EDST 404 Syllabus

EDST 404 (1): Ethics and Teaching
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The professional standards that educators in British Columbia are expected to meet include many ethical concepts, such as “care,” “trust,” “honesty” and “integrity.” However, what does a “caring relationship” look like, and how can educators balance the demands of fairness with the demands of care? What other ethical dilemmas do educators face, and based on what ethical principles or other grounds do they make decisions in such situations?
This course explores the “codes of ethics” prescribed by professional organizations, then moves beyond these codes to consider ethics as ethos or disposition. Students will be asked to examine their moral values, where these values come from, and how they reconcile these values with professional demands in concrete situations. Through this examination students will gain insight into what they, as teachers, stand for and how they conceive of their role as agents of positive change.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• identify the relevant laws and policies that frame the teaching profession in BC in
  general, and expectations of professional conduct in particular;
  
• recognize how education systems reflect social values;
  
• appreciate that ethical questions arise not occasionally but continuously in the
  practice of teaching;
  
• articulate values that guide their own ethical framework for teaching;
  
• understand how different approaches to moral education themselves reflect different
  values.
  COURSE OUTLINE
  

Unit 1 (3 hrs): Ethical Inquiries into Educational Situations and Issues
Topic	Introduction and Connection to Practicum
Guiding Questions	When and where do ethical questions arise in teachers’ practice? What ethical dilemmas have you faced in your practicum? What other ethical dilemmas do you anticipate facing in your practice?
Possible Readings	8Campbell, E. (1997). Connecting the ethics of teaching and moral education. Journal of Teacher Education, 48(4), 255-263. doi:10.1177/0022487197048004003 8Colnerud, G. (1997). Ethical conflicts in teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(6), 627-635. doi:10.1016/S0742-051X(97)80005-4

Topic	Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas
Guiding Questions	• What values are at stake when ethical dilemmas arise in teaching?
Possible Readings	4Hare, W. & Portelli J. (2003). What to do? Case studies for educators (3rd ed.). Halifax, NS: Edphil Books. 4Strike, K. A. & Soltis, J. F. (2009). The ethics of teaching (5th ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Topic	When Ethics and Law Disagree: A Case Study
Guiding Questions	• What have teachers done when their professional values have been at odds with the educational laws and policies?
Possible Readings	8Denyer, D. (2010). The FSA albatross. Teacher: Newsmagazine of the BC Teachers’ Federation, 22(4). http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=20434 8 http://bctf.ca/fsa.aspx
Unit 2 (3 hrs): Ethical Frameworks
Topic	Introduction to Ethics
Guiding Questions	What is a “good” person and how do we decide what the right thing to do is? How have people in different times and places answered this question?
Possible Readings	4Battle, M. (2009). A fish doesn’t know it’s wet. In Ubuntu: I in you and you in me (pp. 1-6). New York, NY: Seabury Books.
Topic	Ethical Purposes for Education
Guiding Questions	How do our ethical frameworks shape education? What are the different basic values that different ethical frameworks put first (e.g., Brighouse’s liberal emphasis on individual autonomy vs. Noddings’ emphasis on caring relationships)
Possible Readings	4Brighouse, H. (2006). Educating for self-government. In On education (pp. 13- 26). New York, NY: Routledge. 8Noddings, N. (1988). An ethic of caring and its implications for instructional arrangements. American Journal of Education, 96(2), 215-230. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1085252 8BC Ministry of Education (2001). BC performance standards. Social responsibility: A Framework. Victoria, BC: Author. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/social_resp.htm

Topic	Ethics and Social/Ecological Justice
Guiding Questions	How is education connected to the larger questions of justice in society and the world? How might education look different if we adopted different values (e.g., Singer’s utilitarian emphasis on equality and the reduction of suffering)?
Possible Readings	8Singer, P. (1972). Famine, affluence, and morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1(3), 229-243. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265052 4Orr, D. (2004). What is education for? In Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect (10th anniversary ed., pp. 7-15). Washington, DC: Island Press. 4Purpel, D. (1999). Introduction. Moral outrage in education. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Unit 3 (3 hrs): Laws, Codes of Ethics, and Professional Conduct
Topic	The Legal Context of Teaching in BC
Guiding Questions	• What are the relevant laws that frame the teaching profession in BC?
Possible Readings	8BC School Act. http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/--%20S%20-- /School%20Act%20%20RSBC%201996%20%20c.%20412/00_Act/ 96412_00.htm 8BC Ministry of Education. Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia http://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/Standards/StandardsDevelopment.aspx 8BC Teachers Federation. Code of Ethics. http://bctf.ca/ProfessionalResponsibility.aspx?id=4292 8BC Human Rights Code. http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/-- %20H%20-- /Human%20Rights%20Code%20%20RSBC%201996%20%20c.%20210/ 00_96210_01.xml 8Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/
Topic	Professional Conduct and its Grey Areas
Guiding Questions	What is professional conduct? How do ideas about professional conduct change? What should teachers do if their personal values conflict with the requirements of professional conduct?
Possible	8Coulter, D. et al. (2007). A question of judgment: A response to Standards for

Readings	the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia. Educational Insights, 11(3). Retrieved from http://www.ccfi.educ.ubc.ca/publication/insights/v11n03/articles/coulter.html 8 “Standards in practice,” TC Magazine Spring 2009, p. 20, and “Readers reflect on concerns over coach’s conduct,” TC Magazine Winter 2009, p. 20 (re. Standard 1). 8 “Standards in practice,” TC Magazine Winter 2008, p. 17, and “Readers respond,” TC Magazine Spring 2009, p. 17 (re. Standard 2). 8Trinity Western University v. College of Teachers, 1 S.C.R. 772 (2001). http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2001/2001scc31/2001scc31.html 8Ruitenberg, C. W. (2011). The trouble with dispositions: A critical examination of personal beliefs, professional commitments and actual conduct in teacher education. Ethics and Education, 6(1), 41-52. doi:10.1080/17449642.2011.587347
Topic	Professional Conduct in the Digital Age
Guiding Questions	• How do digital technologies create new questions and challenges for teachers’ professionalism?
Possible Readings	8CBC News (2009, September 8). Guidelines wanted for teachers on Facebook. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/08/bc-north-vancouver- facebook-teachers-guidelines-students.html
Unit 4 (3 hrs): Moral Education
Topic	Virtues and Character Education
Guiding Questions	What is “character education” and why is it so popular in schools today? What are the critiques of character education?
Possible Readings	8 Lickona, T., Schaps, E., & Lewis, C. (2011). Eleven principles of effective character education. http://charactereducationinstitute.com/?page_id=615 8Lickona, T. (1996). Eleven principles of effective character education. Journal of Moral Education, 25(1), 93-100. doi:10.1080/0305724960250110 4Noddings, N. (2002). Educating moral people: A caring alternative to character education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. 4Purpel, D. (1999). The politics of character education. In Moral outrage in education (pp. 83-96). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Topic	Compassion and Empathy
Guiding Questions	• (How) can compassion and empathy be taught?

Possible Readings	8Schonert-Reichl, K. A. & Hymel, S. (2007). Educating the heart as well as the mind: Social and emotional learning for school and life success. Education Canada, 47(2). http://www.cea- ace.ca/media/edcan/Educating_Heart_Spring07.pdf
Topic	Benefits and Risks of Service Learning
Guiding Questions	• What is “service learning” and who benefit(s) from it?
Possible Readings	8Endres, D & Gould, M. (2009). “I am also in the position to use my whiteness to help them out”: The communication of whiteness in service learning. Western Journal of Communication, 73(4), 418 – 436. doi:10.1080/10570310903279083

COURSE ASSESSMENT
The course is graded on a pass/fail basis. In a professional faculty, passing a course entails both good academic performance as well as active participation in learning activities. Students are expected to meet all criteria to receive a passing mark in the course. In cases where students fail to meet expected standards, they will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit the written assignment. There is one assignment for this course. Students can choose from among the two options described below.

1. Write an ethical dilemma that you have faced or believe you may come to face in your teaching practice. In analyzing the dilemma, make reference to the different responses to it that various ethical frameworks would suggest.
   
2. Identify and explain three core values that inform youe teaching, analyze how you came to hold these values, and give examples of how these would translate to your practice. In reflecting on and anticipating your practice, identify particular approaches to moral education that fit well and not so well with the core values you have identified.
   

Assessment criteria for the written assignment:
Pass: (1) readable (well organized; concise, proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors); (2) provides examples; (3) makes a clear argument (e.g., supports claims, makes clear transitions); (4) highlights an important educational issue; and (5) includes your insights and conclusions.
Fail: (1) contains recurring errors of grammar, spelling, and punctuation; (2) lacks examples; (3) lacks transitions between thoughts or fails to make an argument; and (4) fails to address an important educational issue.

POSSIBLE READINGS
NB: Please note that more readings are listed here and in the outline than should be assigned each week. Instructors of the course should make a selection of these readings, in order to achieve a student workload appropriate for a 1-credit course.
Battle, M. (2009) A fish doesn’t know it’s wet. In Ubuntu: I in you and you in me (pp. 1- 6). New York: Seabury Books.
BC College of Teachers. (2008). Standards in practice. TC Magazine, Winter, p. 17.
BC College of Teachers. (2009). Readers respond. TC Magazine, Spring, p. 17.
BC College of Teachers. (2009). Standards in practice. TC Magazine, Spring, p. 20.
BC College of Teachers. (2009). Readers reflect on concerns over coach’s conduct. TC Magazine, Winter, p. 20.
BC Laws. BC School Act. http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/--%20S%20-- /School%20Act%20%20RSBC%201996%20%20c.%20412/00_Act/ 96412_00.htm
BC Laws. BC Human Rights Code. http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/freeside/-- %20H%20--
/Human%20Rights%20Code%20%20RSBC%201996%20%20c.%20210/ 00_96210_01.xml
BC Ministry of Education (2001). BC performance standards. Social responsibility: A Framework. Victoria, BC: Author. http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/perf_stands/social_resp.htm
BC Ministry of Education. (2012). Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia http://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/Standards/StandardsDevelopment.aspx
BC Teachers Federation. Code of Ethics. http://bctf.ca/ProfessionalResponsibility.aspx?id=4292
BC Teachers Federation. (n.d.) Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA). http://bctf.ca/fsa.aspx
Brighouse, H. (2006). Educating for self-government. In On education (pp. 13-26). New York, NY: Routledge.
Campbell, E. (1997). Connecting the ethics of teaching and moral education. Journal of Teacher Education, 48(4), 255-263. doi: 10.1177/0022487197048004003
CBC News (2009, September 8). Guidelines wanted for teachers on Facebook. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/09/08/bc-north-vancouver- facebook-teachers-guidelines-students.html
Colnerud, G. (1997). Ethical conflicts in teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(6), 627-635. doi: 10.1016/S0742-051X(97)80005-4
Coulter, D. et al. (2007). A question of judgment: A response to Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in British Columbia.

Educational Insights, 11(3). Retrieved from http://www.ccfi.educ.ubc.ca/publication/insights/v11n03/articles/coulter.html
Denyer, D. (2010). The FSA albatross. Teacher: Newsmagazine of the BC Teachers’ Federation, 22(4). http://www.bctf.ca/publications/NewsmagArticle.aspx?id=20434
Department of Justice Canada. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/charter/
Endres, D & Gould, M. (2009). “I am also in the position to use my whiteness to help them out”: The communication of whiteness in service learning. Western Journal of Communication, 73(4), 418 – 436. doi: 10.1080/10570310903279083
Hare, W. & Portelli J. (2003). What to do? Case studies for educators (3rd ed.). Halifax, NS: Edphil Books.
Lickona, T. (1996). Eleven principles of effective character education. Journal of Moral Education, 25(1), 93-100. doi: 10.1080/0305724960250110
Lickona, T., Schaps, E., & Lewis, C. (2011). Eleven principles of effective character education. http://charactereducationinstitute.com/?page_id=615
Noddings, N. (1988). An ethic of caring and its implications for instructional arrangements. American Journal of Education, 96(2), 215-230. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1085252
Noddings, N. (1992). An alternative vision. The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education (pp. 44-62). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Noddings, N. (2002). Educating moral people: A caring alternative to character education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Orr, D. (2004). What is education for? In Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect (10th anniversary ed., pp. 7-15). Washington, DC: Island Press.
Purpel, D. (1999). Introduction. Moral outrage in education. New York: Peter Lang. Purpel, D. (1999). The politics of character education. In Moral outrage in education (pp.
83-96). New York: Peter Lang.
Schonert-Reichl, K. A. & Hymel, S. (2007). Educating the heart as well as the mind: Social and emotional learning for school and life success. Education Canada, 47(2). http://www.cea-ace.ca/media/edcan/Educating_Heart_Spring07.pdf
Singer, P. (1972). Famine, affluence, and morality. Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1(3), 229-243. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2265052
Strike, K. A. & Soltis, J. F. (2009). The ethics of teaching (5th ed.). New York: Teachers College Press.
Trinity Western University v. College of Teachers, 1 S.C.R. 772 (2001). http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2001/2001scc31/2001scc31.html

ADDITIONAL WEB RESOURCES
8Coughlan, S. (2006, September 28). All you need is Ubuntu. BBC News Magazine. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5388182.stm
8 http://digitaltattoo.ubc.ca/
8 http://www.rootsofempathy.org/
8 http://www.seedsofempathy.org/
8UBC Learning Exchange. Community Service Learning. http://www.learningexchange.ubc.ca/trek_program/community_learn.html
8Community Service Learning at UBC. http://csl.ubc.ca/csl.html
8Satirical parody “Nice white lady,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVF-nirSq5s

RELATION TO THE BC MINISTRY OF EDUCATION STANDARDS
The readings, class discussions and assignments in this course primarily contribute to teacher candidates’ attainment of Standard 2: Educators are role models who act ethically and honestly. The course helps teacher candidates understand the education system in BC and the law as it relates to their duties. Second, it helps them reflect upon what it means to act “ethically” from different perspectives on ethics. Third, it helps them appreciate how ethical decisions saturate the practice of teaching, and how teachers are expected to be ethical role models both within and outside of the school.