The transcript of a values awareness lesson in communicable diseases is presented to illustrate the two stages of a typical values class--introducing the lesson and implementing the lesson. In this case, an overhead slide-transparency is used (along with prefacing remarks) to lead the class into considering those whom a gonorrhea-infected youth…

Modern education is examined in the light of John Dewey's theory that moral education is a process of involving singular human beings, living consciously in association with one another, in thinking purposively and intelligently about subject-matter provided by their common, intertwined lives. (JD)

Argues that middle- and high-school students benefit from class discussions of personal and societal values and the role they play in decision making. Presents two stories of real-life difficult choices and their consequences. Presents brief descriptions of five current controversial issues (with suggested questions) for classroom discussion to…

Though our larger society feels its traditional values are threatened, the push for character education is motivated by moral concerns and is inappropriate for the school curriculum. Benefits of moral education have not been demonstrated and consume valuable instruction time better served by other topics. Moral values are best taught by example in…

Strategies to halt school violence can fail if they do not embody core values that embrace nonviolence and challenge hostile, disrespectful acts. The process of creating a school that values nonviolent expressions of aggression and fights hostile attitudes and behaviors encompasses four stages. Article describes these stages for creating and…

Given that there can be no education without values, how do we define values education in a pluralistic, secular, and democratic society, and on what basis? To answer those questions, we must first distinguish between ethics, morality, and values education, and then examine the present-day context in which these concepts are expressed. (TD)

The modern character education movement emerged in the 1980s as a consequence of growing parental and public concern for moral drift, or what sociologist James Davison Hunter referred to as "the death of character." This public anomie was captured in these words from Sanford McDonnell, chairman emeritus of McDonnell Douglas and chair of…

The author introduces the concept of "inferring value teacher behavior." This behavior is essentially a value statement formulated by the teacher about a student's value. It contains the three characteristics of value statements (states the characteristics, identifies it as a value, identifies a value referent) but, in addition, the…

Motivation to do good work in reading is a learned behavior. Values involve beliefs and worth and are likewise learned. Youngsters, particularly boys, are actually establishing one kind of hierarchy about values in their minds for school purposes but live according to another when they are out of school. An attempt must be made to correct this…

Proposes an interactive learning and teaching mode to realize education's potential role in transforming utopian dreams of health care, education, and social security for everyone within a political economy that respects human dignity and freedom into realities. Enumerates the themes, stages, and methods of such a pedagogical project. (DMM)

The author argues that social institutions such as schools and universities have an obligation to teach American consensus high level values as right and true and to inculcate in the students a methodological concept of authority in solving problems where there is no agreement. A response by Asa Hilliard III is offered. (MT)

In today's environment of unrelenting economic and social pressures, the writer makes the case that the professions need their educational centers more than ever as resources and as rallying points for renewal. Breakdowns in institutional reliability and professional self-policing, as revealed in waves of scandals in business, accounting,…

While national progress on aspects of academic excellence (the achievement gap, end-of-grade testing, standardized college placement exams, and so on) is a main feature of today's education agenda, character education is never far from commensurate policy attention. Because the notion of character is value-laden, it can be difficult to craft a…

The need for values in environmental education to be established through the cooperation of parents, churches, and boards of education is discussed. Many references are used in an effort to support this view and to note that teachers alone should not have this responsibility. (MP)

A New York camp's character education program is described. Implementing the program involves choosing which values to teach, making staff and campers aware of the program's importance, deciding where to teach the values, choosing and coaching the attributes that reflect each value, debriefing after activities, and keeping campers and staff…