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While the early Confucians were largely content to maintain the rituals of ancient kings as the core of moral education in their time, it is not obvious that contemporary humans could, or should, draw from the particulars of such a tradition. Indeed, even if one takes ritual seriously as a tool for cultivation, there remains a question of how to design moral education programs incorporating ritual. This essay examines impediments faced by a ritualized approach to moral education, how they might be overcome, and how a ritual method could be developed in modernity. I contend that a Confucian notion of ritual, particularly as elaborated in the Xunzi, is both compatible with modern moral education and capable of making a distinct contribution to moral education in terms of how rituals can be used to structure and inculcate a shared climate of respect and humaneness both in- and outside the classroom. Specifically, the ritual education method includes emphases on inculcating moral fluency via symbolic practices and distinctions, training and appropriately associating promoral dispositions, enhancing moral imagination, and developing awareness of other minds. The model is thus a multifaceted approach to moral education through (meta)cognitive development.

This article examines post-modernist thought in terms of its implications for moral education. The basic features of post-modernism are described with particular focus on its rejection of the modernist notion of reason. This is followed by a discussion of neo-pragmatist Richard Rorty's proposal to replace Enlightenment concepts of objectivity and morality with an emphasis on ethnocentric solidarity as a preferred means of developing social norms. The concluding section argues that this post-modernist approach has the potential to violate the fundamental precepts of democratic living, and therefore may provide an inadequate framework for the theory and practice of moral education. RÉSUMÉ Cet article étudie les répercussions de la pensée post-moderniste sur l'enseignement moral. Les principales caractéristiques du post-modernisme sont décrites sous l'angle du rejet de la notion moderniste de la raison. Il s'ensuit un débat sur la proposition du néo-pragmatiste Richard Rorty qui vise à remplacer les concepts d'objectivité et de moralité des Lumières par la solidarité éthnocentrique comme moyen privilégié de développement des normes sociales. Dans sa conclusion, l'auteur explique que cette vision post-moderniste risque de violer les préceptes fondamentaux de la vie démocratique et constitue par conséquent un cadre inapproprié a la théorie et à la pratique de l'enseignement moral.

Adolescents are developmentally ready to use higher levels of moral reasoning, which has been linked to prosocial behaviors. Research by Kohlberg and others has shown that a school environment that provides a democratic climate, involves the dialogue and discussion of moral issues, and provides opportunities to rehearse moral actions enhances the moral development of its students. Based on a review and analysis of the literature, 14 common trends of moral education are identified. The Peace & Justice Academy, a Mennonite middle school and interfaith high school located in Pasadena, California, has developed monthly Peace & Justice Labs that help students think systemically about major social issues, dialogue about these issues, and become engaged in making a difference. They have been grouped into political, diversity, and environmental labs and are found to closely match the 14 common trends identified in the literature that promote moral growth. Collectively, the labs provide a model for a moral education curriculum for schools wishing to make moral education a focus of education.

Para pengajar pendidikan kewarganegaraan selalu mengalami dilemma antara pengajaran nilai-nilai kewarganegaraan dengan pendidikan moral. Jika terfokus kepada yang pertama, pengajaran hanya akan berupa observasi antropologis terhadap fakta-fakta empiris pada suatu bangsa. Sementara jika menekankan kepada pendidikan moral per se, meskipun normatif tetapi sarat dengan premis-premis metafisik yang kontroversial yang mungkin tidak semua siswa dapat menerimanya. Untuk memecahkannya banyak teori politik dan pendidikan telah dirumuskan diantaranya civic religion dari Gutmann, teori komunitarian Rober N. Bellah dan mungkin yang paling relevan adalah paham libertarian yang bicara soal keadilan dari John Rawls dan lain-lain. Semuanya akan diintegrasikan dalam kurikulum yang bertujuan untuk memberi kemampuan siswa untuk memahami konsensus, bagaimama memahami masyarakat dan memahami hubungan antara merefleksikan hubyungan tersebut serta membangun moral pribadi mereka. Rawls percaya bahwa pendidikan harus mengajak kepada keterlibatan dalam dialog publik mengenai nilai-nilai kewarganegaraan demi merumuskan sebuah moralitas pribadi.