Ethical, professional behavior for teachers.

What is ethics?
Moral and Ethics
The importance of ethics in teaching.
Ethics and Codes of Conduct
Some Problematic Situations
 What is ethics?
• Ethics – moral principles, values that govern our
behavior or conduct.
• Ethics is the most important and functioning branch
of philosophy in today.
• Ethics is moral philosophy. The term ethics is
derived from Greek term Ethos which means
custom, character. It is related to our values and
virtues. Therefore, our actions and our experiences
in everyday life are the subjects of ethics.
• Ethics is the study of what is wrong and what is
right. Good-evil, right-wrong, virtue- vice, justice
and unjustice are some ethical concepts.
• Ethics is divided into two parts: theoretical
ethics and applied ethics.
• Theoretical ethics includes normative ethics,
descriptive ethics and meta ethics. Applied
ethics refers to professional ethics.
 Ethics

Theoretical Applied ( practical )

- Normative ethics -Professional ethics
- Descriptive ethics
- Meta ethics
• Normative ethics is the study of what makes actions right and
wrong.
• Meta ethics is about the theoretical meaning and reference of
moral propositions.
• Descriptive ethics is about facts. It examines ethics from
observations of actual choices made by moral agents in practice
• Applied ethics examines the particular ethical issues of private
and public life.
• Professional ethics is one of the important branches of applied
ethics. In general professional ethics can be defined as standards
or codes to provide people to guidance in their professional lives
 Moral and Ethics
• Moral and ethics are always mixed together, but they refer different subjects.
• Ethics is derived from Greek term Ethos which means custom, character.
• morality is a set of beliefs and practices about how to live a good life.
• Morality comes from the Latin term Mores which means custom and manner.
The terms ethics and morality are often used interchangeably. They have same
roots. Their meanings are the same; custom. However, there is a distinction
between them in philosophy. This distinction can be stated as morality is first-
order set of beliefs and practices about how to live a good life,
• ethics is a second-order, conscious reflection on the adequacy of our moral
beliefs.
• Morality is used to refer to what we would call moral conduct while ethics is
used to refer to the formal study of moral conduct. It can be claimed that
morality is related to praxis, but ethics is related to theory
 Four basic values:
• Dignity
• Truthfulness
• Fairness
• Responsibility & freedom
Dignity means respect for humanity. Teachers must respect every
person, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, appearance, age,
religion, social standing, origin, opinions,abilities and achievements.
Truthfulness is one of the core values in teachers’ basic task, which
involves steering learners in navigating life and their environment.
Honesty with oneself and others and mutual respect in all
communication is a basic aspect of teachers’ work.
Fairness is important both when encountering individual learners and
groups but also in the work community. Fairness involves in particular
promoting equality and nondiscrimination and avoiding favouritism.
Teachers are entitled to their own valueness, but in their work,
teachers’ responsibility is tied to their basic task and its standards such
as legislation and the curriculum.
 Ethics and Codes of Conduct
• Students Matter Most
• Committment to the Job
• Keep Learning
• Healthy Relationships Top the List
• Be patient and courteous
• Be considerate
• Be respectful
• Choose your words carefully
 Some Problematic Situations
• Accepting gifts and money from parents.
• Meeting with students socially out of school.
• Being alone with students.
• Giving preference to students of a particular background.
• Hugging students.
• Listening to students’ personal problems.
• Listening to students’ complaints about other teachers.
• Complaining about your principle to community
members.
 Other problem areas
Can you think of other areas in which issues
may arise in school or classroom?
 Advice for the new teacher
• What advice would you give to a new teacher
in regards to acceptable, ethical behavior in
your school?
THANK YOU

JA MUN MAI NLAW