Moral Problems as Issues-Centered Social Studies Education: Discovering Dewey as a Guiding Foundation

Abstract

By considering ethics and morals from a vantage point in which personal and political beliefs become part of our national debate, students could form the habit of political discussion in much the same way that representatives of social and political groups prepare and respond on a daily basis to an ever inquiring media. I will explore several examples of media, including social media, confronting, debating, and disseminating in new ways challenging issues facing today‘s global communities. As a solid counter-point to social media, indeed all media impact, in a rapidly changing global environment, Dewey provides important messages to encourage today‘s educators to actively bolster a reflective thinking, issues-centered approach founded on ethics and morals. Dewey‘s writings on ethics, morals and democracy can open the door and allow students to become socially and politically engaged in the myriad of issues confronting 21st century citizens

Keywords

• John Dewey, ethics and morals, reflective thinking, public and social media, issues-centered education