What is moral competence? Can it be measured? Can it be taught effectively? If so, how? This book explores these questions from three perspectives: experimental psychology, curriculum development, and instructor training. Part one discusses the research from which, like a jig-saw puzzle, a comprehensive picture of the nature, development, and teachability of morality emerges. The picture focuses on moral competence, the ability to solve problems and conflicts on the basis of moral principles through deliberation and discussion rather than violence and deceit. Part two explains how moral competence can be taught effectively with the Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (also known as Discussion Theater), which has been used with great success to foster moral development in schools and universities, military installations, prisons, and retirement communities in many countries. The book describes the Method, gives vivid illustrations of its use, and provides psychologists, teachers, and professional trainers with resources and guidance in its application. ``The definitive, research-based book on morality teaching with highly useful applications to educational practice. Highly recommended.'' Dr. Herbert Walberg, Emeritus Professor of Education and Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago. ``We all want to be `good' Lind contends - it's part of our human inheritance. But being morally competent, he shows, is enhanced and nourished when educators develop propulsive learning opportunities for students to practice and develop.'' Dr. William Ayers, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education, University of Illinois at Chicago. ``Lind's mastery of the history and philosophy of morality and moral education is quite apparent. He writes of the complex issues bound up in morality in a beautifully clear and persuasive manner.'' Dr. Richard M. Felder, Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus, North Carolina State University. ``Dr. Lind's experimental and educational approach to morality is unique worldwide.'' Dr. Ewa Nowak, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland. ``I really didn't think that one can discuss highly controversial issues in such a peaceful way. I learned a lot.'' A forty year old participant of a KMDD/DT session.

Children must be taught morality. They must be taught to recognise the authority of moral standards and to understand what makes them authoritative. But there’s a problem: the content and justification of morality are matters of reasonable disagreement among reasonable people. This makes it hard to see how educators can secure children’s commitment to moral standards without indoctrinating them. In A Theory of Moral Education, Michael Hand tackles this problem head on. He sets out to show that moral education can and should be fully rational. It is true that many moral standards and justificatory theories are controversial, and educators have an obligation to teach these nondirectively, with the aim of enabling children to form their own considered views. But reasonable moral disagreement does not go all the way down: some basic moral standards are robustly justified, and these should be taught directively, with the aim of bringing children to recognise and understand their authority. This is an original and important contribution to the philosophy of moral education, which lays a new theoretical foundation for the urgent practical task of teaching right from wrong.

Teaching Ethics in Schools Teaching Ethics in Schools shows how an ethical framework forms a natural fit with recent educational trends that emphasise collaboration and inquiry-based learning.

Teaching morally and teaching morality are understood as mutually dependent processes necessary for providing moral education, or the communication of messages and lessons on what is right, good and virtuous in a student’s character. This comprehensive and contextualized volume offers anecdotes and experiences on how an elementary schoolteacher envisions, enacts, and reflects on the ethical teaching and learning of her students. By employing a personally developed form of moral education that is not defined by any particular philosophical or theoretical orientation, this volume relates that classroom-based moral education can, therefore, be conceived of and promoted as moral agency. Accentuated by the teacher’s voice to offer the experience of being in the classroom, this volume enables others to transfer relevant practices to their own teaching contexts.

The book: What is morality? How can it be measured? What is its nature and origin? And, most importantly, how can it be taught? These age-old yet still unanswered questions cannot be addressed, Lind argues, unless we develop a new science of moral behavior and education. Lind does just that in his book, invoking related contributions by eminent philosophers, psychologists and educators. The first part presents a new way of studying morality, and a great bulk of Lind's own research and other studies backing it. The second part shows how to teach morality effectively with Lind's Konstanz Method of Dilemma Discussion (KMDD), which is used in all ages and across cultures. On the basis of many years of practical international experience with the KMDD in different institutions of education, professional schools, armed forces and prisons, Lind provides advice on how educators can learn, implement and improve the method. Lind also presents the related Just Community method of democratic community building. The author: Born shortly after World War II, in 1947, Dr. Georg Lind's interest in morality goes back to his adolescence when he learned about the atrocities of the Nazi dictatorship: How can we prevent this from happening again? How can we develop morality, peace and democracy? This book contains his answer. Lind was professor of psychology and researcher at the University of Konstanz, Germany. He was guest professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Universidad de Monterrey, and the Humboldt University at Berlin. He lectured in Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Mexico, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States.

What makes teaching a moral endeavor? How can we prepare classroom practitioners for engaging in that moral endeavor in meaningful and effective ways? This volume brings together leading scholar who draw upon both their academic expertise and substantial wisdom of practice to offer a variety of perspectives on the challenge of preparing today’s teachers for the moral work of teaching. Book Features: Examines the role that teacher preparation and development can play in addressing the moral work of teaching.Highlights the work of leading scholars from educational psychology, educational philosophy, and teacher education.Provides compelling insights for identifying the next generation of our nation’s best teachers. Contributors: Wolfgang Althof, Karen D. Benson, Marvin W. Berkowitz, Donald Blumenfeld-Jones, Elizabeth Campbell, Julie Canniff, Mary Crawford, Lana Daly, Rebecca Evers, Cathie Fallona, Gary Fenstermacher, Anthony Holter, Lisa E. Johnson, Daniel Lapsley, Darcia Narvaez, Virginia Navarro, Larry Nucci, Joy Pelton, Virginia Richardson, Don Senneville, David Shields, Barbara Stengel, Jonatha W. Vare, Marilyn Watson Matthew Sanger is associate professor of Educational Foundations in the College of Education at Idaho State University. Richard Osguthorpe is associate professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Foundational Studies at Boise State University. “The editors and contributors help us appreciate that many teachers come to the work precisely because of abiding moral commitments —to help others, to make a difference in the lives of the young, to give something back to society. But they also help us see how crucial it is to give candidates systematic support in coming to grips with the meaning of these commitments, and how to translate them into pedagogical action for the well-being of students and society alike.” —From the Foreword by David T. Hansen “This book sheds light into the core of professional morality. It should be a ‘must’ for each student teacher and for each practitioner around school life.” —Fritz Oser, professor of education and educational psychology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland “Lest we forget that teaching is inherently moral work, Sanger and Osguthorpe explain what this means for teachers and teacher educators. The combination of conceptual analysis and cases of teacher education practice make this book a valuable resource and welcome antidote to the current preoccupation with test scores.” —Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Brandeis University

William Kilpatrick's recent book Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong convinced thousands that reading is one of the most effective ways to combat moral illiteracy and build a child's character. This follow-up book--featuring evaluations of more than 300 books for children--will help parents and teachers put his key ideas into practice.