One of the greatest challenges to a peace education curriculum is preparing young people to deal with conflicts over issues central to identity. These kinds of conflict can threaten beliefs derived from authority and, accordingly, may be characterized by cognitive rigidity. Various factors central to constructive conflict resolution are…

This article describes and defends a revision of the traditional elementary social studies curriculum rationale. It calls for retaining most of the same topics, but developing them more coherently and shifting emphasis from the expanding communities sequence to introducing students to the fundamentals of the human condition as the primary…

States that the Education Forum and Enterprise New Zealand Trust took exception to the lack of instruction on New Zealand's European heritage, expressing the curriculum lacked an explanation of capitalism. Reports the New Zealand Federation of Social Studies Associations complained about the lack of emphasis on decision making and critical…

Describes how Problem-Based Learning (PBL) was adapted for use in social studies teacher education. Reviews the background of PBL as used in professional faculties, and offers curricular justification for its use. Examines difficulties experienced in adapting PBL to teacher education, taking into account perspectives from prospective teachers and…

Reviews 11 normative principles of capitalist economics. Contends that these principles form the basis for much of economics education in the United States and Western society. Argues that to save the world from massive environmental degradation, economics education must be completely restructured to focus on ecological concerns. (CFR)

Reports on a study of how seven fifth-grade teachers organized their social studies curriculum following the adoption of a new textbook. Finds that teaching styles were more varied than might be expected given the similarity of materials. Discusses three observed teaching styles. (CFR)

Reports on a survey of school administrators and teachers regarding the relationship between the status of elementary social studies and the goal of personal development for the greater good of society. Finds that competition for resources, low student interest, and an uneven curriculum have pushed social studies to the background. (CFR)

Describes a unit on North American colonization taught in an eighth-grade history class. Profiles the students' knowledge of colonial history before and after the class through in-depth interviews. Discusses current reform movements in social studies instruction and how they relate to this unit. (MJP)

Reports on 29 veteran secondary social studies teachers' reactions and responses to the New Social Studies movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Results indicate the magnitude of the gulf that exists between the concerns of theorists and the issues that are important to teachers. (CFR)