Prof's Choice

Lawrence Kohlberg, The Philosophy of Moral Development: Essays on Moral Development, Volume 1 (Harper & Row, 1981). Influenced by Plato, Kant, Piaget, and others, Kohlberg assesses psychological and philosophical theories of ethics and discusses the application of moral principles to political, legal, and religious questions.

Joseph Reimer, Diana Pritchard Paolitto, and Richard Hersh, Promoting Moral Growth: From Piaget to Kohlberg (Longmans, 1983). Kohlberg calls this book the best introduction to his own and Piaget's cognitive-developmental approach to moral education. It lucidly presents the theory and its implications for teaching, curriculum development, and school governance. My students praise it highly.

• Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice:Psychological Theory and Women's Development (Harvard University Press, 1982). Gilligan compellingly argues that psychology fails to take account of women's experiences and perceptions. She contends that women tend to see morality as a matter of care for and responsiveness to others as opposed to men's concentration on justice.

• Nel Noddings, Caring: A FeminineApproach to Ethics and Moral Education (University of California Press, 1984). Noddings claims that human caring and the memory of being cared for provide the foundation of ethical response. In a philosophical argument that is largely congruent with Gilligan's psychological theorizing, Noddings proposes that education should enhance not just rationality but also sensitivity in moral matters.

• Thomas Lickona, Raising Good Children (Bantam, 1983). Few scholars are as skillful as Lickona in translating moral development theory into practical methods for teaching morality to children. Through numerous anecdotes and real-life exchanges, Lickona suggests how parents can think about and deal with the moral dilemmas their children confront.The book includes a useful section on talking to adolescents about sex, alcohol, and drugs.

• Barry Chazan, Contemporary Approaches to Moral Education: AnalyzingAlternative Theories (Teachers College Press, 1985). In this readable book Chazan analyzes major models of moral education including moral socialization, values clarification, and cognitive development—and examines the frequent gap between theories and practical classroom strategies.

• William Damon, The Moral Child (Free Press, 1989). A fine synthesis of research on moral development with implications for parents and schools.