A real-life experience is a "moving force" that can be part of the elementary social studies curriculum. This article discusses an experiential learning about India and describes how the author integrates the arts and service learning in his third grade classroom. It also describes class activities that enhance social studies curriculum…

In the 1960s and 1970s, activists who focused on the academy as a key site for fostering social change began by querying the assumptions of the traditional disciplines and transforming their curricula, putting into place women's and ethnic studies programs that changed both the subject and methods of scholarship. The pattern of scholars and…

Even at the dawn of the 21st century, the sexual education of children in America is controlled by attitudes and myths about sexual learning that, in reality, date back hundreds of years. And despite the strong, vibrant, and progressive traditions, many independent schools also remain well behind the curve on this vital aspect of children's lives.…

This case study examines the perspectives of a teacher and a set of students in a U.S. history classroom in a "last chance" public New York City high school--with "last chance" being a common term used to describe schools designed for struggling students, those who have a history of truancy, or those who have dropped out. The…

The Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education presents a longitudinal analysis of how students change on a number of scales that purport to measure many of the outcomes of liberal learning over the span of a college education. The Wabash Study is designed to collect information longitudinally from students at the beginning and end of their…

This essay discusses singing as a method of learning cultural values and the types of songs sung in a midwestern one-room country school in the 1930s. Singing and memorized poetry were major mediums for education in values. School children learned many songs with themes of patriotism and citizenship, such as "The Star Spangled Banner,""America the…

Noting that quality children's literature is one of the most valuable resources teachers have at their disposal, this fastback presents a practical approach to values education incorporating literature that can be used in the absence of, or in addition to, a formal program. The fastback discusses the rationale for values education, the literature…

The use of science fiction in the classroom to clarify environmental or ecological values is discussed in this article. Science fiction was chosen due to its universal appeal and application. Students read and analyzed a story and were then required to take a position and to defend it. (MA)

A comparison is made between the educational philosophies of Confucius and John Dewey. The comparison is limited to four aspects of education: democracy, instruction, learning, and scientific attitude. Confucianism emphasizes the necessity of self-examination, of the cultivation of virtue, and of education as the means of producing the kind of…

It has become increasingly important for teachers to understand the key issues of values education. Values taught in the formal curriculum and transmitted in the hidden curriculum have a profound effect on the total educational experiences of students. Careful and thoughtful reception and transmission of communication concerning values are skills…

Alice Miller, the former psychoanalyst, has gained world renown for her controversial and provocative writings on child rearing. Miller contends that traditional child rearing practices--in schools, ecclesiastical settings, and the family--consist of physical and emotional cruelty that she labels "poisonous pedagogy." According to…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest some reasons why feelings are important to study as a part of K-12 social studies and to suggest a few ways this might be done. Reasons why feelings should be taught include the following. Knowledge of how people feel in various situations, as well as knowledge of the forces and factors which bring such…

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of one of the most celebrated areas of the humanistic education movement--values clarification--to some current emphases in secondary school speech communication education. Popular speech communication texts directly incorporate activities found in values clarification literature or…

Outlines criteria for selecting books for a unit on moral thinking and presents a generic study of questions and activities to accompany a wide variety of appropriate books. (HOD)

This article explores the validity of values clarification as an approach to values education. Several passages from "Values and Teaching: Working with Values in the Classroom" (1966 and 1978, Raths, Harmin, and Simon) are used in a discussion of criticisms leveled against values clarification. (DF)