Using Stories about Heroes To Teach Values

ERIC Educational Reports, Nov 01, 1998 by Tony R. Sanchez

Stories of heroes should be accurate and balanced in presenting both positive and negative aspects of the person's life. Honest examinations of heroes' lives inevitably reveal human imperfections, which necessarily are part of the story of humanity at the center of values education. In terms of moral consistency, few heroes can be regarded as total successes.

Stories of heroes should be considered carefully in context. And judgments about the person's behavior should be made at first in terms of the culture of that person's time and place. Only after a context-based examination of the hero's deeds should there be consideration of the extent to which the person's actions, and the values they represent, transcend the time and place in which they occurred. Students should learn that certain core values are fundamental themes of humanity. The particularities of their expression may vary from one context to another, but such values as courage, perseverance, compassion, honesty, tolerance, and other traits of good character certainly are not restricted to the people of a particular time and place.

Stories of heroes should be selected from various cultures in different parts of the world (Helbig and Perkins 1997). And examples of values in these stories from throughout the world should be analyzed comparatively. By global and comparative examination of stories about heroic acts and the values they reflect, students will be encouraged to develop an understanding of the fundamental unity of humankind. They will be helped to appreciate the common qualities of humanity that pervade the diverse cultures of our world. REFERENCES AND ERIC RESOURCESDeRoche, Edward F., and Mary M. Williams. EDUCATING HEARTS AND MINDS: A COMPREHENSIVE CHARACTER EDUCATION FRAMEWORK. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc., 1998.

Dunn, Larry. "Teaching the Heroes of American History: Debunking the Myths, Keeping the Heroes." SOCIAL STUDIES 82 (January-February 1991): 26-29. EJ 427 759.

Helbig, Alethea K., and Agnes Regan Perkins. MYTHS AND HERO TALES: A CROSS-CULTURAL GUIDE TO LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997.

Leming, James S. "Reflections on Thirty Years of Moral Education Research." MORAL EDUCATION FORUM 20 (Fall 1995): 1-9, 15. EJ 522 228.

Leming, James S. "Teaching Values in Social Studies Education -- Past Practices and Current Trends." In Byron G. Massialas and Rodney F. Allen, Eds., CRUCIAL ISSUES IN TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1996, pp. 145-180.

Lickona, Thomas. EDUCATING FOR CHARACTER: HOW OUR SCHOOLS CAN TEACH RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY. New York: Bantam Books, 1991. ED 337 451.

Lickona, Thomas. "The Return of Character Education." EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP 51 (November 1993): 6-11. EJ 472 598.

Lickona, Thomas, Eric Schaps, and Catherine Lewis. "Eleven Principles of Character Education." SOCIAL STUDIES REVIEW 37 (Fall-Winter 1997): 29-31. EJ 557 583.

Martorella, Peter H. TEACHING SOCIAL STUDIES IN MIDDLE AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. ED 393 744.