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IEF
eNews
News on education, values and character
development
from around the world
index
of this issue index
of all articles
-- Character Education in China
-- The Impact of Character Education on Russian Teachers
-- Supporting Sound Social Development In Oceania
-- Basic Principles Transcend Cultures
-- Challenges in Central Asia
-- The 10th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family
Character Education in China
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Sociologist Zhao Yali
shares that character education in China was always taken seriously. Bolstered
by Mao Zedong's philosophy for loving one's people and country, educators in
China have long sought to teach values and cultivate desirable character traits.
Zhao points to extracurricular activities including volunteering,
holiday celebrations, and sports as common methods for
character cultivation in China. However Zhao warns that
challenges to character education in modern China are abundant
due to the shifting socio-economic climate.
Read Zhao Yali's complete paper here
The Impact of Character Education on
Russian Teachers
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Dr. Josephine Hauer
research on innovative character education practices in Russian schools and
their impact on sociomoral judgment and meaning-in-life of adolescents provides
some significant data in for educators worldwide.
Hauer's study examines whether character education influences
Russian teachers' attitudes and character. Particularly,
she was interested in examining whether any of the following
were positive influences: challenges, personal growth opportunities,
relationships with family.
Read more
in the Journal of College and Character
Supporting Sound Social Development In
Oceania
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 In Oceania, character
education enthusiasts are making a concerted effort through various projects
to help develop character in individuals, couples and families. Paul Saver
reports on activities in the region.
As Heraclitus once commented that "Character is destiny" implying
that the best investment one can make to ensure a peaceful
world is to develop good character in individuals. Good
leaders, good husbands and wives and good parents are good
people. Goodness is a measure of one's level of character
development which is rooted in one's capacity to love.
This implies that loving unselfishly is the most noble
pursuit of a human being.
Full Story on Oceania
Basic Principles Transcend Cultures
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 There is no single
script for effective character education, but there are some important basic
principles that should be considered in every culture. One of the leading advocates
for Character Education in the United States, the Character Education Partnership
(CEP), promotes eleven principles that schools and other groups can use to
plan a character education effort.
CEP's principles include promoting core ethical values as the
basis of good character; defining "character" comprehensively
to include thinking, feeling, and behavior; and using a
comprehensive, intentional, proactive, and effective approach
to character development.
learn more from the Character
Education Partnership
Challenges in Central Asia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Political upheavals
of the last decade, mass migrations and social challenges in Astana the capital
city of Kazakhstan are challenging school administrators and teachers. Despite
these challenges, efforts to implement a new character education program are
moving forward.
Learn more about IEF's work in Central
Asia
2004 - The 10th Anniversary of the
International Year of the Family
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 The United Nations
program on Families, has launched a campaign to celebrate the 10th Anniversary
of the Year of the Family. The program's objective is to contribute to the
creation of an international community that enables the building of secure,
just, free and harmonious societies offering opportunities and higher standards
of living for all.
Resources describing the UN's Focal Point on the Family within
the United Nations Secretariat are available online.
UN Resources on the
Family
| IEF
framework for life education |
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Personal
Integrity and Good Character |
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Loving Relationships |
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Contributing to Society |
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