Now What? Confronting and Resolving Ethical Questions

Sarah V. Mackenzie - University of Maine, USA
G. Calvin Mackenzie - Colby College, Waterville, ME

Other Titles in:
Continuing Professional Development | Ethics & Spirituality | Teaching Methods & Learning Styles

April 2010 | 176 pages | Corwin

'This is a book that should set off needed conversations in every school and classroom and school board meeting-and the dinner table. Sometimes I wanted to quarrel with the authors, and that's part of its genius. It always managed to provoke me to think and to engage with these dilemmas' - Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar and Adjunct Professor, New York University, USA

'The Mackenzies show us how to recognize moral dilemmas, employ guidelines for addressing them, and teach us how to resolve them on our own. A gift to educators, the educational profession, and to all who would behave ethically and professionally within it' - Roland Barth, Educational Consultant

Teachers deal with ethical issues on a regular basis, from confidentiality regarding student information to discipline to communication. As moral exemplars, teachers need guidance for handling such challenges. Written by an educator and a national authority on ethics, this professional development resource helps teachers confront and resolve ethical questions.

Featuring richly detailed, real-life case studies, this volume outlines the intricate relationship between ethical propriety and school success. Chapters focus on:

- The role of teachers in developing, sharing, and implementing ethical policies for their schools

- Four guiding principles-the Rule of Publicity, the Rule of Universality, the Rule of Benevolence, and the Golden Rule—for developing ethical approaches and practices

- Relationships between teachers and students, colleagues, supervisors, parents, taxpayers, and other stakeholders

With a facilitation guide and a matrix of cases with corresponding ethical principles, Now What? Confronting and Resolving Ethical Questions is a crucial tool for ensuring equality of opportunity and a quality learning environment for all involved in the educational process.

Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

Part I. Thinking About Ethics

1. Engaging in Ethics

2. Ethical Behavior: Some General Principles

Part II. Acting Ethically: Teachers and Their Constituents

3. The Essential Learning Relationship: Teachers and Students

4. Important Pieces of the Puzzle: Teachers and Parents

Part III. Acting Ethically: Teachers and Their Colleagues

5. Trust and Respect: Teachers as Colleagues

6. The Sum of the Parts: Teachers on Collaborative Teams

7. Clash of Philosophies: The School Faculty

8. Clashing Codes: Professional Communities of Teachers

Part IV. Acting Ethically: Teachers and Supervisors

9. Power and Authority: Teachers and Their Principals

10. The Teacher, Superintendent and School Board, and the Community

11. Summing Up

Resource A. Workshop Outline: Tools for Teachers and Teacher Leaders

Resource B. Examining Critical Events

References

Index

"This is a book that should set off needed conversations in every school and classroom and school board meeting—and the dinner table. Sometimes I wanted to quarrel with the authors, and that's part of its genius. It always managed to provoke me to think and to engage with these dilemmas."

Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar and Adjunct Professor

Steinhardt School of Education, New York University

"Schools are full of situations fraught with ethical implications. The Mackenzies show us how to recognize moral dilemmas, employ guidelines for addressing them, and, by walking us through abundant yeasty cases, teach us how to resolve them on our own. A gift to educators, the educational profession, and to all who would behave ethically and professionally within it."

Roland Barth, Educational Consultant