Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories

Camelia Rădulescu

doi:doi:10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

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Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories

Camelia Rădulescu

Published in Education Journal (Volume 9, Issue 5)

Received: 3 July 2020 Accepted: 14 August 2020 Published: 8 September 2020

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Abstract

This paper reflects on the moral education at preschool age, focusing on the particularities of teaching moral and social values very early. It starts by rendering problematic the social and moral dimensions of education nowadays in a volatile context in which ideals and values need to be redefined. Learning and teaching are considered in relation to age characteristics and purposes of education. It draws on the ideas of Maria Montessori on the absorbent mind and on the discipline and independence issues. The reflective process has its starting point in two research studies conducted with two groups of preschool children which aimed at investigating the preferences for modern or classic stories, the characters children are fond of and the reasons for their attachment. Surprising results determined us to reflect again on how children learn personal, social and moral ways of being and behaving, on the way traditional and alternative education address this area, and finally on the reasons classic stories are regarded as highly effective on teaching moral and social values to very young learners. It concludes that in order to accept and follow moral rules children need to understand them first. Classic stories offer teachers/parents/educators the chance to present these in an attractive manner, without being scholastic or dogmatic. Characteristics of the stories make them respond to children’s psychological needs, turn into effective tools for moral education and tranced time.

Published in	Education Journal (Volume 9, Issue 5) This article belongs to the Special Issue Education and Moral Values: Authenticity, Countercultures and Standardization or Ethics - A New Chernobyl?
DOI	10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12
Page(s)	132-136
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Early Education, Moral Education, Classic Stories

References

[1]	C. Rădulescu (2020). Teachers’ Survival Kit in the Classroom, in V. Trif (ed.), Analyzing Paradigms Used in Education and Educational Psychology, New York: IGI Global.
[2]	Ch. J. An (2020). Participation, Not Paternalism: Moral Education, Normative Competence and the Child’s Entry into the Moral Community, Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52 (2): 192-205.
[3]	S. M. Spaseva (2013). Human Mission of Education, International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 1: 87-91.
[4]	F. Sedgwick (2020). Personal, Social and Moral Education, New York: Routledge.
[5]	M. Montessori (2017). Mintea absorbantă. Bucharest: Vremea.
[6]	E. Schumacher (2019). Pedagogia Montessori: înțelegere, aplicare și experimentare. Bucharest: Didactica Publishing House
[7]	R. Cain (2005). Moral Development in Montessori Environments, Montessori Life, 17 (1): 18-20.
[8]	V. S. Rotarescu (2020). Mediation in Schools: How to Build a Peer Mediation Program in V. Trif (ed.), Analyzing Paradigms Used in Education and Educational Psychology. New York: IGI Global.
[9]	P. Bolotin Joseph and S. Efron (2005). Seven Worlds of Moral Education, Phi Delta Kappan Journal, 86 (7): 525-533.
[10]	E. Korotaeva and I. Chugaeva (2019). Socio-Moral Development of Preschool Children: Aspects of Theory and Practice, Behavioral Sciences, doi: 10 3390/bs9120129.
[11]	D. L. Henderson and J. P. May (2005). Exploring Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
[12]	B. S. K. Kim, J. L. G. Green and E. F. Klein (2006). Using Storybooks to Promote Multicultural Sensitivity in Elementary School Children, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 34, 223–234.
[13]	C. S. Wang, A. D. Galinsky and J. K. Murnighan (2009). Bad Drives Psychological Reactions, but Good Propels Behavior: Responses to Honesty and Deception. Psychological Science, 20, 634–644.
[14]	K. Lee, V. Talwar, A. McCarthy, I. Ross, A. Evans and C. Arruda (2014). Can Classic Moral Stories Promote Honesty in Children? Psychological Science Journal, 25 (8): 1630-1636.
[15]	D. Carr (2006). Moral Education at the Movies: on the Cinematic Teatment of Morally Significant Story and Narrative, Journal of Moral Education, 35: 3, 319-333, DOI: 10.1080/03057240600874448.
[16]	V. Guroian, (1998) Tending the Heart of Virtue. How Classic Stories Awaken a Child’s Moral Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press.
[17]	B. Bettelheim (2017). Psihanaliza basmelor, Bucharest: Univers.

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Camelia Rădulescu. (2020). Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Education Journal, 9(5), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

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Camelia Rădulescu. Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Educ. J. 2020, 9(5), 132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

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AMA Style

Camelia Rădulescu. Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Educ J. 2020;9(5):132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

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@article{10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12,
  author = {Camelia Rădulescu},
  title = {Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {132-136},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20200905.12},
  abstract = {This paper reflects on the moral education at preschool age, focusing on the particularities of teaching moral and social values very early. It starts by rendering problematic the social and moral dimensions of education nowadays in a volatile context in which ideals and values need to be redefined. Learning and teaching are considered in relation to age characteristics and purposes of education. It draws on the ideas of Maria Montessori on the absorbent mind and on the discipline and independence issues. The reflective process has its starting point in two research studies conducted with two groups of preschool children which aimed at investigating the preferences for modern or classic stories, the characters children are fond of and the reasons for their attachment. Surprising results determined us to reflect again on how children learn personal, social and moral ways of being and behaving, on the way traditional and alternative education address this area, and finally on the reasons classic stories are regarded as highly effective on teaching moral and social values to very young learners. It concludes that in order to accept and follow moral rules children need to understand them first. Classic stories offer teachers/parents/educators the chance to present these in an attractive manner, without being scholastic or dogmatic. Characteristics of the stories make them respond to children’s psychological needs, turn into effective tools for moral education and tranced time.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories
AU  - Camelia Rădulescu
Y1  - 2020/09/08
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12
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AB  - This paper reflects on the moral education at preschool age, focusing on the particularities of teaching moral and social values very early. It starts by rendering problematic the social and moral dimensions of education nowadays in a volatile context in which ideals and values need to be redefined. Learning and teaching are considered in relation to age characteristics and purposes of education. It draws on the ideas of Maria Montessori on the absorbent mind and on the discipline and independence issues. The reflective process has its starting point in two research studies conducted with two groups of preschool children which aimed at investigating the preferences for modern or classic stories, the characters children are fond of and the reasons for their attachment. Surprising results determined us to reflect again on how children learn personal, social and moral ways of being and behaving, on the way traditional and alternative education address this area, and finally on the reasons classic stories are regarded as highly effective on teaching moral and social values to very young learners. It concludes that in order to accept and follow moral rules children need to understand them first. Classic stories offer teachers/parents/educators the chance to present these in an attractive manner, without being scholastic or dogmatic. Characteristics of the stories make them respond to children’s psychological needs, turn into effective tools for moral education and tranced time.
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Camelia Rădulescu

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APA Style

Camelia Rădulescu. (2020). Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Education Journal, 9(5), 132-136. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Camelia Rădulescu. Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Educ. J. 2020, 9(5), 132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

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AMA Style

Camelia Rădulescu. Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories. Educ J. 2020;9(5):132-136. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12,
  author = {Camelia Rădulescu},
  title = {Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {9},
  number = {5},
  pages = {132-136},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20200905.12},
  abstract = {This paper reflects on the moral education at preschool age, focusing on the particularities of teaching moral and social values very early. It starts by rendering problematic the social and moral dimensions of education nowadays in a volatile context in which ideals and values need to be redefined. Learning and teaching are considered in relation to age characteristics and purposes of education. It draws on the ideas of Maria Montessori on the absorbent mind and on the discipline and independence issues. The reflective process has its starting point in two research studies conducted with two groups of preschool children which aimed at investigating the preferences for modern or classic stories, the characters children are fond of and the reasons for their attachment. Surprising results determined us to reflect again on how children learn personal, social and moral ways of being and behaving, on the way traditional and alternative education address this area, and finally on the reasons classic stories are regarded as highly effective on teaching moral and social values to very young learners. It concludes that in order to accept and follow moral rules children need to understand them first. Classic stories offer teachers/parents/educators the chance to present these in an attractive manner, without being scholastic or dogmatic. Characteristics of the stories make them respond to children’s psychological needs, turn into effective tools for moral education and tranced time.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Moral Early Education – The Pedagogy of Classic Stories
AU  - Camelia Rădulescu
Y1  - 2020/09/08
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12
DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12
T2  - Education Journal
JF  - Education Journal
JO  - Education Journal
SP  - 132
EP  - 136
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2619
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200905.12
AB  - This paper reflects on the moral education at preschool age, focusing on the particularities of teaching moral and social values very early. It starts by rendering problematic the social and moral dimensions of education nowadays in a volatile context in which ideals and values need to be redefined. Learning and teaching are considered in relation to age characteristics and purposes of education. It draws on the ideas of Maria Montessori on the absorbent mind and on the discipline and independence issues. The reflective process has its starting point in two research studies conducted with two groups of preschool children which aimed at investigating the preferences for modern or classic stories, the characters children are fond of and the reasons for their attachment. Surprising results determined us to reflect again on how children learn personal, social and moral ways of being and behaving, on the way traditional and alternative education address this area, and finally on the reasons classic stories are regarded as highly effective on teaching moral and social values to very young learners. It concludes that in order to accept and follow moral rules children need to understand them first. Classic stories offer teachers/parents/educators the chance to present these in an attractive manner, without being scholastic or dogmatic. Characteristics of the stories make them respond to children’s psychological needs, turn into effective tools for moral education and tranced time.
VL  - 9
IS  - 5
ER  -

Copy | Download