ED409076 PS024908
Title: Moral Classrooms, Moral Children: Creating a Constructivist
Atmosphere in Early Education.
Author(s): DeVries, Rheta; Zan, Betty S.
Pages: 309
Publication Date: 1994
ISBN: 0-8077-3341-5
Available from: Document Not Available from EDRS.
Availability: Teachers College Press, P.O. Box 20, Williston, VT 05495-0020;
phone: 800-575-6566; fax: 802-864-7626 (hardback: ISBN-0-8077-3342-3,
$48; paperback: ISBN-0-8077-3341-5, $21.95).
Language: English
Document Type: Book (010); Guides--Non-classroom (055)
Geographic Source: U.S.; New York
Journal Announcement: RIENOV1997
Drawing on
and extending the work of Jean Piaget into the realm of sociomoral
development, this book argues that constructivist education must
involve more than the special activities with which it is commonly
associated. Planning must also include provision for children's
social and moral development, since children construct their moral
understandings from the raw material in their day-to-day social
interactions. A rationale is provided for a particular type of sociomoral
atmosphere in the early childhood classroom and practical ways in
which teachers can cultivate it are described. Following an introduction,
the chapters of the book are: (1) "What Do We Mean by 'Moral
Classrooms?'"; (2) "What Do We Mean by 'Moral Children?'";
(3) "How the Sociomoral Atmosphere Influences the Child's Development";
(4) "Establishing a Constructivist Sociomoral Atmosphere";
(5) "Conflict and Its Resolution"; (6) "Grouptime";
(7) "Rule Making and Decision Making"; (8) "Voting";
(9) "Social and Moral Discussions"; (10) "Cooperative
Alternatives to Discipline"; (11) "Activity Time";
(12) "Clean-up Time"; (13) "Lunch Time"; (14)
"Nap Time/Rest Time"; (15) "Academics"; (16)
"The Difficult Child"; and (17) "The Sociomoral Atmosphere
of the School." Each chapter includes a summary. Rationales
for general categories of constructivist activities during activity
time are appended. Contains 68 references. (HTH)
Descriptors: *Classroom Environment; Conflict Resolution; *Constructivism
(Learning); Decision Making; Early Childhood Education; *Ethical
Instruction; Learning Activities; *Moral Development; Piagetian
Theory; Values; Values Education
