In the ethical arena, our society offers the choice of an ethics of emotion versus an ethics of rules, inadequate choices when compared to ethics based in strong moral character. Moral education and character development are basic elements of adventure and experiential education, and practitioners achieve excellence in practice only when they…

Distinguishes between character/morals and ethics/professionalism. Describes techniques for teaching professional ethics to prospective teachers, including a systematic reflective case-debriefing method. (SK)

Nicholas Tate is chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in England, set up by Parliament, in October 1997, to oversee the national curriculum. In this interview, Tate describes the British National Curriculum, national tests, and the promotion of moral education. The national papers publish massive supplements showing…

Stresses the importance of outdoor ethics education and describes educational strategies such as public awareness campaigns, codes of ethics, dilemma discussions, role plays and simulations, "trigger" films, guided ethics observations, recognizing and rewarding ethical behavior, using role models, guiding students in developing personal…

Traces the Montessori view of adolescent social development and provides illustrations in short-term rural life with 12- to 14-year olds. Provides clear signs pointing to Erdkinder based on the theory that adolescents are in the midst of a social transformation and they want to be treated with respect. (MOK)

Replicating a United Kingdom study, survey responses from 11 of 12 Canadian occupational therapy programs indicated that they teach ethics based on standards, rules, and regulations. Moral theory and reasoning are less evident. Today's diverse values and moral perspectives make such an approach inadequate in training therapists. (SK)

Makes a case for rereading the fact-value dichotomy that currently divides the contemporaneous literatures dealing with children's moral reasoning development and their evolving theories of mind. Presents findings from two research programs, in which children's beliefs about truth and rightness are combined, to illustrate the natural…

Discusses character education in public schools, focusing on Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland. States that MCPS has established a policy that requires all schools to implement a character education program, and reviews the implementation of this program--dubbed Building Esteem in Students Today--at one of MCPS's schools,…

Investigated 4-, 8-, and 11-year-olds' ability to categorize intentionally false and true statements as lies and truths. Found that older children were more likely to categorize false statements as lies and true statements as truths than were 4-year-olds. Antisocial lies were rated as most serious, and "white lies" as least serious.…

Presents suggestions for practical applications of character education in the early childhood setting. Notes ten childhood characteristics essential for early moral development, including self-control, moral reasoning, honesty, and social skills. Explores five core strategies that may be applied to the classroom: induction, nurturing and support,…

Considers what elements might contribute to a clear pattern of moral action in a young person who is "morally gifted." Proposes a preliminary framework for understanding unusual moral action and questions to explore. (Author)

Although conscience has been the focus of reflection for centuries, fundamental questions regarding its organization have not been fully answered. To address those questions, the authors applied structural equation modeling techniques to longitudinal data comprising multiple behavioral measures of children's conscience, obtained in parallel…

Children from seven classes representing the year groups in a primary school were interviewed in groups of three or four to find out their understanding and views on issues related to the environment and science. The large majority showed considerable interest and concern about environmental issues related to their experience and understanding,…

New Zealand has had free, state, secular education since 1877, but just what is meant by secularism is changing. Since the 1980s the growth of Maori education initiatives has mushroomed and these place emphasis on Maori values and beliefs, including spirituality. In addition, in 1999 a definition and statement on spirituality appeared in the…

An analysis is presented of the problems that have existed for over 20 years in the moral education curriculum in primary schools of China. These include the separation of moral education from children's lives, the moralizing and memorization used as the basic methods of teaching and learning, and the overlaps between courses on society and…