Montessori's writing, and particularly her underlying principles, requires study and discussion. It is hard work to understand the depth of carefully sequenced lessons and experiences that she designed to create a genuine experience for the child. This work avoids simple answers. It evades black-and-white opinions. It frowns on bullet points.…

In this essay the author argues that today's resurgent focus on noncognitive skills, especially for low-income students, may unfairly mask cognitive deficiencies and work to relieve our society of its duty, at which we are currently failing, to help low-income children improve their lives by improving their cognitive skills. The author points to a…

The author of this paper, an ethicist, states that he considers himself fortunate to be in a field undergoing a resurgence; however he also is aware of how academic efforts to promote moral development often lack a deep appreciation of the underlying character of ethics. He argues that, in order to further the moral maturation of today's students,…

Provides a theoretical and philosophical model for values education based on the work of Martin Buber. Reviews six steps that intercede between the initial meeting of teacher and student and the latter's formation of his/her values construction. (LRA)

Introduces the five essays appearing in Studies in Philosophy and Education (May 2000) that discuss the role of respect in creating democratic citizens and moral persons. These essays are centered on the thematic problem: how are the values of democracy, education, and the moral life linked to each other and how can we better understand what these…

Addresses the problems of how moral character is developed and what moral character consists of. Emphasizes the development of democratic, ethical dispositions and focuses on two features of an educational environment that are especially important: respect for students as persons and the democratic organization of the groups in which the young…

Discusses deliberate psychological education as influenced by George Miller, Ralph Mosher, and Norm Sprinthall, and renewed calls for educational reform focusing on moral education. (JBJ)

The crisis of ethics in business and the professions cannot be addressed by inserting ethics into college curricula. The article suggests the only true pathway to ethics education is through a liberal education which permeates the complex interaction between head and heart and creates informed awareness of right and wrong. (SM)

This essay is a reminiscence of a life-shaping experience from the author's freshman year and an attempt to draw certain lessons from that experience for the freshmen of the eighties. He describes a personal discovery made at the "March on Washington" in 1963. (Author/MLW)

Moral development theory has much to offer in the classroom and other informed discussions, but the moral development approach to education should depart from the Kohlberg model and examine the actual role of rules and principles in human conduct and recognize the impact of economic and psychological motivation in the process of moral choice. (MSE)

A student of the 1950s reflects on how moral issues were ignored in both the college curriculum and campus activities, and reviews research on moral development. Milestones in research on moral development since then are reviewed and applied to circumstances of individual colleges to encourage the creation of opportunities for student moral…

Suggests that religious education has a distinctive responsibility to enhance pupils' understanding of life, enlarging their range of skills, responses, and sympathies while liberating some greater sense of hope and possibility. Discusses ways for teachers to achieve these goals. (GEA)

Presents a middle school teacher's observations concerning young adolescents (e.g., inconsistency is consistent, identification with others affords continuity, and they see others seeing them and seek ways to expend energy). Offers guidelines for promoting adolescents' moral growth (e.g., provide parent education and promote thoughtful critique of…

Student activities programing, viewed as essential to the college experience, is defended by outlining some of the values and growth opportunities it provides for students. Several specific programing strategies useful as catalysts in values development are described, including values clarification exercises, multicultural programing, and…

The question of whether athletics, religion, and education are compatible is examined from a liberal arts perspective with Christianity as a reference point. In the recent past an ideal of U.S. college life was that the college seeks wholeness of mind, spirit, and body. In the classroom, knowledge is sought, while on the playing field, health,…