Thursday 18 April 2013

5C - Ethics & Morals

This looks at how different societies follow different moral codes which can lead to tensions, it also talks about the question of Law within ethics and morals.
The Hart-Devlin debate discusses Personal and Social morals. Devlin argued that personal and social conduct should be regulated whilst Hart argues that the purpose of law is to prevent certain harmful acts such as theft, violence and killing but that there can be no common morality to the entire populace.
This made me consider how these theories work for me in my practice. There has to be a common code of conduct within the school environment but I feel it must allow for personal and cultural differences.

Reading this reader has made me reflect on my practice, questioning my own code of conduct and consistency within my practice. I also considered how important I feel it is to allow my colleagues and students to function not only within the constraints of the establishment but also within their own moral code. Where conflicts arise, discussion and diplomacy must be exercised. Bringing me back to the need to be less judgemental and more understanding..... As my husband would say - 'giving up my need to be right!'.

Considering the Theoretical Approach to ethics. I have been considering how they fit into my professional practice. Discussing it with a fellow colleague the question of the Virtue Ethist theory arose and how/if it has a place within teaching. We decided that although it is important to follow the ethics set down by the school there are times when it would be beneficial to 'bend these rules'.

Question- if the ethos of the school is to not use mobile phones..... Is it ok to allow the dance students to use their phones for music/video/photos within the controlled environment of the dance lesson.  A very useful resource but not in line with the schools standards?  Our main consideration is the impact this would have on other lessons and the consistency of standards with school. We concluded that this could be acceptable if we could guarantee that the students wouldn't abuse the privilege and respect the no mobile rule in other lessons, but that there may be students that would use the opportunity to expect to be able to use their phones in other lessons. This would come into the realms of  the Consequentialist theory. Although the Deontology theory probably should be practiced within school, realistically I'm not sure it is possible.

A thought provoking exercise giving me food for thought within my practice..........

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