Family Consumer
Education
Definition:
Family Consumer Education (FCE) provides
knowledge and skills to promote the well-being of the individual and family,
which strengthens their interaction in the workplace and community.
Purpose:
FCE teaches students to make responsible
decisions, develop positive relationships, and to become socially responsible
members of society.
Students use critical and creative thinking
skills to address major concerns of a family: relationships, human growth
and development, health, food, shelter, clothing, consumer economics and
careers. Students learn to manage the challenges of living and working
in a diverse global society.
Characteristics:
Six broad characteristics of Family Consumer
Education have been identified by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
They are:
(1) Continuing
concerns of family
are broad questions of social significance about what action should be
taken in a particular situation. They are ongoing in that the same questions
come up again and again if different situations and generations.
(2) Practical
reasoning
is a special kind of thinking process that families can use in everyday
family, work, and community settings to help them investigate and resolve
complex questions of concern to the family.
(3) Family
action refers to three
types of reasoned action – communication, reflection, and the application
of technical knowledge, methods, and tools – that families can use to
accomplish their goals.
(4) Personal
and social responsibility –
Families play an important role in generating and preserving basic values
and can encourage their members to take informed, socially responsible
action. It is in the home that compassion for others and commitment to
democratic ideas are first introduced and practiced. Through communication
and reflection, family members can develop feelings of concern about others’
and learn to apply ethical principles of respect, equality, justice, and
freedom when judging what to believe and do.
(5) Work
of family refers to efforts
within the family or collectively on behalf of families to meet individual’s
physical needs, nurture their full development throughout life, and contribute
to continuing development of democratic society.
(6) Learning
to learn
refers to the ability to meet life and work tasks resourcefully and several
habits of thinking, attitudes, and skills needed for life-long learning,
many of which are formed in early childhood.
The following are curriculum areas within
the Madison Metropolitan School District Family / Consumer Education program
that address these characteristics.
| Middle School:
Family Relationships
Foods & Nutrition
Textiles & Clothing Design
Housing and Interior Design
Substance Abuse Prevention (ATOD)
Human Growth & Development
Teen Issues
Consumer Economics & Marketing
Career Awareness & Exploration
Career/Technical Student Organization
(FCCLA) |
High School:
Family Relationships
Foods & Nutrition
Textiles & Clothing Design
Housing & Interior Design
Substance Abuse Prevention (ATOD)
Child Development
Medical Occupations
Consumer Economics
Career Education
HERO (Work based learning)
Related Technology
Career/Technical Student
Organization (HERO,HOSA, FCCLA) |
Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards for
Family and Consumer Education (1997) can be found at http://www.execpc.com/WisFamConEdu.
Family
Consumer Education
Career Technical Education Home Page
Teaching and Learning Home Page
MMSD Home Page
Last Updated:
November 30, 2005
Editor and Publisher: Jeff Sutherland, jsutherland@madison.k12.wi.us
Program Coordinator: Gabrielle Banick, gbanick@madison.k12.wi.us
Webmaster: webmaster@madison.k12.wi.us
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