Participatory democracy should replace protectionist democracy as the organizing principle for civic education. An outline of a curriculum for democratic participation is presented. One facet of this curriculum, the teaching of democratic values, is examined in detail through the example of a study of the nuclear freeze movement. (Author/RM)

Examines literature from several fields that supports the four roles teachers may take during the discussion of controversial issues: exclusive neutrality, exclusive partiality, neutral impartiality, and committed impartiality. Maintains that committed impartiality is the most defensible teacher role. (Author/JDH)

Presents activities for a thematic unit of literature exploring humankind's relationship to the land, as inspired by Robert Frost's poem. Activities include planting flowers, examining travel brochures, viewing a transparency exhibit of images of nature, and journal writing on topics dealing with owning and working land. (HTH)

Reports results of a series of semi-structured interviews with 12 teachers from Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland. Explores such topics as professional autonomy, teacher-pupil relations, a teacher's freedom to pursue his or her own methods, discipline, sources of professional identity and the social and political backgrounds to…

This article discusses the characteristics of three schools and considers what lessons modern educators might learn from them. The first school described is the Malting House school, where Susan Isaacs taught for several years. The Malting House school, which existed from 1924 to 1929 in Cambridge, England, teaches the lesson of looking, with…

This article describes the work of two teachers who taught in St. George, Utah, in the latter third of the nineteenth century. The teaching methods, educational objectives, classroom techniques, and curriculum used by Martha Cox and Richard S. Horne illustrate the "uneven mixture" of personal, societal, and cultural goals present during…

Explores various ways in which people use myths to communicate facts and influence values. Suggests various activities to help upper elementary and junior high school social studies students understand the role of myths and legends in geographic education. Activities include discussing perspectives on legendary lands, working with maps and globes…

Discusses Marxist theory and scholarship as they illuminate the relationships between basic writing courses, language, literacy, and values, both in the broad institutional context and in the narrower instructional context. (RL)

Discusses why ethnic studies should be taught, the infusion, compensatory, and conceptual methods of teaching, considerations about teaching ethnic studies, and possible outcomes. Also suggests that an ideal course would deal with functions of ethnicity and formation and adaptation of ethnic groups. (Author/CK)

Studied the effectiveness of the Socratic seminar method at a middle school in Chattanooga (Tennessee) through observation, focus groups, and semistructured interviews with nine teachers. Findings support the usefulness of the seminars in promoting higher-order thinking, appropriate conflict resolution strategies, and interest in learning. (SLD)

Investigated physical education teachers' educational theories of action and theories-in-use. Data from classroom observations, interviews, and journals indicated that teachers held strong, well-articulated views about student learning and what constituted a physically educated student. Results did not substantiate the notion of a level of…

Presents an activity on ethics for secondary students which examines the life of Thomas Jefferson, and his attempts to reconcile his belief in democratic principles and his holding of slaves. Emphasizes student analysis of ethical issues and ability to express ethical reasoning. (DB)

Reviewed is an integrated approach to teaching place-value concepts. A semi-integrated approach is proposed which may provide a more effective implementation of the technique. (CW)

Suggests an approach to citizenship education which enhances the student's ability to make responsible decisions. Emphasizes that citizenship concepts such as fairness begin to develop early in a child's life and that citizenship education is inevitably bound up with value judgments. Gives an example of an activity which fosters responsible…

Describes one model of effective health instruction, highlighting what and how to teach. Two lesson types, skill development and values awareness, illustrate characteristics that incorporate theory specific to each outcome. By viewing health instruction as both a science and an art, teachers help ensure equal opportunity for all students to…