To teach critical thinking, teachers should (1) define critical thinking liberally enough to encompass affective responses, creativity, and flexibility; (2) respect their students; (3) discuss values and accept shifting values; (4) be receptive to change; and (5) be able to explain the epistemology of a subject. (GFW)

Discusses efforts in New York City and New York State to revise and expand the social studies curriculum to reflect a multicultural outlook. Argues that the study of history must respect the integrity of the past and not teach myth as history. Includes ideas on promoting democratic values, teaching social history, and teaching imaginatively. (DK)

Described is an activity in which students develop their own number system. This activity allow students to examine the structure and history of number systems and to discover the power and respectable efficiency of the number system used today. (KR)

A study investigated whether computer conferencing would encourage critical reflection in prospective teachers. A computer conference helped students examine their taken-for-granted assumptions, the validity in differing perspectives, and consequences of choice making. Findings suggest that computer conferencing can help students reach this goal,…

Asserts that no attitude is more detrimental to democratic values than blind allegiance to numerical data. Maintains that children must challenge and debate numerical data. Includes examples of data collection and activities designed to encourage students to be skeptical about numerical information. (CFR)

Describes a class assignment for a college-level sociology course in which students read from religious texts to identify norms and sanctions. Reports that students expressed positive comments about the activity. Includes suggestions for preparing materials, instructions for implementing the activity, and a coding sheet to be used by students.…

Presents a lesson using primary sources to explore the revolutionary rhetoric of British-American colonists and its application to the lives of enslaved Africans and free Blacks: How could the same people who argued so forcefully for liberty defend slavery? Includes excerpts from four primary documents and sources for additional documents. (DSK)

Describes the development and implementation of a senior high school biology lesson concerned with organ transplantation. Discusses the teacher's rationale and techniques for using controversial issues in science teaching. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/WRM)

Successful environmental stewardship education influences beliefs, values, and behaviors related to specific environmental issues. Programs should address the variables that have been correlated with behavior change. Behavior change takes time, and requires a combination of formal and nonformal sequential learning experiences within a supportive…

Discusses the use of German literature in courses teaching cross-cultural management. The article argues that literature depicting society and culture promotes effective business interaction. It also attempts to clarify the benefits of using literary texts to supplement theoretical texts on international business. (26 references) (Author/CK)

Evidence gathered from a study of nine teacher education programs shows that lay culture norms among education students are strongly ingrained. Teacher education as it is currently structured is a weak intervention to alter views regarding the teaching and management of diverse learners. (SLD)

Describes a project in which a small group of teachers of gifted students in primary and secondary schools in England used action research as an holistic way of undertaking professional development, which encouraged them to question their values, beliefs, and assumptions about teaching and learning. (CR)

This article is based on the author's experiences observing a Korean family that immigrated to the United States. This two-income, middle-class family (a mother and father, a grandmother, and a son) lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago, where a large Korean community is located. As in many of the neighboring homes, Korean is spoken frequently,…

This paper develops a conceptual basis for a model on the teaching of socio-scientific controversial issues for secondary or high school students. I argue that the teaching of controversial issues needs a stronger theoretical base. Drawing on a liberal democratic conception of possible sources of conflict, three strands are developed that provide…

Schools have a responsibility to prepare good citizens. This entails teaching moral education along with transmitting academic knowledge and skills. Moral education should be an explicit aim for every educator. Yet, ethical discourse is largely absent in K-12 classrooms and moral education has a small role in teacher education programs in the…