Study On Issue-centered Education Of American Social Studies Curriculum ——The Inspirations For The Issues Teaching In Ethics And The Rule Of Law Curriculum

Generally speaking,as an open and controversial problem,the issue has become an unavoidable existence in an open,pluralistic and developing society.In the practice of moral education in schools,especially in the Ethics and the Rule of Law curriculum,facing the real live and various issues is an essential requirement.Basically,we should stick to the clear and correct political standpoint,value orientation and moral bottom line when we face these issues,but these are directional and principal provisions.How to implement them in concrete moral decision-making and practice,and how to use them to analyze and guide concrete moral problems still should be evaluated on a case by case basis.In the American Social Studies curriculum,there is also an issues-centered teaching method,named issues-centered education,which has accumulated a wealth of experience.It focuses on the issues and through students' independent inquiry,dialogue and consultation to cultivate critical ability of reflection and rational spirit.Although the nature and content of the two courses are different,however,as a method,issues-centered education is still of great significance to the Ethics and the Rule of Law curriculum in China.Based on this,this research takes the issues-centered education of American Social Studies curriculum as the research subject,and uses text analysis and case study to answer these questions: How does the American Social Studies curriculum implement issues-centered education? What is the enlightenment of issues-centered education experience to the issues teaching of the Ethics and the Rule of Law curriculum?The study consists of four parts.The first part focus on the basic implications of issue-centered education.By defining the connotation of issues-centered education and dividing its history into three stages to fully understand its meaning,then analyzes its theoretical basis: the role of pragmatism,reformism theory and cognitivism learning theory.The second part analyzes and discusses the practice of issues-centered education in the Social Studies curriculum,compares its four models:the reflective inquiry model,the public issue model,the decision-making model and the issues inquiry model.And describes three typical cases to summarize the experience in teaching practice.The third part analyzes the characteristics of issues-centered education from the perspective of teaching,and forms the following opinion: cultivating citizens and emphasizing the cultivation of moral decision-making ability in teaching objectives;based on topics and from interdisciplinary to trans-disciplinary integration in teaching content;exploring conflicts in an open atmosphere through dialogue in teaching method;focusing on process and focus on children's participation in teaching evaluation.And reflect on the shortcomings of this method,which has limited application scope and high requirements for teachers and students' abilities.The fourth part combined with the current situation of issues teaching in the Ethics and the Rule of Law curriculum in China,then explores the enlightenment brought by issues-centered education in Social Studies curriculum.There are two deficiencies in the issues teaching in the Ethics and the Rule of Law curriculum: cognitive limitations and practical limitations.Based on this,put forward the enlightenment: teachers should face the issue teaching and grasp the nature of issue;clarify the role change and promote equal communication in classroom;pay attention to the clarification of values,cultivate students' rational spirit;improve the rational consciousness,and create a local model.