Personal and Social Education: citizenship and biography

Abstract

The paper argues for the importance of Personal, Social and Moral Education (PSME) programmes. If offers a suggestion as to what should be regarded as desirable objectives and outcomes of such courses in terms of discussion of the meaning of citizenship today. This flows from a brief analysis of the essentials of society in modernity. It is argued that PSE can achieve forms of communication with pupils more significant than in the ordinary run of secondary education. But for this to take place, the courses must be derived from a combination of a teacher's intention to initiate moral dialogue and the need to connect with the pupil's lifeworld’. A way of becoming concrete’ and a need for a ‘biographical’ approach are both advocated and discussed.