Law and Ethics influence on Professional Context

As a teacher I am constantly being asked to make objective judgments on issues by employing ethics. Yet, ethics is based primarily based on theories of morality. Ethics involves developing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct (Strike, 2003). What is right and wrong is dependent on the context and society, so it is a multifaceted and complex concept not a single topic that can be studied in isolation. It is the foundation upon which I interact with the world. Everything I do, every decision I make, has ethics at its core, driving the choices I make. 

Identifying the foundation of my ethical framework allows me to understand what drives and motivates me to respond to situations in certain ways. In terms of my profession, identifying and understanding my profession's ethics provides part of the map on my professional journey and at times prescribes exactly what I can and cannot do. However, ethical decisions are not black and white, they are in shades of grey, and therefore a code of ethics will not always provide the whole answer.

The NZ Education council code of ethics for certificated teachers is one way minimum behaviours in the teaching profession are set. The document clearly states in article three (Commitment to Society) that:

Teachers are vested by the public with trust and responsibility, together with an expectation that they will help prepare students for life in society in the broadest sense.

In fulfillment of their obligations to society, teachers will strive to: teach and model those positive values which are widely accepted in society and encourage learners to apply them and critically appreciate their significance.  

I strive to instill positive societal values into all of my students for the time they are under my care. This includes, but is not limited to explaining the reasons behind laws, rules, and regulations of the wider community and allowing students to critically analyse the justifications for these reasons. I also uphold and demonstrate respect of these values in the classroom.

However, social media creates a conundrum when teaching these positive values in society. Globally, online communication through social media allows students to interact with people which may not reinforce these positive values. A very real dilemma educators face is how do protect students from this content?

With students spending time online at younger and younger ages, from a moral stand point it is vital that we explicitly teach students how to protect themselves and behave responsibly online. To not only to be responsible citizens but responsible digital citizens.

Respect, Educate and Protect (REPs)

Carpenter (1996) considered the ethical issues involved with using online resources suggests that educators initiate and model a standardized role of ethical behavior for students. One way I incorporate the themes of positive digital citizenship into my teaching is through using the the concept of REPs. Each area encompasses three topics so all students understand the basic ideas.

Respect Your Self/Respect Others

- Etiquette

- Access

- Law

Educate Your Self/Connect with Others

- Literacy

- Communication

- Commerce

Protect Your Self/Protect Others

-Rights and Responsibility

- Safety (Security)

- Health and Welfare

In terms of online safety at home, my personal standpoint on it is this: I cannot control what they do at home. Social media websites are blocked at school across our WiFi so not an issue during class time. I have a legal and moral obligation to protect them from undesirable online interactions at school in loco parentis (Education Act, 1989). Therefore, parents should be responsible for maintaining their child's safety online at home. I endeavour to include parents and guardians in developing their child's digital citizenry.

At the end of the day, I choose to comment regularly on issues like cyber-safety, online bullying, protecting your own information and personal details, how to use positive actions to affect change and set the example by modelling this in all interactions online. 

I focus on myself as a role model and use my interactions with social media to boost positive comments. I also make sure senior staff are involved in the process to assist with any negative choices my students may make and talk openly about these choices as I try to mentor my learners so they understand how to be upstanding digital citizens.

To be fair, I have not had a situation where this dilemma has caused a major problem. I’m not purporting that it couldn’t or wouldn’t happen, but I believe that if we educate our students properly as we are ethically relied upon to do, they will be able to handle social media properly – without worry.

In my experience, having whanau on classroom social media sites shifts things from my responsibility to theirs – they openly communicate with their own children and the parents that know their children are on the site tend to monitor their activity quite closely and help reinforce best practice I am role modelling in class. 

REFERENCES

Carpenter, C. (1996). Online Ethics: What's a Teacher to Do?. Learning & Leading with Technology, 23(6), 40.

Code of ethics for certificated teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-ethics-registered-teachers-0

Collste, G.(2012) Applied and professional ethics. Kemanusiaan.19(1), 17–33. Education Council (nd). The Education Council Code of Ethics for Certficated Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/content/code-of-ethics-certificated-teachers-0

Education Act (1989) Wellington: New Zealand Government

Strike, K. A. (2003). The ethics of teaching (pp. 509-524). Blackwell Publishing Ltd.