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MoralandEthicalIssuesinTeacherEducation.ERICDigest.

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ERICIdentifier:ED482699
PublicationDate:20031000
Author:Benninga,JacquesS.
Source:ERICClearinghouseonTeachingandTeacherEducation

MoralandEthicalIssuesinTeacherEducation.ERICDigest.
ThisERICdigestwilladdresstwocomponentsrelatedtothemoralandethical
preparationofteachers.Firstitwillconsiderissuesrelatedtotheidentificationandassessmentofprofessional
education,andthenitwilladdressfoundationsandspecificmodelsforthepreservicetrainingofteachersof
character.
ISSUESOFPROFESSIONALETHICSINEDUCATION
ConsiderIrma,thestudentteacher.Notonlydoesshealreadyhaveacontractfromtheruraldistrictinwhichshe
wasbornandraised,sheisalsobilingual.Irmawantstoliveinthecommunityandteachintheelementaryschool
inwhichshewastaught.Shehasanaturalrapportwithchildrenandapositivepersonality.Asthestudentteaching
semesterprogresses,Irma'sMasterTeacherMrs.Baxtergrowsincreasinglyuncomfortable.Irmaisenrolledina
fullsetofcoursesduringthestudentteachingsemesterandworks3040hoursaweek.Herrelationshipwither
boyfriendisseriousandtakesadditionaltime.Becauseofthisbusyschedule,itisdifficultforIrmaandMrs.
Baxtertomeettodiscusstheclassroomcurriculumandreviewteachingplans.
Mrs.BaxterofferstomeetwithIrmabeforeclass,at7:00a.m.,butIrmahasdifficultygettingtoschoolthatearly
becauseofherlatenighthoursatwork.Meetingsbetweenthetwoaresporadic.
Mrs.BaxterhasnoticedotherbehaviorsthatbotherheraboutIrma.Forexample,shehasobservedthatonthe
playgroundIrmawatchesthestudents,butdoesnotactivelyinteractwiththem.Inthecomputerroom,Irma
searchestheweb,butdoesnothelpthechildren.ShehasaskedIrmatoprepareathemeunitandhasgivenher
timeatschooltoprepare.ButitisnowthreedaysbeforetheunitistobeginandtherearenoplansandIrmahas
notdiscussedtheunitwithMrs.Baxter.Mrs.BaxterfeelsthatperhapsIrmaisjust"puttingintime"becauseshe
knowsshehasajobwaitingandtheotherfacetsofherlifeherclasswork,herjob,herboyfriendhavetaken
precedence.
Irma'sperformanceasaprofessionalintrainingisinadequate.She'sinvolvedinmanyactivitiesandhasinterests
thatcompetewithherprofessionalpreparation.ThoughIrmahaspotential,herbehavioris"unprofessional"or
even"professionallyunethical."Thatis,ifethicsisconcernedwithactionsandpractice,withwhatoneoughttodo
(Pojman,pp.12),themIrma'sactionsdonotrepresentethicalbehavior.Rather,theyviolateprinciplesof
professionalethicsthatshouldbepartofherprofessionalpreparation.Ifprofessionalethicsconcerns,"those
norms,values,andprinciplesthatshouldgoverntheprofessionalconductofteacher..."(Strike&Ternasky,p.2),
Irmaflunksthispartofhertraining.herbehaviorviolatesthemostbasicprincipleoftheNEA'sCodeofEthicsof
theEducationProfession(NEA,2003)Irmaisnotfoundationallycommittedtoherstudents.
Ateacher'sfirstmoralobligationistoprovideexcellentinstruction.Teacherswithahighlevelofmoral
professionalismhaveadeepobligationtohelpstudentslearn.AccordingtoWynne(1995),teacherswiththat
senseofobligationdemonstratetheirmoralprofessionalismby:
*comingtoworkregularlyandontime
*beingwellinformedabouttheirstudentmatter
*planningandconductingclasseswithcare
*regularlyreviewingandupdatinginstructionalpractices
*cooperatingwith,orifnecessary,confrontingparentsofunderachievingstudents
*cooperatingwithcolleaguesandobservingschoolpoliciessothewholeinstitutionworkseffectively
*tactfully,burfirmlycriticizingunsatisfactoryschoolpoliciesandproposingconstructiveimprovement.
Thoughcodesofethicsmaynothaveplayedasignificantroleinteacherpreparationprogramsinthepast,(Strike
&Ternasky,p.3),professionalethicaldispositionsofteachersmustnowbeaddressedaspartoftheNational
CouncilforAccreditationofTeacherEducation(NCATE)accreditationprocess(NCATE,2002).Aprogramof
ethicaleducationdevelopedfordentalprofessionalsattheUniversityofMinnesotamorethan25yearsagois
findingadaptationstootherprofessionaltrainingprograms,includingthetrainingofteachers(Rest&Narvaez,
1994).CalledtheFourComponentModelofMoralMaturity,theprogramassumesthatmoralbehaviorsarebuilt
onaseriesofcomponentprocesses(Bebeau,Rest,&Narvaez,1999).Eachcomponentisclearlydefined,and
educationalgoals,teachingstrategiesandassessmentmethodscanbederivedfromthosedefinitions.The
componentsare:
1)Moralsensitivity,theawarenessofhowouractionsaffectotherpeople.Itinvolvedbeingawareofthedifferent
linesofactionandhoweachlineofactionaffectsthepartiesconcerned.Itinvolvesknowingcauseconsequent
chainsofeventsintherealworld,andempathyandroletakingabilities.
2)MoraljudgmentisbasedontheworkofPiaget(1965)andKohlberg(1984)andinvolvedintuitionsaboutwhat
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isfairandmoral.Itrequiresadultstomakemoraljudgmentsaboutcomplexhumanactivities.
3)Moralmotivationrequiresaprioritizationofmoralvaluesoverpersonalvalues,particularlyinprofessional
settings,and,
4)Moralcharacterrequiresindividualstoactontheirmoralconvictions.
Trainingstrategieswhichlendthemselvestoenhancingmoralsensitivitymayincluderoleplayingexercisesto
sensitizepreserviceteacherstoprofessionaldilemmas(liketheonethatbeganthisessay)andrelatedstrategiesto
makeprofessionalsawarethattheiractionsaffectothers.Inaddition,moraljudgmenttrainingstrategiesmight
includethedirectteachingofcriteriaformakingprofessionalmoraljudgmentsincasesinvolvinginformed
consent,paternalismorbreachesofconfidentiality.Forthiscomponent,referenceshouldbemadetothespecific
descriptionsofprescribedactionsfoundinprofessionalcodesofethics.
Moralmotivationtrainingmightincludeprofessionspecificserviceactivities,andthestudyofprofessionalmoral
exemplars(i.e.,exemplaryteachers)andmoralcharactertrainingmightincludestrategiesforproblemsolvingand
conflictresolutionamongandbetweenchildrenandadults(Bebeau,Rest&Narvaez,1999).
Issuesrelatedtothemoralandprofessionalethicaleducationofteachersarethefocusforseveralbooklength
treatments(e.g.,Tom,1984Sockett,1993Goodlad,Soder,Sirotnik,1990andGoodlad&McMannon,1997).It
wouldseemthatthisisdevelopingintoanareaofgreaterinteresttotheprofession.
UNDERSTANDINGFOUNDATIONSFORMORALANDCHARACTEREDUCATION
Formostofhistory,theconceptofcharacterformationthedutyoftheoldergenerationtoformthecharacterof
theyounghasbeenabasicprinciplestructuringmoraleducation.Forexample,Aristotle(trans.1962)wroteabout
thedevelopmentofexcellence,statingthattobecomeexcellentatanycraft,includingbecomingvirtuous,wehave
toexercise(practice)thosebehaviors.Hestated:"Webecomejustbythepracticeofjustactions,selfcontrolledby
exercisingselfcontrol,andcourageousbyperformingactsofcourage.Hence,itisnosmallmatterwhetherone
habitoranotherisinculcatedinusfromearlychildhoodonthecontrary,itmakes...allthedifference"(1962,pp.
3435).
Clearly,thebusinessworldexpectsabasicunderstandingandpracticeofethicalbehaviorfromitsworkersasthey
entertheworkforce.DavidBerlinerandBruceBiddle,intheirbook"TheManufacturedCrisis"(1995),reportdata
collectedfrompersonneldirectorsofmajorindustries.Theseemployerswereaskedtolistthefivemostimportant
andthefiveleastimportantskillsneededbytheiremployees.Thesurveyssuggestthatthehabitsandmotivationof
workersaremoreimportanttoemployersthanthetechnicalskillsworkersbringtotheirjobs.Theauthors
conclude,"...ifschoolsaretrulytoservetheneedsofbusiness,itappearstheyshouldconcentrate...moreonthe
valuesthatstudentswillneedwhentheyentertheworkplace"(p.89).
Professionalsineducationneedobjectiveknowledgeabouthowchildrenformabasicsenseofrightandwrong
andwhatschoolscandotoreinforceappropriatedevelopment.WilliamDamon,authorof"GreaterExpectations"
(1996),providesthatfoundation.Hedescribesresearchthatchildrenthriveonaccomplishment,notonemptyself
esteemmessage.Theydonotbecomeoverburdenedbyreasonablepressuresrelatedtoworthwhileactivities,
includingdemandinghomework.Theyaretoughandresilientandaremotivatedtolearnthroughbothextrinsic
inducements(e.g.,highexpectations,rewards,pressure,encouragement,grades,etc.)andintrinsicmotivations.
Buttheyneedtheguidancethatcanbestbeprovidedbyable,caring,concernedadults.
DanielGoleman,authorofthehighlyacclaimedbook"EmotionalIntelligence"(1995),hasdocumentedtheeffects
ofpositiveandcounterproductivechildrearingpracticesthatresultineitherpositiveorantisocialbehaviors.
Manyofthesepracticesarerelatedtoteaching.Suchatriskbehaviorsasimpulsivenessandbelligerency,
stubbornnessandindecisiveness,overreactiontoirritation,andinabilitytoputoffgratificationarelearned,and
interferewithsocialandeducationalsuccess,withwhatGolemancalls"mentalclarity."Otherdispositions,equally
learned,aremuchmoreconducivetooptimismandfullmaturity.Theseincludeastrongculturalworkethic,
temperance,andtheabilitytocopewithfrustrations,optimismandempathy.
Anappropriateclassroomenvironmentcanenhancethesepositivedispositionsinchildrenifteachersreceive
appropriatetraining.Itisnoaccidentthatsomeschoolsaremoreadeptataddressingthemoraldevelopmentof
theirstudents.Betterschoolsplanforvirtue.Thecurriculumcontainsreferencestovirtuousacts,andstudentsare
recognizedandrewardedforvirtuousbehaviors.Theschoolbuildingisphysicallycaredforandpsychologically
safeandteachersmodelexemplarycharactertraits(Benninga,Berkowitz,Kuehn&Smith,2003).Thereisgood
communicationbetweenteachersandparents.
EXEMPLARYCHARACTEREDUCATIONPRACTICESINTEACHEREDUCATION
ArecentpublicationbytheCharacterEducationPartnership(2002)highlighteddetailsofanationalsurveyof600
deansofschoolsofeducationtodeterminewhattheirinstitutionsweredoingtopreparefutureteachersin
charactereducation.Although90%ofthesurvey'srespondentsagreedthatcorevaluesshouldbetaughtinschools,
only24.4%oftherespondentsreportedthattheirinstitutions"highlyemphasized"thatcontent.However,the
reportidentifiedthreeuniversityteachereducationprogramsofferingstudentstheknowledgeandprofessional
skillstointegratecharactereducationintoclassroompractices(p.8).Eachwillbedescribedhere.
BostonUniversity.CharactereducationisathemerunningthroughBostonUniversity'sSchoolofEducation
teacherpreparationprogram.Asfreshmen,studentstakea"CulturalFoundationsforEducations"classthat
focusesontheclassicsandtheartsandinterpretstheseworksthroughateaching/learninglens.Asaculminating
experience,studentsdevelopandpresentlessonsatBoston'sMuseumofFineArtstogroupsofmiddleschool
students.Thepurposeofthisexperienceaccordingtotheinstructor,StevenTiner,istooffer"futureteachersa
pedagogicallyreflectiveengagementwithtextsandotherartifactsfundamentaltoAmericanculture"(p.12)Intheir
secondsemesterstudentstakeanintroductiontoeducationclassfocusingonthemoralresponsibilityofteachesto
students,parents,colleagues,andcommunitymembers.Otherclassesincludecharactereducationthemes,andthe
SchoolofEducationformallyinductsstudentsintotheprofessionataspecialceremony.
CaliforniaStateUniversity,Fresno.Since1999,theKremenSchoolofEducationandHumanDevelopment,like
BostonUniversity,hasformallyinductedstudentsintotheteachingprofession.Studentsbegintheinduction
sessionwithadiscussionofanethicaldilemmaandendthesessionwithachoralrecitationoftheEducators'
Affirmation,apledgeadaptedfromTinger'sworkatBostonUniversity.Allstudentteachersupervisorsmeet
regularlytodiscussethicalissuesthatconfrontthemastheysupervisestudentteachers,oftenwritingtheirown
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dilemmasforgroupdiscussions.TheKremenSchool'smissionandvisionstatementsattendtotheprofessional
ethicalresponsibilitiesofitsstudents,andtheSchoolsponsorsayearlyConferenceonCharacterandCivil
Education(nowinits20thyear)foritsstudentteachers.Atthatconferencebothfacultyandcommunitymembers
presentmoraldilemmasfromtheirprofessionalworkfordiscussionwithstudents.Charactereducationistheclear
themeofthatconference,aswellastheworkofseveraleducationprogramcohorts.Inonecohort,Early
ChildhoodEducation,facultyhaveinitiatedalongtermresearchprojectassessingstudentsastheyenterandexit
theprogram,andinflusingthecurriculumwithactivitiesthatenhancecharacterandmoraldevelopment.This
researchisbasedontheFourComponentModelofMoralMaturitydiscussedearlier(LaneGaron,2003).
UniversityofSt.Francis.AsaCatholicFranciscanUniversity,theUniversityofSt.Francishasalwaysincluded
attentiontovalues,ethics,andservice.Charactereducationispartofboththeformalcurriculumandtheethosof
theCollegeofEducation.Severaleducationclassesexaminemoraldevelopmentandethicsandtheresponsibilities
ofteachersascharactereducatorswhileschoolandcampuswideprogramshabituatestudentstoserviceand
communityinvolvement.Servicelearningprojectsarerequiredinstudents'culturaldiversitycourses.
CONCLUSION
Itappearsthatmoralandethicalissues,includingcharactereducation,areslowlybecomingpartoftheteacher
educationprograms.Philosophicalwritingsandpsychologicalresearchexisttoprovideguidance,andexemplary
universitytrainingprograms,providebeginningmodelsofpractice.Overwhelminglydeansandadministratorsof
teachereducationprogramsagreethatcorevaluescanandshouldbetaughtinourschools.It'snowuptothe
professiontoensurebroaderanddeeperimplementation.
REFERENCES
ReferencesidentifiedwithanEJorEDnumberhavebeenabstractedandareintheERICdatabase.Journalarticles
(EJ)shouldbeavailableatmostresearchlibrariesmostdocuments(ED)areavailableinmicrofichecollectionsat
morethan900locations.DocumentscanalsobeorderedthroughtheERICReproductionService:(800)443
ERIC.
Aristotle(trans.1962).Nicomacheanethics.NewYork:BobbsMerrill.
Bebeau,M.J.Rest,J.R.&Narvaez,D.(1999).Beyondthepromise:Aperspectiveonresearchinmoral
education.EducationalResearchers,28(4),1826.EJ587024.
Benninga,J.S.Berkowitz,M.W.Kuehn,P.&Smith,K.(2003).Therelationshipsofcharactereducationand
academicachievementinelementaryschools.JournalofResearchinCharacterEducation,1(1),1730.
Berliner,D.C.,&Biddle,B.J.(1995).Themanufacturedcrisis:Myths,fraudandtheattackonAmerica'spublic
schools.Reading,MA:AddisonWesley.ED393167.
CharacterEducationPartnership.(2002).Practicesofteachereducatorscommittedtocharacters.Examplesfrom
teachereducationprogramsemphasizingcharacterdevelopment.Washington:CharacterEducationPartnership.
Damon,W.(1996).Greaterexpectations:OvercomingtheculturofindulgenceinAmerica'shomesandschools.
NewYork:FreePress.(ED393591).
Goleman,D.(1995).EmotionalIntelligence:WhyItCanMatterMorethanIQ.NewYork:Bantam.EJ530121.
Goodlad,J.I.Soder,R.&Sirotnik,K.A.(Eds).(1990).Themoraldimensionsofteaching.SanFrancisco:Jossey
Bass.ED337443.
Goodlad,J.I.,&McMannon,T.J.(Eds.)(1997).Thepublicpurposeofeducationnandschooling.SanFrancisco:
JosseyBass.ED403657.
Kohlberg,L.(1984).ThePsychologyofmoraldevelopment:Essaysonmoral
development.SanFrancisco:HarperandRow.
LaneGaron,P.(2003).Ethicsinteachereducation:Areweaccountableforourproduct?Paperpresentedtothe
AnnualMeetingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,Chicago.
NationalEducationAssoociation(n.d.).Codeofethicsoftheeducationprofession.RetrievedJune12,2003from
http://www.radford.edu/~fexp/
Field_Experiences/forms/CodeofEthics.PDF
NationalCouncilforAccreditationofTeacherEducation(2002).Professionalstandardsfortheaccreditationof
schools,collegesanddepartmentsofeducation.(Note:seesupportingexplanationforStandard1).Retrieved
October2,2003fromhttp://www.ncate.org/standard/programstds.htm.
Piaget,J.(1965).Themoraljudgmentofthechild.NewYork:FreePress.
Pojman,L.P.(1998).Ethicaltheory:Classicalandcontemporaryreadings,3rdEd.Belmont,CA:Wadsworth.
Rest,J.R.,&Narvaez,D.(Eds.)(1994).Moraldevelopmentintheprofessions.Hillsdale,N.J.:LawrenceErlbaum
Assoc.
Ryan,K.&Bohin,K.E.(1999).Buildingcharacterinschools.Practicalwaystobringmoralinstructiontolife.
SanFrancisco:JosseyBass.ED423501.
Sockett,H.(1993).Themoralbaseforteacherprofessionalism.NewYork:TeachersCollege.ED366576.
Strike,K.A.,&Ternasky,P.L.(Eds.)(1993).Ethicsforprofessionalsineducation:Perspectivesforpreparation
andpractices.NewYork:TeachersCollege.ED377589.
Tom,A.(1984).TeachingasaMoralCraft.NewYork:Longman.
Wynne,E.A.(1995).Themoraldimensionofteaching.InA.C.Ornstein(Ed.)Teaching:Theoryintopractice.
(pp.190202).Boston:AlynandBacon.
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