While there have been many calls for teaching ethics and responsible computing, it is unclear how responsible computing instruction and technical learning interact. Some instructors even hesitate to include ethics in their courses, fearing it might distract students from learning technical computing content. An approach called…

The potential of science to transform lives has been highlighted by a number of scholars. This means that critical socio-scientific issues (SSIs) must be integrated into science curricula. Development of context-specific scientific knowledge and twenty-first-century learning skills in science education could be used to address SSIs such as…

The emphasis in gifted programs should be on the interests and needs of the students, rather than on preparing them to perform some social function, such as solving world problems, which require commitment of everyone rather than necessarily requiring intelligence and technology. This approach places unrealistic expectations on gifted students and…

The author discusses findings of a content analysis of readers and texts on social problems and identifies questions raised by the task force which performed the analysis. The purpose of the study was to ascertain the nature of social problems courses and to determine if such courses are appropriate as undergraduate "first courses" instead of…

Maintains that when students learn about social problems they often feel depressed and apathetic about their ability to change these problems in society. Describes the Community Exploration Project that addresses the despair expressed by students and utilizes a student-centered approach where students discover and understand community efforts to…

The Problem Panel Project is an instructor-developed, one-semester course in contemporary problems. Based on the inquiry approach, the course is structured for independent research and group work and requires no traditionally-structured daily lesson plans. The course is divided into six procedural points. First, students decide which contemporary…

The Life Skills course of Saskatchewan NewStart uses concepts and techniques from education, social work, and behavior sciences to develop new types of programs which stress personal competence in dealing with problems. This book describes the Life Skills course and gives examples of how problem solving skills are taught. Other chapters deal with…

Maintains that literacy and informed decision making in an uncertain world require the ability to reason statistically. Describes a course designed to help students use statistical concepts as tools for social reasoning within simulations of real-world problems. Describes four types of instructional activities used. (CFR)

This paper proposes a teaching model for the implementation of a Science-Technology-Society (STS) curriculum. The topics of technologic literacy, STS goals, and STS instruction are included. The historical and contemporary perspective of technology is addressed. The Graham model of STS instruction is compared with the Oregon instructional model.…

The paper analyzes the multifaceted nature of current citizenship education programs and suggests a model which would reconcile the differences between conflicting program approaches. One problem of citizenship education is lack of consensus on its goals and content. Some programs emphasize socialization to established rules of social and…