Week 29- Law and Ethics on Professional Practice
Personal vs. Professional Ethics- Where is the line?
I think the line between personal and professional ethics is a very blurry one, for me they are one in the same. I have been an intermediate teacher for 4 years, so my past students are now year 12 at high school, however if they try to add me on Facebook or Instagram, I still that it is crossing the line from professional to personal that I am not willing to do. I love my students and think that having a great relationship with them is vital, but I am not a teacher to 'make friends' and therefore don't feel that 'friending' students on social media is appropriate or necessary. There are however a number of teachers that do cross this line on social media and for them it seems to work fine. It is an opportunity for them to see what their past students are up to and how they are growing up etc.Personal vs. Professional Ethics- Where is the line?
When it comes to our Code of Ethics as teachers, I think they are absolutely vital for the safety and well being of students. I often think about my year 8 students and how 'worldly' they seem to be. They know so much more than kids their age did 10-15 years ago and that is thanks to the internet and the accessibility of information that is now available. Therefore, having strict ethical boundaries is important for teachers to ensure we know where that line is and when we are getting too close to it. I have found myself in this situation a couple of times where I have almost forgotten how old these kids are and almost crossed the boundary of what is appropriate to be discussing at their age.
Reading through the Code of Ethics, they give the following four areas as priorities- "The public expects teachers in schools and early childhood centres to treat people fairly, respect their autonomy, exercise responsible care towards those they teach, and be truthful not only in what they say but also in what they teach."
- Autonomy to treat people with rights that are to be honoured and defended
- Justice to share power and prevent the abuse of power
- Responsible care to do good and minimise harm to others
- Truth to be honest with others and self."
For me the truth area of the code of ethics is a fuzzy one. I feel that sometimes when we need o be honest with students and parents, we are told to hold back and think about a way to "lighten" the way we go about this. Obviously as professionals working with children, we need to be thoughtful and purposeful about the way in which information is given to students, however I feel that it has got to the point where we are too scared to give the truth, and therefore dull it down too much. Therefore have we done a disservice by not being truthful enough and therefore behaviours and attitudes will not change as the severity has not been identified?
Activity 5: Legal and ethical contexts in my digital practice
The digital dilemma that I faced involved two students, one from my class and one from another, insulting one another online. The difficulty of the situation was that this behavior started at home through Facebook, and then it was brought into school as the girls began using their school email to attack each other. The dilemma here was whether or not it was my place to interfere or whether I was to simply notify the parents of the students and let them deal with it. If it had simply continued at home through Facebook then possibly this is what I would have done, however being that it was now an issue at school also, I knew it was now my responsibility to put an end to this all. At my school, every student and their caregiver is required to sign a "Cyber Safety Agreement Form" in which it clearly outlines their use of the internet at our school and their responsibilities as online citizens. Having this agreement on hand allowed me to refer to this as back up and clarity as to the actions of the students and the consequences. We are really lucky also that one of our technology classes is Adolescent Health, and as part of this program the students do a unit on cyber safety. Therefore, I asked that this teacher, who knows the ins and outs of cyber safety and cyber bullying, to speak with both girls together. This worked well as they both had a relationship with this teacher and were able to engaged in this discussion and see that their actions were far more serious than either student had initially realised. The outcome was then shared back to myself and the other classroom teacher where we were able to keep an eye out for future issues relating to these girls. However, nothing ever happened since. I believe that a number of factors were part of this solution- the cyber safety agreement form, the Adolescent Health program and the teacher relationship with both students.
References:
References:
- Education Council. (nd). Code of Ethics for Certificated Teachers. Retrieved from https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0
- 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
- [Untitled image of parent interviews]. (n..d.) Retrieved June 15, 2016, from https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=teacher+parent+interview+comic&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1517&bih=714&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi44tvDqKjNAhViL6YKHZnnDrQQsAQIGQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=4_qF7297yaDBzM%3A
90% of digital data on the internet is only from the last two years. As you state the access the students have to content is massive.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that the 'Cyber Safety Agreement' form is clear and concise and explains implication and consequences to all stakeholders. When I was looking into this I found that it is a good way to teach integrity to students so that they can develop in a world that will be connected through digital technology. Technology is developing so quickly that this is not just a problem for schools but society in general. For example look at the 'Roast Busters' case where some young adults were posting their exploits online. As a society we need to adapt to deal with these situations. Support will be needed from the Social Media operators with discussion from government.
Thank you for sharing your insights I like the cartoon.
A problem for all schools at the moment. Often these issues do involve some online bullying or taunting however it does become an issue for schools even though it may not start at school. As other students can be quick to get involved which means it can become a big issue very quickly and distract other students learning ...Facebook drama's! The school has a responsibility to keep students safe even if this event started outside of school - NAG 5. It can become tricky if you have parents who consider it to be a out of school issue.
ReplyDeleteHi Aimee,
ReplyDeleteYou highlighted an important issue that many teachers are now having to deal with in their classroom. With increased use of digital technologies throughout school it is becoming increasingly important for us to teach our students about cyber safety. Our students will have increased access to the world through the internet and need these cyber safety skills taught to ensure they are making informed, sensible choices.
Hi Aimee,
ReplyDeleteLove the cartoon. Your experiences really outlined the importance of ‘Cyber Safety Agreements’. With more and more cases of online bullying happening now it is now more important than ever not only to be aware of the dangers but to act on them in a timely manner. This is where school policies need to be updated regularly with the pace of change and where documentation needs to be the safety for all teachers as they continue to deal with the ramifications of social media.
Whilst there are the net safe cyber safety agreements, it would be beneficial and give more clarity if the Ministry of Education would issue annually clear cut safety agreements that all schools used. This way a national culture of online behaviour could be developed with collegial support across all schools.
You are fortunate to have a Cyber Safety Agreement at your school to guide you through the process of dealing with this sort of ethical issues. Students often forget to realize that once they have posted something on social media sites, it is permanent and can come back to bite them. Something that may have been a joke at that point could later develop into a more serious issue. We often hear from the kids "it was just a little joke". By educating the students about cyber safety, we will prepare them to be wary of the potential dangers of engagement with social media.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete