Examined inservice and preservice teachers' opinions and attitudes regarding character education, ability to teach character education, and professional responsibilities in that area. Surveys indicated that teachers considered character education important but differed in their opinions about what it was and how it should be taught. Student…

Describes how a team of college instructors framed a humanities methods course within the concept of classroom community-building to address issues relevant to preservice teachers in such areas as moral commitment, professionalism, caring, and concern, providing examples of how the community was built, discussing strengths and limitations of that…

Public school teachers need adequate preservice preparation for character and citizenship education. This preparation should promote ethical and moral development through liberal-arts coursework and other college experiences, and it should integrate various elements of character education into the existing teacher-education program. This paper…

Discusses how the author remembers Lawrence Kohlberg and how she came into a long-term conversation with him that influenced the course of her research. Emphasizes the impact that bringing women into studies of child development and psychology had on these fields. (DSK)

Evaluates the issue of producing and controlling the memories of the Holocaust as an example of the struggle over self-identity and the recognition of "the other" as a moral subject. Analyzes Israeli refusals to acknowledge the genocides/holocausts of other peoples as a test case for a humanist-oriented moral education. (DSK)

Adolescence is a time of intense, often idealistic concern about the relationship of self to others. Yet educators hesitate to address high-school students about moral aspects of sexuality and marriage. Such reticence has a high price. Textbooks mistakenly convey self-interest as the sole cause of human behavior. (MLH)

Explores how to cultivate morality and character in students without indoctrinating them and manipulating them into expressing particular moral beliefs. Asserts that critical thinking must be at the heart of college curricula; proficiency in the art of teaching critically--encouraging students to question, think for themselves, and develop…

Educators seeking novel ways to instill conflict-resolution skills in young children should consider Dr. Seuss, whose books provide a synthesis of fantasy and reality that works for teaching values endemic to peace education. This paper discusses how students can learn peace and educators can teach peace using Dr. Seuss books, examining steps to…

One cannot reflect on centuries of accumulated religious wisdom without experiencing a deepened sense of personal meaning and purpose--a phenomenon often marginalized in progressive education. Contemporary issues have religious dimensions. The four essays assembled in this special section consider religion's role in public education from different…

A three-stage research project in Iceland traced the development of interpersonal competence of 8- to 11-year-old students in solving communication conflicts, developed an intervention and prevention program, and studied the professional development of 14 teachers in relation to students' sociomoral and interpersonal competence development. (SLD)

Logical analysis of arguments in favor of rational suicide reveals 11 commonly encountered premises. These premises are listed, analyzed, and discussed. The arguments of the rational suicide literature are criticized on historical and philosophical grounds. Consensus-based reasonableness is found to provide an insubstantial base for social policy.…

Provides two examples of how teachers have developed a critical and caring classroom culture. Believes that to foster this culture it is necessary to infuse the ideas of civic justice and morality into classroom activities throughout the school year. Describes how to create a classroom with a critical and caring culture. (CMK)

Discusses the merits of implementing a character education curriculum through teaching literature according to themes. Argues that a reflective approach, emphasizing students' engagement with the issues and the resolutions they come up with for considering moral dilemmas, will be more effective than a didactic approach. Describes a unit on…

Argues that British educational policy will benefit if it engages with the challenges of commutarian debates. Introduces and reviews the meaning of commutairanism and explores the implications for some education policies in England and Wales particularly focusing on the role of schools in values education. (Contains references.) (CMK)

Provides a brief historical review of sexual education and critiques the assumptions and implications of the current crisis instrumental model and the values-clarification approach. Argues for a meaningful ethic of sexuality and for a dialectic approach that allows existing values to be challenged while still affirming the integrity of the…