EDUCATION AND ETHICS

Assessment 1

Hannalise Engelbrecht

76910

14 August 2023
Mindmap:

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 1. Introduction

“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.”
(Kevin, 2014).

This is a quote uttered by the philosopher C.S. Lewis. Today we will have a look at why this quote
has so much meaning to it. Today we will quickly look at a definition of ethics. Then we will move
towards the purpose of ethics. Furthermore ethics and morality and ethics and language will be
discussed in detail and then lastly we will en off with a discussion around ethics in teacher
education.

I hope you enjoy this presentation with me.

2. Definition of ethics

Looking at ethics we see that ethics is a set of moral principles governing a person’s behaviour
(Merriam-Webster, 2023). Furthermore, we can say that ethics is a standard of right and wrong
that direct what people ought to do. This is usually in terms of benefits to society, obligations and
rights, fairness and specific virtues. On the other hand ethics is also the study and development of
one’s own ethical standards. Social norms, feelings and laws can deviate from what is ethical.
Therefore it is important for humans to continuously examine one’s own standards and what we
deem as ethical. We as humans should also continuously study our own moral beliefs and moral
conduct striving to ensure that we and the institution we work for are living up to ethical standards
(Velasquez et.al, n.d).

3. The purpose of ethics

Ethics is at the forefront of any organization. Without strong ethics leaders will fail. This includes
schools. Following a code of ethics is very important as it sways individuals to create an
environment that is based on those ethics. When it comes to making choices choosing to handle
them ethically is equally important. Throughout life, we are continually faced with choices that
affect the quality of our lives as well as that of others, such as the students we teach.

Ethics also forms part of creating a successful organization or in our case school environment for
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the learners to learn in. It also creates satisfied and loyal team members. It also ensures us as
workers that the school or organisation is safeguarding our interests. If employees know the
business is ethical it will also encourage them to act ethically in their encounters. In other words
ethics is important as it influences behaviour and direct us to make the right choices (Indeed
Editorial Team, 2022).

4. Ethics and morality

In education teachers should be motivated by universal respect for all humans. They should also be
guided by principles of caring. In fact, teachers have an obligation to always act in the best interest
of their students. Students place their trust in their teachers. Therefore students trust their
teachers to care for and respect their needs and to act in their best interest. Teachers are held to a
higher moral standard. Teachers must also act in their private lives the way they would in the
public and in a way that does not undermine their classroom efficacy and also in a way that does
not damage their moral exemplars in the community (Professional Standards and Practices
Commission, n.d.).

5. Ethics and language

The South African School’s Act 84 of 1996 states that foundation phase learners should be taught
in their home language (Mtshali and Mashiya, 2022). However, there are barriers when it comes
to language teaching and learning. Both teachers and learners experience barriers in the teaching
and learning process. The teacher might not be able to understand or speak the learners’ mother
tongue, which is a huge barrier. The barrier is in that the teacher cannot link the learners’ prior
knowledge of language structures to the learning of the new language. The instruction also
changes from the teachers’ mother tongue to teaching in a language other than their mother
tongue. Both teacher and learner now face a situation in which learning and teaching takes place
in a language other than their mother tongue. Consequently, teachers revert to code switching to
ensure understanding (Dreyer, 2017).

A teacher must make continuous efforts to maintain professional skills and also develop their skills
and knowledge (The Comenius Oath for teachers, n.d.). As the curriculum is ever-changing,
teachers of today should be prepared to constantly learn new skills. As with the above barrier
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teachers need to be open and willing to receive training in Afrikaans First Additional Language and
methods to teach it if it is not their home language. They can also overcome this barrier by asking
colleagues to teach them and help them (Zama, 2014).

6. Ethics in teacher education

Quickly take a moment and think about a favourite teacher that you had. Perhaps he or she was
your first grade teacher or your Afrikaans teacher in high school, but each of us had a teacher that
had a profound effect on our lives. What were the qualities that teacher possessed? Did he or she
create engaging lessons? Or was he or she funny? (Professional Standards and Practices
Commission, n.d.).

As people think about their most favourite teacher, “ethics” probably is the last thing that comes to
mind. Few people would say, “I like that teacher because he or she was ethical”. However, ethics
plays a critical role in teaching and a teacher’s personal life. A teacher’s critical values will
determine how he or she assesses and instructs students. It also plays a role in how students are
interacted with and how the teacher interacts with colleagues and the community at large
(Professional Standards and Practices Commission, n.d.). A teacher also has the ethical
responsibility to pass on knowledge, skills and their culture. A teacher also acts with justice and
fairness throughout their careers. Teachers shall also not reveal information that was shared
confidentially to them. They shall also respect the privacy of their children (The Comenius Oath for
teachers, n.d.).

7. Conclusion

As you can see from the above discussion, ethics in teacher education is extremely important. It
guides teachers’ doings and decisions as well as helps us to remain out of trouble. As discussed it is
a set of principles that governs a person’s behaviour. The purpose of ethics is to guide our
behaviour to make the right decisions and choices. We have also seen that ethics and morality go
hand in hand. Teachers should be wary to act the same in public as they would in the school
environment as all eyes are on them and as respected people in the community they are also
watched and different requirements are put on them.

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In terms of ethics and language we have discussed that teachers should continuously make an
effort to update their knowledge and skills. Especially if there are learners in your class who does
not speak the same language you do. Lastly in terms of teacher education a teacher shall always
acts with justice and fairness throughout their careers. Teachers should also be cognisant of the
fact that they should try to ensure a child’s trust by keeping certain information confidential.

Total number of words: 1150

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 8. Reference list:

Dreyer, L.M (2017) Addressing language barriers to learning in First Additional language (second
language). Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316352277_Addressing_barriers_to_learning_in_
First_Additional_language_second_language (Accessed: 5 August 2023).

Indeed Editorial Team (2022). The importance of ethics in the workplace: 6 Significant benefits.
Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/why-ethics-is-
important-in-the-workplace (Accessed: 5 August 2023).

Kevin (2014). The 100 Best C.S. Lewis Quotes. Available at: https://www.kevinhalloran.net/best-c-s-
lewis-quotes/ (Accessed: 5 August 2023).

Merriam-Webster (2023). Ethic. Available

Mtshali, Z, Mashiya, N 2022, ‘Teaching English home language to foundation phase learners from
diverse backgrounds’, South African Journal of Childhood Education, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1-13.

Professional Standards and Practices Commission (n.d.). The Ethics of Teaching. Available
at: https://www.pspc.education.pa.gov/Promoting-Ethical-Practices-Resources/Ethics-
Toolkit/Unit1/Pages/The-Ethics-of-Teaching.aspx#:~:text=Moral%20Teachers&text=Teachers
%20should%20be%20motivated%20by,in%20relationship%20to%20their%20students. (Acces
sed: 8 August 2023).

The Comenius Oath for teachers. nd. Available: https://www.oaj.fi/en/education/ethical-principles-

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Velasquez, M, Andre, C, Shanks, T, S.J. & Meyer, M.J (n.d.). What is Ethics?
Available at: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is
ethics/ (Accessed: 8 August 2023).

Zama, C.Z 2014, ‘TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF TEACHING FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE READING

IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE: A CASE STUDY OF FOUR RURAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS’, Masters

thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

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