Moral education in Taiwanese preschools: Importance, concepts, and methods

Early childhood is a period of rapid development and growth, and regardless of physical, psychological, and social abilities, young children at this stage have great plasticity and strong imitation ability. Childhood is a critical period for individual learning; so preschool teachers must provide young children with appropriate moral education at this time. This paper is to discuss the importance of moral education for young children in Taiwan, analyze the relevant literature, and review the teaching concepts and methods of moral education. Moral education of young children is important because the ultimate goal of early childhood education is to shape the character of young children; so its content must focus on moral education, which cultivates moral values in young children. Moral education also develops an understanding of empathy and social responsibility for young children. This paper argues that preschool teachers must (1) respect young children’s moral subjectivity; (2) understand that early childhood is a critical period in which moral behavior is shaped, and (3) organize young children’s moral teaching from the concrete to the abstract. In terms of the optimal teaching methods, this paper proposes that preschool teachers use: (1) moral storytelling, (2) instructional media, (3) picture books, (4) discussion of moral issues, (5) peer learning, (6) moral narratives, (7) modeling moral behavior, (8) incorporate young children’s life experience, and (9) invite young children’s parents to participate in moral education. This study contributes to the literature on early childhood moral education and provides an insight into the praxis of moral education for young children in Taiwan.

On the Interpretation of Metaphors and Similes in the Psalms: subtilitas intelligendi – subtilitas explicandi – subtilitas applicandi

Based on the example of sacred Psalter explanations, the article examines numerous metaphorical descriptions with the intention to reconstruct the procedures and operations for extracting the spiritual meaning from the veil of the literal. According to the authoritative explanations in question, metaphors and figurative comparisons (similes) used by the psalm singer differ in their inherent meaning despite the coincidence in the semantic mechanism of transposition and the need for their subsequent transformation in interpretation. Some of them, in a poetic way, reflect David’s state of mind; others are filled with a deeper spiritual meaning. As a consequence, instructions for their interpretation become different. In the figurative-symbolic interpretation, explaining conditions for the choice of an auxiliary object, it is the nearest linguistic context that becomes an explanatory instruction; and when there is no such context it is the presumption of similarity by which X can be linked to Y in expressions like “God, the horn of my salvation” that serves this function. In the symbolic-allegorical interpretation, designed to explain metaphorical expressions at a different level of understanding, it is the presumption of spiritual meaning that becomes the instruction explaining metaphorical expressions in accordance with the rules of the Christian exegesis as a prefiguration of the New Testament history (in the typological reading), as a norm of moral behavior (in the tropological reading), and as the fulfillment of promises (in the anagogic reading). The basics for hermeneutics are implemented in the following way: subtilitas intelligendi, subtilitas explicanda, and subtilitas applicandi.

Values Related to Moral Behavioral Practice in Malay Students Context

Malaysia is a country that strives to instill noble or good morals and values among the young generation who will lead the country’s development. The importance of values has been clearly stated under the principle of ‘decency and morality, the fifth principle in Malaysian national principles. Adhering to this principle requires constant effort and has its challenges. This study discusses the practices of moral behavior in the daily lives of Malay students. This study uses the case study design (one case, one place) and a qualitative approach to understand this phenomenon. Purposive sampling techniques and specific criteria were used in selecting the participants of this study. The ATLAS.ti 7 software was used to manage the data obtained through observation, interviews, and document analysis. The thematic analysis technique was then utilized to analyze data obtained in this study. These findings show that personal noble values and institutional values are the core of moral behavioral values. Malay students understand the practice of moral behavioral values as a combination of personal values and the institutional values that work in balance to be manifested and practiced consistently in their daily lives. In conclusion, together, the Ministry of Education, schools, family institutions and the community play an important role in inculcating values related to the practice of moral behavior among students. It is suggested that future studies conduct a comparison of values related to moral behavior among various ethnicities as well as categories of students (disciplined and undisciplined groups).

“Secrecy or Silence with Her Finger on Her Mouth”: Jeremy Bentham’s Other Model of Visibility and Power

To challenge the Foucauldian legacy of Jeremy Bentham’s panopticon prison, scholars often highlight Bentham’s later writings on the democratic power of public opinion. In doing so, they reaffirm Bentham’s reputation as a unreserved proponent of transparency. To recover the limits of Bentham’s embrace of publicity, I examine the model of visibility exemplified by his designs for the Sotimion, a residence for unmarried, pregnant women. The Sotimion draws our attention to Bentham’s appreciation for concealment as a method of preventing individual and social harms caused by publicity and his criticisms of ascetic sexual norms. By being able to see visitors without being seen by them, the residents of the Sotimion would have avoided social censure while continuing to meet with friends, family, and even lovers. The Sotimion designs eschewed the panoptic principle, the use of asymmetric surveillance to reform moral behavior, and offered what I call the “soteric principle,” the use of asymmetric surveillance to protect the observer from punishment. By comparing the Sotimion to the Magdalen Hospital for Penitent Prostitutes and Bentham’s discussions of panoptic institutions for women, I examine the Sotimion’s distinctiveness while acknowledging its normalizing effects for residents from lower socioeconomic classes. Just as the panopticon captured Bentham’s commitment to publicity, applying the soteric model to Bentham’s theory of public opinion highlights his commitment to secrecy for protecting critics of government abuses from retribution.