We started off Tuesday night with addressing the central questions of Chapter 1, and the questions that we will attempt to address throughout the semester:
"What are ethical claims and are they even possible?"
"Are there any rules/claims that are likely to be useful and applicable to all situations?"
"On what grounds can ethical decisions be justified?"
Dr. Pope assisted us in distinguishing between factual claims and claims of appraisal/preference. Factual claims can be verified at the degree they correspond with the world, i.e. "EDUC 600 begins at 5:00 pm." On the other hand, claims of preference are a value judgment and cannot be proven, i.e. "Vanilla ice cream is good."
With ethical claims, there is always a normative, meaning that it contains an "ought", or a prescription for behavior. He told us that in philosophical ethics people believed that ethical claims were statements of fact. In constrast, in the educational realm, are we satisfied with ethical claims being statements of preference? Most of the time we demand universals, and our task is to figure out acceptable ways in which to justify ethical statements so that they are not reduced to statements of preference.
Our discussion then moved to the comparison/constrast of consequentialist versus nonconsequentialist thinking, as described in the Strike and Soltis text. Consequentialists makes decisions based on what will bring the most good. Ethical decisions are justified when they lead to the most good or lead to no bad consequences. However, the issues surrounding this train of thought deal with the objectivity of good, and the fact that humans are fallible and limited, therefore cannot know all of the consequences of an action. Sometime good consequences outweigh bad, but the actions involved may run contrary to moral intuition. Consequentialist thinking asks us to make decisions without emotions.
On the other hand, nonconsequentialist thinking models "The Golden Rule." Immanuel Kant is associated with this type of thinking, and the standard says that there are certain ways all fundamental people want to be treated. If you are about to apply a moral principle to someone else, are you willing that it be applied to you? Kant states that if we realized we have a great faculty of reason, we would treat people very differently; they would become rational moral agents. For Kant consequences do not matter so much because we are fundamentally responsible for our own actions.
Both theories try to find a way to ground and justify ethical statements. There is a hybrid of the theories that is called "rule utilitarianism" which requires that we figure out which rules make the most people happy and produce the most good, and follow these rules.
One major thing that we discussed is the relevant criteria involved in making an ethical decision. What counts as relevant criteria? Are there universals when weighing ethical decisions?
After the break we moved into the articles read for this week, and we started out with Noddings article on the "One-Caring as Teacher." There are two fundamental assumptions to Noddings' work, the first one being that we are always in relationship with others. The second assumption is that we are fundamentally caring and cared for. Noddings premise is that teachers are to be the one-caring and the students are the one cared for. What is most important is the relation between teacher and student. This relationship models a mother-child relationship, and the teacher's job is to be committed to the student.
Noddings discusses that we must understand we are not autonomous because we are always "the other" is someone's relationship. There are three things that a teacher should do as caring to enhance Nodding's ideal of the "ethical ideal":
1. Engage students in dialogue- Both parties contribute, something comes out. Students ought to contribute to classroom conversation through their thoughts, interests, viewpoints.
2. Provide a model- Nurture one's caring/ethical ideal by being one-caring.
3. Engage in cooperative practice- Teacher and student do things together, the teacher meets the student where they are, teaching is a moral activity. The student is confirmed.
We discussed potential problems with this idea, one being that both parties must respond in order to be in relationship. If the student does not respond, then they are not doing their job. Many times the relationship can be broken, or every act of caring by the teacher is not genuine.
The teacher can burn out from giving into relationships and failing to be confirmed/cared for in return.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ethics Discussion
During last night's discussion on ethics, I felt that I am torn between the consequentialist view and nonconsequentialist view. While they both have valid points, I find it hard on which view to use. It's hard to distinguish whether a particular situation is right, wrong, or simply ethical. When discussing the Christian basketball team who won by 100 points, I listened to a valid argument during class. Although I am not a parent, I believe that if I were to see a basketball team leading by 100 points, I would think the coach and/or players would "let up" a bit in order for the other team to score and have a little fun. On the other hand, as a competitive athlete, I think you should put forth your best effort, regardless if the opposing team is losing by 2 points or 100 points. And who has authority to say whether a decision is ethical or not? Wouldn't that be based on opinion? I think everybody should think ethically when making decisions. Whether that be the consequentialist or nonconsequentialist approach, I am looking forward to learning more about ethics. I think the more I read on how to handle a situation ethically, the better decisions I will make as a teacher when faced with multiple problems and situations.
Ethics
After last night's class, I cannot help but thinkt there is no right and wrong when it comes to ethics. Who determines what is ethical? Each person has to determine for themselves what is ethical. An example of this was presented in class last night in reponse to the girls' basketball team that beat their opponents by 100 points. Some argued that the coach of the winning team was wrong for running up the score on the opposing team and then refusing to apologize. Others countered with the view that the coach was not wrong, because a basketball game is a competition and when competing everyone wants to do their best, and the coach had nothing to apologize for. The issue of game being played in a Christian school conference was added to the mix. Should the fact that the coach was coaching in a Christian school game, make any difference in the question of ethics? I felt that everyone made a good point for how they viewed this situation. How can I decide if what another person does is ethical? I am looking forward to reading and discussing more of our ethics text. I am hoping that I am guided to a better understanding of ethics. I did not know until recently that I was so conflicted regarding ethics!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
While discussing the views of consequentionalism and nonconsequentionalism, the example of the English teacher Henry and student Tim was introduced. The idea that Tim is supposed to be a well-rounded, structured, driven model of excellent citizenship after high school is a nice thought and would be nice if that were the often the case. But, unfortunately, the simple fact is that this doesn’t always happen. Students do fail and dropout of school because they do not see the consequences in doing so. For example, there are adults in this world who cannot read but still manage to function in their everyday lives and who are actually good people. Just because they did not do well in school does not mean they are doomed for the rest of their lives nor does it mean they are incapable of doing a job well. I understand that as students attend school they should be developing certain behavioral and academic standards for everyday life that make them a better quality human being but, surprisingly, not everyone will find that in a classroom.
The criteria considered for making a decision about Tim is difficult, but to me the biggest problem is his home environment. Clearly his father could care less about his son’s academic performance and if his mom is working all the time, where is he going to get the encouragement and assistance that every child needs and deserves to succeed? I know that I would not have done half as well in school if my parents had not only expected good grades from me but helped me when I needed it.
This relates to Noddings’ one-caring teacher. Tim’s parents may have never been around to care for him like they should have and maybe no one in his life has given him a chance or believed in him enough to do something. Sitting in a classroom and writing essays is hard for a lot of people and if you are struggling and no one is there to help you it is easy, and probably likely, that they will feel like a failure. Tim does not see the relevance to his own life but working in the real world could give him the passion and drive he needs to succeed in life, but maybe not in a high school English class. By writing the recommendation, with honesty and some sort of precondition, Henry is giving Tim an opportunity that he might never have. Someone needs to look out for him because his family surely isn’t.
The criteria considered for making a decision about Tim is difficult, but to me the biggest problem is his home environment. Clearly his father could care less about his son’s academic performance and if his mom is working all the time, where is he going to get the encouragement and assistance that every child needs and deserves to succeed? I know that I would not have done half as well in school if my parents had not only expected good grades from me but helped me when I needed it.
This relates to Noddings’ one-caring teacher. Tim’s parents may have never been around to care for him like they should have and maybe no one in his life has given him a chance or believed in him enough to do something. Sitting in a classroom and writing essays is hard for a lot of people and if you are struggling and no one is there to help you it is easy, and probably likely, that they will feel like a failure. Tim does not see the relevance to his own life but working in the real world could give him the passion and drive he needs to succeed in life, but maybe not in a high school English class. By writing the recommendation, with honesty and some sort of precondition, Henry is giving Tim an opportunity that he might never have. Someone needs to look out for him because his family surely isn’t.
Reading Analysis - The One-Caring as Teacher
Looking back at the years I have spent in school I see I have had two main types of teachers: teachers who care about their students and teachers who don't. I've had teachers go above and beyond their call of duty for their students. They set aside time before and after school to make sure students understand the material. They come up with new and exciting ways to prevent their students with information. They engage their students. I've also had teachers who sat in the front of the classroom, read notes from a sheet of paper, told us to copy what he or she said and then simply tested us on that. There was never an effort to engage his or her students. The teacher never offered any extra help or seemed to put any energy into being a teacher. Unfortunately, a majority of my teachers acted this way; however, the teachers who made class come alive and who put their students needs first will always stand out to me. Their classes are the ones I won't forget. I believe Nel Noddings would consider teachers like these to be the "one-caring."
According to Noddings, "the one-caring is engrossed in the cared-for and undergoes a motivational displacement toward the projects of the cared-for." To me, motivational displacement means that the one-caring focuses and acts on the needs of the one cared-for. It's a way of taking on a students point of view, or putting your student first. This may seem to be important for higher education, but I believe it is also extremely important in early childhood education, as well.
Noddings says teachers should be acting as a model for their students. At the same time, the one-caring should be working with the student. This really stuck out to me - working with the student, as opposed to simply lecturing to the student. In all our education classes we learn that it's important to actually engage our students for them to truly learn. We learn to take a hands-on approach to education. I believe that's what Noddings sees as the one-caring as teacher. She describes the student as becoming an apprentice to the teacher, and eventually the student will take on more and more tasks. The reward for the teacher is a students response. This responsiveness creates a two-way communication between the teacher and the student, or between the one-caring and the one cared-for.
As early childhood teachers, we are going to have a huge responsibility to act as the one-caring. We never know what kind of background our students are coming from. They may have a very difficult family life, but they come to us for 7 hours a day. That's 7 hours to make a difference and influence a student. To act as the one-caring, Noddings believes we need to not only show concern and interest in our students, but also understanding. If we allow students to contribute to class and their learning, we will probably gain much more respect and much more responsiveness from them.
Act of Mercy or Murder
This morning on Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer interviewed an attorney named John West. He has recently written a book entitled, "The Last Goodnights: Assisting My Parents with Their Suicides." His father, "Jolly" West, a renowned psychiatrist, had been diagnosed with cancer with only months to live. He asked John to assist him in his suicide which he did by providing him with a cocktail of pills. His death was attributed to cancer.
Later his mother Kathyrn "K", a clinical psychologist, was diagnosed with alzheimers and she made the same request of John and he complied.
John says that his parents had "deep insight into the human condition . . . and they knew what they wanted."
John believes as his parents did in "freedom of choice" and the right to choose death with dignity. Assisted suicide is not lawful. Even if it is intended as an act of mercy. The statue of limitations for assisted suicide has expired but John could still be charged with homicide or possibly murder.
John and his parents both knew the law and yet they decided to break the law because it would ease the pain and suffering due to their deteriorating health condition.
A non-consequentialist would say that John responded out of duty, obligation, principle (and love) and those considerations are more important than the consequence of possibly serving jail time.
West's desire is that his book will promote debate and discussion so that others will not have to break the law but that the laws would be changed.
Obviously the utility of Jolly's and K's lives revolved more around pain than pleasure.
So was John West justified in what he did? Did he make the right ethical choice? The law says no. His answer would obviously be yes.
Later his mother Kathyrn "K", a clinical psychologist, was diagnosed with alzheimers and she made the same request of John and he complied.
John says that his parents had "deep insight into the human condition . . . and they knew what they wanted."
John believes as his parents did in "freedom of choice" and the right to choose death with dignity. Assisted suicide is not lawful. Even if it is intended as an act of mercy. The statue of limitations for assisted suicide has expired but John could still be charged with homicide or possibly murder.
John and his parents both knew the law and yet they decided to break the law because it would ease the pain and suffering due to their deteriorating health condition.
A non-consequentialist would say that John responded out of duty, obligation, principle (and love) and those considerations are more important than the consequence of possibly serving jail time.
West's desire is that his book will promote debate and discussion so that others will not have to break the law but that the laws would be changed.
Obviously the utility of Jolly's and K's lives revolved more around pain than pleasure.
So was John West justified in what he did? Did he make the right ethical choice? The law says no. His answer would obviously be yes.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
February 2, 2009 Summary
Tonight’s class started with some usual housekeeping done by Dr. Pope concerning the upcoming Law Presentations and Amanda advertising two upcoming band performances by her band Tattermask. A lot of things that we discussed pertained to ethics (in general), the differences between consequentialists and non-consequentialists, and what Nel Noddings suggests about the “One-Caring Teacher”.
Some notes about ethics:
· Two types of claims: factual and personal. One example of a factual claim is the sky is blue. One example of a personal claim is vanilla ice cream is good (since this is an unproven statement, it can be subject to bias since only one person can make such a claim).
· The term normative applies to what people should or should not do in order to solve an ethical dilemma.
· There are times where one’s personal experience can not serve as grounds for what ethically based decisions teachers often make in dealing with problems such as cheating or plagiarism.
· There has to be publically accepted reasons in order to act to what we should or should not do.
Some notes about consequentialism/non-consequentialism:
· Having positive consequences is often the desired result of all ethical decisions
· Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill were two followers of Utilitarianism.
· Some issues related to both consequentialism/non-consequentialism include: One needs to know all of the consequences involved (often based on decision), Giving preferential treatment to another one person or thing over another (this leads to worrying about whether a decision is fair to all or not). Example: Treating childhood cancer. Is it worth the pain and suffering of some to find a cure for others who suffer from a form of a childhood cancer?
· Consequentialism asks one to go against their rational sense or emotion. One way to look at it is that the actions of one benefit the rest of humanity. Here, the question can be asked: what will produce the most good for all?
· Non-consequentialism can be compared to the Golden Rule (do onto others as you want them to do onto you).
· Ways of showing respect : treating everyone equally, accepting all points of view, consider the welfare of others, acknowledging decisions that are made by others.
· Kant argued that what can not be done, can not become Universal Law. Example: Telling a lie
· Kant believed that all humans are on the same level since we are all capable of doing the same thing. Example: lying to protect a friend from being captured by the secret police. He also believed that we all are responsible for our own actions (a non-consequentialist argument).
· Rule Utilitarianism examines which rules apply to which situation, which ruling will make the most people happy. This is also a combination of both consequentialism and non-consequentialism.
· One should only focus on important criteria in making ethically-based decisions. This includes: a student’s performance in class, their social economic status or other possible factors outside of whether we like their families or not.
Some notes about the Nel Noddings reading:
· One large assumption that can be taken from Noddings is that we all are in relations with one another. Another is called motivational displacement or seeing things how the student sees it.
· Our role is to be the one caring for and fostering a student’s growth, being interested in why one responded the way that they did instead of what their answer was (whether they have any interest in the subject or not).
· Students will respond to the subject or class if the teacher shows that they actually do care, thus instilling interest in the student.
· Noddings defined the role of one-care teacher has more than rainbows, clouds, hugs and kisses. Her definition included an understanding of where the student is coming from.
· Good teachers are often shaped by how the good students are to them. This is done thru engaging the class in communication, probing thoughts and feelings about the teacher’s subject matter (which leads to constructivism or building new knowledge).
· Teachers should be open to allowing students to contribute to their learning, having to explain to students the consequences behind their actions, to providing a role model for the students.
· The biggest difficulty is when one party chooses not to accept the caring of the other party, in other words too much giving and not enough receiving.
· Engaging in cooperative practice is another one of Nodding’s beliefs, this does lead to both moral and physical development.Schools can make things easier for teachers in their job performance. However, there is the possibility that misunderstandings can develop thru negative connotations.
Some notes about ethics:
· Two types of claims: factual and personal. One example of a factual claim is the sky is blue. One example of a personal claim is vanilla ice cream is good (since this is an unproven statement, it can be subject to bias since only one person can make such a claim).
· The term normative applies to what people should or should not do in order to solve an ethical dilemma.
· There are times where one’s personal experience can not serve as grounds for what ethically based decisions teachers often make in dealing with problems such as cheating or plagiarism.
· There has to be publically accepted reasons in order to act to what we should or should not do.
Some notes about consequentialism/non-consequentialism:
· Having positive consequences is often the desired result of all ethical decisions
· Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill were two followers of Utilitarianism.
· Some issues related to both consequentialism/non-consequentialism include: One needs to know all of the consequences involved (often based on decision), Giving preferential treatment to another one person or thing over another (this leads to worrying about whether a decision is fair to all or not). Example: Treating childhood cancer. Is it worth the pain and suffering of some to find a cure for others who suffer from a form of a childhood cancer?
· Consequentialism asks one to go against their rational sense or emotion. One way to look at it is that the actions of one benefit the rest of humanity. Here, the question can be asked: what will produce the most good for all?
· Non-consequentialism can be compared to the Golden Rule (do onto others as you want them to do onto you).
· Ways of showing respect : treating everyone equally, accepting all points of view, consider the welfare of others, acknowledging decisions that are made by others.
· Kant argued that what can not be done, can not become Universal Law. Example: Telling a lie
· Kant believed that all humans are on the same level since we are all capable of doing the same thing. Example: lying to protect a friend from being captured by the secret police. He also believed that we all are responsible for our own actions (a non-consequentialist argument).
· Rule Utilitarianism examines which rules apply to which situation, which ruling will make the most people happy. This is also a combination of both consequentialism and non-consequentialism.
· One should only focus on important criteria in making ethically-based decisions. This includes: a student’s performance in class, their social economic status or other possible factors outside of whether we like their families or not.
Some notes about the Nel Noddings reading:
· One large assumption that can be taken from Noddings is that we all are in relations with one another. Another is called motivational displacement or seeing things how the student sees it.
· Our role is to be the one caring for and fostering a student’s growth, being interested in why one responded the way that they did instead of what their answer was (whether they have any interest in the subject or not).
· Students will respond to the subject or class if the teacher shows that they actually do care, thus instilling interest in the student.
· Noddings defined the role of one-care teacher has more than rainbows, clouds, hugs and kisses. Her definition included an understanding of where the student is coming from.
· Good teachers are often shaped by how the good students are to them. This is done thru engaging the class in communication, probing thoughts and feelings about the teacher’s subject matter (which leads to constructivism or building new knowledge).
· Teachers should be open to allowing students to contribute to their learning, having to explain to students the consequences behind their actions, to providing a role model for the students.
· The biggest difficulty is when one party chooses not to accept the caring of the other party, in other words too much giving and not enough receiving.
· Engaging in cooperative practice is another one of Nodding’s beliefs, this does lead to both moral and physical development.Schools can make things easier for teachers in their job performance. However, there is the possibility that misunderstandings can develop thru negative connotations.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)