mindset’, like knowing our words and actions affect others, in discussions with students when addressing behavior issues. Having a touchpoint for the students who have already discussed and learned about it helps them reflect on their behaviors and recognize where and why the behaviors are an issue, and gives them a clear path forward for growth.
Having this language to use as a whole program can improve communication between staff and students, which leads to better outcomes with behavior.
The Impact We’re Already Seeing
Over the past few months that I have worked with The Positivity Project curriculum to teach at The Maker’s Clubhouse I have really appreciated the clarity of the lessons and the value of each character strength that the students are learning about. I can see how the work the students put into the discussions and activities during lesson time is becoming more obvious in their actions. There is genuine excitement each week as we encounter new character strengths, and very serious thought and consideration as they discuss the ideas and how to put them into action. The Positivity Project has already made an impact in our program in just a few months, and as we continue to use the resources that P2 has given us, I can’t wait to see how that impact grows.