Very few elementary public school teachers in the United States expose their students to religion and spirituality in an in-depth way. Even when they have the necessary knowledge base, they shy away from so dangerous an enterprise. They might fear provoking a challenge from parents who are irreligious and are shocked to find religion being…

The 1992 quincentenary marking the 500th anniversary of the Columbus voyage to the present-day Americas provides an opportunity for teachers to employ materials and methods that reflect inclusive educational principles. Inclusive education involves helping students and staff to gain an understanding and appreciation of all groups present in the…

The research reported here focuses on the beliefs, values and attitudes of one experienced biology teacher (Teacher A) in relation to the teaching of controversial biological issues. Of specific interest is the thinking behind what this teacher conceptualizes are the possibilities and problems for the teaching of controversial issues as part of…

The relationship among teaching methods, student personality traits, and learning outcomes was investigated in this study involving 125 7th and 8th grade students who were being taught to think critically about public controversy. While background material was presented to all students uniformly, students were assigned to two different types of…

This 10-chapter guidebook, designed to supplement a basic textbook in biology, provides lessons that demonstrate the application of biological principles and concepts. Chapter 1 is an introduction. Chapters 2 to 5, organized around the key concept of homeostasis, discuss the evolution of the external environment of earth compared to the internal…

One type of conflict is controversy (disagreement), which is discussed as a teaching technique that can be used in the classroom. Five possible procedures are suggested for introducing it to students. For journal availability, see SO 504 878. (ND)

Discusses a strategy used to incorporate value-related issues into introductory chemistry. Indicates that the approach, necessarily limited to few topics each year, encourages students to reflect on the causes and effect of science-related social issues and to define their personal values. (JN)

Options for the health educator who has decided to present information about the development and risk of nuclear arms are discussed. Educational resources on the subject and points where the topic might be brought up in class are noted. (PP)

This thesis focuses on the espoused beliefs, values, and attitudes of experienced A-Level Biology teachers in relation to the teaching of controversial biological issues. Of major interest is the thinking behind what the teachers in this study regard as the possibilities and problems for the teaching of controversial issues given the teaching…

Discusses the teaching of world hunger in the classroom. Controversial questions and map skills for students are discussed as well as activities for home economics and science classes. A list of resource materials is included. (AM)

Includes an excerpt from "Tail Tigerswallow and the Great Tobacco War." Suggests using a similar story to design a social studies lesson to help students ask relevant social issue questions. Employs role playing, simulation, debate, and writing letters to editors in the lesson plans. (NL)

Ten steps for teaching about sexuality are (1) identify the task; (2) identify the participants; (3) clarify personal views; (4) clarify teacher role and resources; (5) assess the community context; (6) enlist cooperation; (7) select teaching materials and methods; (8) prepare to handle sensitive issues; (9) make a teaching plan; and (10) make a…

Argues that rationales for citizenship education in a democracy and findings from empirical research provide persuasive reasons for putting controversial issues at the center of economic education. Summarizes research findings on the development of political interest and efficacy in students. Offers suggestions on how to handle controversial…

This paper explores whether the notion of "global citizenship" is too abstract to be valuable in driving curriculum policy and active citizenship for students. The paper looks firstly at three of the key aspects of an active role: a concern for social justice; rights; and culture and cultural conflict. It then examines actual curricula and…

This study explored teacher perspectives on the use of socioscientific issues (SSI) and on dealing with ethics in the context of science instruction. Twenty-two middle and high school science teachers from three US states participated in semi-structured interviews, and researchers employed inductive analyses to explore emergent patterns relative…