生命教育是臺灣當前教育場域中的重要議題，是以生命關懷為核心的教育。生命教育乃在幫助孩童探索與認識生命的意義、尊重與珍惜生命的價值，進而涵養其惻隱之心，展現對生命的關懷，莫讓孩童變得沒有不忍之心，變得對生活周遭麻木不仁。而本研究旨在探討孟子惻隱之心思想及其對國民小學生命教育的啟示，冀圖藉由本研究探究一些涵養國小孩童惻隱之心的啟示。而本研究探究出的啟示，分別從生命教育理念、課程與教學方法三個層面加以闡述。在生命教育理念層面，獲得的啟示為：（一）惻隱之心為生命教育的起點；（二）生命教育的基礎來自不忍人之心；（三）惻隱之心的對象是無差別的，生命教育的對象亦是無差別的。在生命教育課程層面，獲得的啟示為：(一）發展以惻隱之心為核心的生命教育課程；（二）發展以愛為核心的生命教育課程；（三）發展以現實生活為素材的生命教育課程。在生命教育教學方法層面，獲得的啟示為：(一）體驗的教學方法；（二）教學媒體的教學方法；（三）分享的教學方法；（四）角色扮演的教學方法。相信在愈來愈強調生命教育的重要性之際，本研究能開拓我國實施國民小學生命教育的視域，提供國民小學教師實施生命教育依循的方針，進而陶養富有惻隱之心的國小學童，實現教育的理想，讓我國的國小教育更為美好。
Life education, which is centered on life concerns, is an important issue in the field of education in Taiwan. The purpose of life education is to help children explore and understand the meaning of life as well as respect and cherish the value of life. Furthermore, life education is to cultivate students’ kindness. This study aims to explore Mencius’s thought of kindness and its implications for life education in elementary school. The implications of this study can be described respectively in educational ideal, curriculum and teaching. First, the implications in educational ideal are as follows: (1) kindness is the starting point of the life education; (2) kindness is the base of the life education, and (3) kindness can be shown to everyone as life education can be implied to everyone. Second, the implications in curriculum are as follows: (1)developing kindness-core curriculum; (2)developing love-core curriculum, and (3) developing real-life curriculum. Third, the implications in teaching are as follows: (1) learning through experience; (2) teaching through instructional media; (3) teaching through sharing, and (4) role playing. With more and more emphasis on the importance of life education, the researcher believes that such a research will benefit the development of life education in elementary school in Taiwan.
