Week 29
"Ethics, also known as moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct."
(Sultana, 2014, pg 44)
It is stated on the Education Council site that the integrity of our profession relies on robust processes that give the public peace of mind, knowing teachers meet high ethical standards and are fit to teach. Teachers in a New Zealand schools need to demonstrate commitment to students, parents and caregivers, the community and education itself. Teachers in Catholic schools have an added commitment which is to our own spiritual growth and well being. Teachers in all schools are required to demonstrate professional standards of conduct in all we do.
Teachers belong to a professional community. Teachers at St Francis of Assisi Catholic School also belong to a Catholic professional community. Both these professional communities have a code of ethics that guide us in our interactions and all times we need to be aware of the consequences of our actions. They are not a set of rules but rather guidelines.
At our Teacher Only Day at the beginning of the year we handed out the Code of Ethics to all staff and highlighted a few points on it. It is displayed on the wall of several rooms around the school.
But what does it all really mean, what do we do when things go wrong or an ethical dilemma arises?
There are many ethical dilemmas that could arise in the school setting. This year we have required all teachers to set up a professional blog and use it to reflect on their practice. The intent is also that this is how they will document how they are meeting the PTC's. Initially teachers would share their blogs with the senior leadership team (SLT) however it is our ultimate aim that teachers would feel comfortable about sharing their learning in a more public setting. The senior leadership team is modelling this with their own blogs and working hard to ensure that we are commenting and giving feedback to help teachers to reflect further.
Dalton, J. (2016). Learning Talk: Important Conversations at Work. Victoria 3463; Australia. Hands on Educational Consultancy Pty Ltd.
Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers
New Zealand Catholic Education Office. (2014) Code of Ethics for Staff and Boards of New Zealand Catholic Schools. retrieved from http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/media/resources/publications/NZCE-Code-Of-Ethics-2014.PDF
There are many ethical dilemmas that could arise in the school setting. This year we have required all teachers to set up a professional blog and use it to reflect on their practice. The intent is also that this is how they will document how they are meeting the PTC's. Initially teachers would share their blogs with the senior leadership team (SLT) however it is our ultimate aim that teachers would feel comfortable about sharing their learning in a more public setting. The senior leadership team is modelling this with their own blogs and working hard to ensure that we are commenting and giving feedback to help teachers to reflect further.
As yet we have had no issues in this area but upon reflection I can see a possible ethical dilemma that could occur.
What if the content of the blog posts are not of a professional standard?
What if the content of the blog posts breach confidentiality?
What if the the blog posts are used for the wrong purpose?
What if the content of the blog posts being the school into disrepute?
This is where the code of ethics comes into its own as it gives us something to fall back on, something that we can use to initiate some dialogue with the professional in order to find a solution to the issue.
How you would we address this potential issue if it occurred in our practice?
Our SLT has very recently attended a course Collaboration and Important Conversations: Partners in Powerful Learning facilitated by Joan Dalton. This course has been invaluable in helping us gain some shared understandings of how we would deal with dilemmas such as these.
We would ensure that our staff had a shared understanding of the Code of Ethics. (I don't believe we unpacked this well enough at the beginning of the year and believe we need to revisit this).
"People need to be part of the conversation in order to achieve shared clarity." (Dalton, 2016, pg 42)
"People need to be part of the conversation in order to achieve shared clarity." (Dalton, 2016, pg 42)
Assuming we had constructed some common understandings about the Code of Ethics at the beginning of the year then the dilemma becomes much easier to deal with.
We now have an agreement that we can fall back on to challenge the unethical behaviour. We can use the agreement to take people to task.
Dalton (2016), describes an approach to hold people accountable. This conversation beings with a statement that has three parts: Stick to the facts, Refer to agreement, describe the gap and inquire.
An example of how this may sound is:
"Patricia, I read your post last night and I see that you have used people's names and criticised their practice. Our code of ethics states that we will protect the reputation of students, parents, staff and Board members. Help me understand your thinking about this."
Having a code of ethics - an agreement with staff that all have agreed to makes this much easier to deal with. The important conversation must be had otherwise the behaviour will not change however it does not need to be confrontational as if the agreement is in place - there is nowhere to hide.
References
Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. Paper presented at the IIPE Conference, Brisbane. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Developing-leaders/What-Ought-I-to-Do-All-Things-Considered-An-Approach-to-the-Exploration-of-Ethical-Problems-by-Teachers
New Zealand Catholic Education Office. (2014) Code of Ethics for Staff and Boards of New Zealand Catholic Schools. retrieved from http://www.nzceo.catholic.org.nz/media/resources/publications/NZCE-Code-Of-Ethics-2014.PDF
Sultana, H. (2014). Ethics in the Teaching Profession. ABC Journal of Advanced Research, 3(1)
I agree with the issues that you have raised in your post Jo. When you set an expectation that teachers use blogs as a form of professional reflection and dialogue it can cause problems if they don't use them in a professional manner. I think that the advise that Joan Dalton gives us about effective communication (as you described it in your post) combined with the teachers code of ethics is very useful in following a process for dealing with inappropriate use of technology.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the issues that you have raised in your post Jo. When you set an expectation that teachers use blogs as a form of professional reflection and dialogue it can cause problems if they don't use them in a professional manner. I think that the advise that Joan Dalton gives us about effective communication (as you described it in your post) combined with the teachers code of ethics is very useful in following a process for dealing with inappropriate use of technology.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the issues you raise and your ability to articulate a situation that for many of us, exists in our own educational settings. It is indeed a case that we set expectations that teachers do not always apply to themselves which means that if we are not walking our own talk then how can we expect students to do what we cannot. We often leave ourselves open to ethical dilemmas because we do not place ourselves in situations that model the professional and ethical standards required of us.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that we need our own regular professional development and support mechanisms that help us be who we need to be as learners in an ever-changing environment.
Thanks - yes I agree own own professional development in this area would be good. Absolutely we need to model what we expect of our students.
DeleteI agree Jo those conversations are extremely important in the beginning to ensure there are common understandings. It makes 'the conversation' much easier to raise and challenge the unethical behaviour later on. We have recently been to a cyber safety meeting and the idea of following a process was very important. This would definitely be the case here too and one that Dalton (2016) effectively communicates.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - Love the post which helps me gain a greater understanding of the issue myself. It reminds me of a few things like when teams are formed and the philosophy or expectations are expresssed before we begin to minimise misinformation. Or in Health Education when we set up the guidelines or boundaries around what is expected when we make our way through difficult territory. As you have pointed out by giving things a specific focus we are able to stick to the facts as we have been fore-warned and then can be professional about things. By providing the clarity around expectations you have aligned everyone in the same direction - I like the post and the background work behind it to make it easier for others to understand - Well done.
ReplyDeleteHi Jo - My last comment jumped off the page so will try again. I just wanted to comment about how your blog read in that it clarified things for me and enabled me to reflect on my own learnings. I liken the idea to several things such as setting up the guidelines for a Health class when about to embark on a Sexuality education unit, making things clear and without misinformation is so important. It also reminds me about setting sports teams up with the philosophy expected and how all can contribute to help things progress in the right direction. The area of attitudes and values is not always well understood and this is another example of it. We know what right and wrong is yet may not have known that this is what ethics is. As you have pointed out a professional response is expected for the blog to be successful - I like it !
ReplyDelete