Character Education

Originator of character education that emphasizes ethical-spiritual dimension in the process of personal formation is the German pedagogue FW Foerster (1869-1966). Character education is a natural reaction to kejumudan Rousseauian pedagogy and pedagogical Instrumentalism Deweyan.Lebih than that, pedagogy puerocentris through the celebration of the spontaneity of children (Edouard Claparède, Ovide Decroly, Maria Montessori) that characterizes Europe and the United States early 19th century increasingly considered no longer sufficient for intellectual and cultural formation of a pribadi.Polemik anti-positivist and anti-naturalist in Europe early 19th century was the liberation movement of natural determinism toward a spiritual dimension, moving from the personal formation with psycho-social approach toward the ideals of humanism a more integral. Character education is an attempt to revive the spiritual ideal pedagogy that had lost buffeted by the waves a la Comte positivism.

The aim of education is to the formation of character embodied in the essential unity of the subject by the behavior and attitude of life he had. For Foerster, the character is something that mengualifikasi a person. Character becomes contingent identity that transcends the ever-changing experience. Of maturity this character, the quality of a person is measured.

Four characters

According to Foerster there are four basic traits in character education. First, the regularity of the interior in which every action is measured based on a hierarchy of values. Normative values to guide every tindakan.Kedua, coherence which gives courage, makes a person strong on principle, not easily swayed or frightened in new situations of risk. Coherence is a basic building trust each other. The lack of coherence seseorang.Ketiga undermine credibility, autonomy. There, someone from outside to internalize the rules be for personal values. It can be seen through assessing the personal decision without influence or pressure lain.Keempat parties, determination and loyalty. Firmness is the resistance to covet what someone is deemed good. And loyalty is the foundation for respect for the commitments that dipilih.Kematangan fourth character, go Foerster, allows humans to pass through stages of individuality to the personality. "Modern people often confuse between individuality and personality, between me naturally and I'm spiritual, between the independence of the exterior and interior." Character is what determines forma a person in all his actions.