Week 28 Influence of Law and Ethics in Practice

This week's readings on the influence of Law and Ethics in practice got me thinking about the sorts of ethical issues that may arise within my classroom as we move forward in the digital technology world.  As Ehrich et al.'s (2011) states the field of ethics has been the focus of increasing attention in teaching, and that this is not surprising given that teaching is a moral activity that is heavily values-laden.  

I think there are a couple of reflective models that I will most likely refer to when faced with issues of ethics, law, regulations, and policy in practice.  One is Rolfe et al.’s  (2001) reflective model where three simple questions, “what”, “so what” and “now what”is applied.  The other is Ehrich’s model of ethical decision-making.  I like this as it has useful prompts to ensure you think about all the relevant issue of law, regulations, and policy, it guides your decision-making process and it also prompts you to consider the implications of the choices you make when responding.    

 

                       Ehrich model of ethical decision-making

When looking back on the ethical issue I will discuss in this blog, I realise I used both reflective models when working through the ethical issue that arose from the incident. So I will discuss the issue using and referring to the two models to show how I addressed the incident/dilemma and how it was resolved. 

  

What

So what happened? Recently Chromebooks have been integrated into my class programme.  A group of students had been left to work by themselves on a task on the Chromebooks while I attended to the remainder of the class who were working on a paper-based exercise. During this time it was drawn to my attention that one of the students on a Chromebook was accessing YouTube and gaming sites instead of the task that had been set for them to continue with.  

So what 

So what were the competing forces relevant to this incident?  Well, our school ICT policy was not being adhered to.  It states students are only to go on websites, apps and search engines that teachers show them, and be on the internet when they have permission from the teacher.  Our schools ICT policy when using digital devices is an agreement that is signed by both the parent and the student.  And of course, parents send their children to school expecting that rules and procedures will be adhered to.  Our teaching code of professional responsibilities and standards also states that high standards of ethical behaviour are expected of all members (Educational Council, 2017). And finally, the teaching values I hold of honesty and being trustworthy also came into play.  

I discussed this incident with my senior colleague, to see whether he had experienced this issue and if so how he had dealt with it.  It turns out he had and so this helped me with my decision-making process.  I took into consideration that the student was looking at a music and a gaming site and that it was a first-time offence.  I also knew that withdrawing Chromebook was an option but I was keen to be able to find other solutions ahead of this. 

Now what

With the “so what” and the relevant components of the Ehrich model considered I was able to make my choice as to how I would attend to this ethical dilemma. I chose to act but in an informal and internal way.  I had an informal meeting with the student to discuss the situation, to revisit the schools ICT agreement with the child and to outline the implications that would occur if this was to happen again.  In addition to this, the student was teamed up with a computer buddy during Chromebook time. This was in place for a couple of weeks and since then there have been no further issues with this student. There has been no need to go externally and to contact the parents. 

   

Using Ehrich’s reflective and ethical model enabled me to systematically work through the steps to come to an informed decision as to what to do.  The reflective model draws attention to the interdependence of the factors and elements in identifying and resolving an ethical dilemma.  I see this and Rolfe’s reflective model of “what”, “so what” and “now what”, being helpful tools that I’m sure will be handy as I navigate my way in this fast-changing digital landscape. 

References:

Lisa Catherine Ehrich, Megan Kimber, Jan Millwater & Neil Cranston (2011)

Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185,

Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards. Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/file

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001).  Critical Reflection for Nursing and the Helping Professions: A User's Guide. Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan.