Human Foresight and Moral Re-Education. The Work of the School.

N

60

Activism; Change Strategies; Curriculum Development; Dialogs (Literary); Educational History; Educational Needs; Educational Objectives; Educational Philosophy; Educational Psychology; Elementary Secondary Education; Futures (of Society); Human Development; Inquiry; Interpersonal Relationship; Literature Reviews; Moral Development; School Role; Social Change; Student Participation; Teaching Methods

Schools can help students understand moral issues, generate social change, and prepare for the future by combining dialogue and inquiry methods in moral education programs. Based upon the educational philosophy of John Dewey, the dialogue-inquiry method is interpreted to include a process whereby two or more persons reveal their feelings and thoughts to one another and a process whereby two or more persons ask and answer questions that are relevant to their situation. Dewey emphasized that students should be able to analyze both subjective and objective aspects of a situation and make personal contributions to social reform. Specifically, Dewey contributed the following basic concepts for clarifying human foresight and moral education: (1) an individual's state of mind influences his/her use of knowledge; (2) individual psychology influences whether a person will consider an act or judgment moral; and (3) humans are constantly influenced by objective and subjective factors. Many other psychologists and philosophers have considered objectives and methods of moral education. Included among these scholars are Martin Heidegger, Harold Rugg, Carl Jung, B. F. Skinner, Paul Tillich, Rollo May, and Lawrence Kohlberg. The conclusion is that schools can meet their moral education tasks if they re-formulate objectives in accordance with changing concepts of the good society, use a dialogue-inquiry method to supply normative corrections needed in the real world and balance social claims with personal needs. (DB)

1979

ED160530