Over the past 50 years, the United States has experienced the disappearance of moderate politics replaced by a more divisive political ideology. As the country has become more polarized, universities, schools of social work, and professors have increasingly leaned left. In this era of extreme political polarization, social work educators have a…

This paper explores the idea that moral thought/reasoning and moral actions are actually two separate phenomena that have little relationship to each other. The idea that moral thinking does or can control moral action creates a difficult dualism between our knowledge about morality and our everyday actions. These differences run parallel to the…

Although Western cultures tend to view dolphins as friendly and benevolent, in Japanese fishing communities, "iruka" (dolphins) are often viewed as food or pests. These perspectives have led to intense conflicts between Japanese fishermen and activists from the west. This article presents an exercise that simulates intercultural conflict by asking…

Contends that the key questions in civic education are How should people be treated? and How should disputes between people be resolved? Argues that a moral system is necessary for a civil society and that schools have a responsibility to encourage common-sense notions of ethical behavior. Includes classroom activities to illustrate this approach.…

Suggests that instructors teach the U.S. Catholic bishops' pastoral on economics by confronting today's moral confusion directly to promote values clarification. Reviews the historical causes of today's value conflicts, discusses the bishops' suggestions for resolving them, and offers assignments to help students clarify their own values. (DMM)

In this article, the author emphasizes decision making rather than mere remembering as a tool for teaching social studies. Decision making should be emphasized at two levels: at the level of deciding what a group of descriptive data means, how these data may be summarized or generalized, what principles they suggest; and also at the level of…

Describes the development and content of teacher guides from The Giraffe Project, a social values and community service program. States that the teacher guides are available for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12. Maintains that the materials would be appropriate for schools integrating a service component into the curriculum. (CFR)

This collection of class activities is intended to provide approaches to values discussion and clarification at all levels of the public school. Activities are presented for elementary school, junior high school, and senior high school pupils, and for ranges encompassing the entire range or various sequential ranges of grades. Subject areas…

Described is an in-class sociology game which requires students to choose and defend a system of income distribution. Techniques for conducting the game, assessing game outcomes, and leading the postgame discussion are suggested. Experience with the game leads the author to conclude that it encourages students to think about values concerning…

In this article, the author talks about the Westwood Elementary's knitting and crochet club. The idea for this group unraveled when one of their third graders received a knitting kit as a birthday gift. The mother of the student told the author what a wonderful hobby knitting had become for her daughter and how this craft worked to help develop…

Contends that the development and use of moral imagination helps students become sensitive to social justice issues and should be encouraged. Asserts that this process will encourage students to become cognizant of the tension between private beliefs and public behavior. (CFR)

A curriculum designed for secondary school fourth-year language students focuses on the human life cycle in the Hispanic cultural context. Four lessons cover the following topics: (1) Hispanic values; (2) the roles of women and men in Hispanic society; (3) customs related to dating, love, marriage, and divorce; and (4) treatment of death. Each…

Designed for elementary and secondary use in the social studies, this guide provides activities for learning the basic elements and the history of architecture. Through this study, students develop critical observation skills and investigate buildings as manifestations of religious, social, and personal values. The historical overview traces the…

Argues that developing a critical praxis for teaching the young to "read the world" involves seeing the world in more than one way, so more than one definition of "normal" exists. Suggests learning to read the world means learning to see the coexisting multiple realities in daily life and to remain aware of those outside one's immediate view.…

Suggests classroom activities for students and teachers that expose male and female prejudices, and the values which support them. (RB)