Teaching for intellectual and emotional learning (TIEL): Bringing thinking and moral-ethical learning into classrooms

Abstract

Teaching in ways that promote the moral development of students is a daunting task for teachers in gifted programs and in general education classrooms. While time and curriculum requirements are often a factor, teacher preparation programs do not adequately prepare teachers to address the moral-ethical aspects of learning. Additionally, the voluminous terminology that refers to moral development can be confusing. Often overlooked is the relationship between the intellect and the moral aspect of learning for gifted students. When intellectual needs are not addressed in school, moral development can suffer. The TIEL Curriculum Design Wheel brings these important intellectual and emotional components together forming a framework that guides teachers in developing curriculum that includes the teaching of thinking processes as well as social emotional learning. Helping students develop morally and ethically is a daunting task for teachers. In general education classrooms, where most gifted students spend the majority of their time, mandated curriculum, pacing charts, and standardized testing have priority and consume the majority of classroom time. In gifted programs, where teachers have limited time with their students and the focus is more often on creativity, thinking skills, and problem-solving, not necessarily related to academic content (Borland 1997), the moral-ethical aspects of learning are often neglected. In addition, teaching for moral-ethical learning can be a confusing enterprise. Little in teacher education prepares teachers with the knowledge of the intellectual or emotional components necessary to consciously design curriculum and establish environments that help students develop moral-ethical principles. Teacher education programs provide even less information about advanced learners and how to accommodate their needs in the classroom. The purpose of this chapter is to present Teaching for Intellectual and Emotional Learning (TIEL), a model that I developed to help teachers bring the moral-ethical aspect of education into programs for the gifted as well as general education classrooms. The TIEL Curriculum Design model (Folsom 1998) connects cognitive and affective components of learning and provides a valuable tool that helps teachers develop curriculum that includes the teaching of thinking and moral/ethical learning. Four questions will be addressed in the chapter. What terms address the concept of moral or morality? What does moral education mean in school? What is the experience of gifted students in school? How can the TIEL Curriculum Design model help teachers address the intellectual and emotional learning needs of gifted students, as well as improve learning opportunities for all students? © 2009 Springer-Verlag US.