This manuscript is a description of personal observations of two hutments in New Delhi, India. Data was gathered from my hotel window using the OSAE method of landscape observation. The OSAE is the method I use to understand processes that can be seen when studying a landscape. It is the most useful tool I have ever used when teaching geography.…

Many school districts have implemented "packaged" programs designed to teach character education. Millions of dollars have been spent on these programs, yet society continues to produce more "characters" than students "with character." This article describes a shift from the "programmatic" mindset to a solution that is not packaged or purchased.…

Elementary education teacher candidates identified four criteria they used to identify a "best" lesson plan they had developed and taught for posting to their electronic portfolio. Criteria include a lesson that students: liked, learned from, actively participated in, and were involved in carrying out research. Scoring with rubric focusing on…

Examines the educational theories of Bertrand Russell and how his emphasis changed between 1915 and 1932, from the cultivation of good individuals to citizenship education advocating loyalty to a world state. Describes three factors associated with this change of emphasis, concluding that it represented an evolution of his thought. (Author/GEA)

Ways in which the ethics of value judgment are inherent in sociological research are examined. Also, the course of action that a researcher should consider when doing or talking ethics in relation to the society in which he or she expects to undertake research is discussed. (Author/RM)

A conception of citizen decision making based on participatory democratic theory is most likely to foster effective citizenship. An examination of social studies traditions suggests that reflective thinking as a teaching method is congenial to this conception. Simulation gaming is a potentially powerful instructional strategy for supporting…

Reviews William Cutler's plea for using oral history "to capture the education experiences of Americans." Explores the interactive possibilities of oral history with educational history, presenting contrasting views and methodological problems. Examines how experience, memory and events affect observation, interpretation and reporting of…

Social studies educators are encouraged to investigate propositions that have been extracted from anthropological literature in order to determine their value in shedding new light on learning and teaching. For example, anthropologists believe that learning and teaching are processes associated with cultural transmission and that social…

Examines the unpopularity of social studies among students. Suggests that the source of the problem may be found in textbooks. Discusses textbooks written by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, a.k.a. "Peter Parley," a nineteenth-century U.S. social studies textbook writer. Underscores his belief in using literature to connect social studies to children's…

Proposes a social studies curriculum framework based on Ervin Laszlo's life philosophy. Stresses developing appreciation of global human interdependence through religion, community, empathy, and equality, and fusing these values into political realities. Asserts it is the particular responsibility of social studies education to meet this…