Ethical Teaching – Morality in the Classroom

A recent paper ‘National Corruption Breeds Personal Dishonesty’ by Simon Makin (March 2017) recognises that the nature of our society shapes the behaviour of our individuals.  Over recent years our students have been exposed to what seems to be a never-ending stream of reports about the corrupt actions of sports men and women, businesses, religious leaders, entertainers and politicians.  These are their role models and unless formal educators, parents and teachers counter the influence of these corrupt actions, our students are in danger of either adopting the model of corruption or losing faith in the wellness of society.

Further to this, in a report on the ‘soul’ of education by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA) one of the authors, Angie Kotler pointed out that  “We (schools) are working in a system that mainly reflects and transmits the overt values of capitalism and individuality, with a nod to the niceties of being ‘good citizens’”.  

Putting the ‘competitive’ market at the centre of our ethical practice has introduced direct competition between individuals and schools.  The driving force is to be successful - I must beat my opponents.  This approach has seen politicians and their bureaucrats encourage competition between neighbouring schools and this has led to the immoral fight around the funding of schools.  The concept of ‘love thy neighbour’ has been replaced by exploit you neighbour, not only their funding but their ‘best and brightest’ students.

So what are the implications for the teacher and their approach to ethics and morality in their classroom and more importantly on their pedagogy?  A true educator has at the heart of their practice the teaching of character.  This involves the understanding of how their behaviour impacts on others and accepts the responsibility of the consequences of their actions.  Of course there is an expectation that parents should be the primary moral educators but morals are very personalized and the ethics of one family may well clash with their neighbours.  It is in the classroom that the children of these neighbours can resolve their differences.  It is also abundantly clear in a small population of students that they have lacked any moral or ethical development in their homes.

The need for teachers to become directly involved in the teaching of ethics is supported by none other than international experts like Michael Fullan (2014) and Michael Barber (2012).  These outstanding educators have always been advocates for the traditional approach to pedagogy and outcomes but now support the need to find ways for young people to learn in more challenging environments, which develop character, resilience and leadership as well as lead to academic results.

Of course in an era where the prescribed curriculum is overcrowded formal teaching of ethics and morals is not possible but frequently a lesson leads to a situation, or a dispute between two or more classmates which will provide the ‘teaching moment’ when it is the moral and ethical thing to have a such a lesson.

The following is a guideline for teachers while delivering ethically based lessons:

• Do no harm to the students or the school
• Teach and model the acceptance of the responsibility for personal actions and the consequences of those actions
• Always care for your students
• Teach the students they have the right for personal determination
• Insist on the truth first
• Be honest, trustworthy and reliable
• Treat others as you want to be treated yourself

It is the last point that best sums-up teaching morals and ethics.