Influence of law and ethics on Professional Practice
"Teachers registered to practice in New Zealand are committed by the attainment of the highest standards of professional service in the promotion of learning by those they teach, mindful of the learner's ability, cultural background, gender, age or stage of development" (NZ Teachers Council, 2004)
Hall, (2001) discusses how being an educator has long been considered a moral activity, because how teachers "fulfil their public duties" has an influence on the lives of children. I think this is even more apparent in today's digital age, where educators who partake in social media are under the scrutiny of peers, parents and students.
This has implications for educators because anything that is seen not to be appropriate by others can have consequences for an educator's career. The problem with ethics is that it is a deeply personal moral code, which the influences of your own life, shape. Due to these differences, our own morals may not marry up with another person's.
Therefore, it is important that teachers follow the code of ethics they are bound by as a registered teacher in New Zealand. The code explicitly states that we must "teach and model those positive values which are widely accepted in society and encourage learners to apply them and critically appreciate their significance (NZ Teachers Council, 2004).
I would hope that this guideline made it clear to educators what is acceptable and not acceptable in society, but there will always be varying interpretations based on the individual. An example of this might be seeing your family doctor in a private facebook post, smoking and drinking. Would this be appropriate? Some people may have no issue with this, but for myself, I would be second guessing this person as a professional in the field of medicine.
However, for an educator, we have the implications of our audience being a student. a vulnerable stakeholder by all accounts, being shaped by influences that we as educators provide. It really is food for thought, do we want their influences to be those things, that we perhaps as adults can discuss, but for a child can perhaps take away some of the innocence they have.
The issues of law and ethics within each school should be explicitly discussed as a school, therefore a common set of principles can be agreed upon, and staff can hopefully maintain ongoing conversations, important because ethical decision making is such an individual process. Hall (2001) concludes that "group analysis of cases provides a rich starting point for developing both ethical consciousness and the cultivation of skills for ethical decision-making" (pg 13).
References:
Council, N. Z. T. (2004). New Zealand Teachers Council code of ethics for registered teachers.
Hall, A. (2001, April). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. In IIPE Conference for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
Hall, (2001) discusses how being an educator has long been considered a moral activity, because how teachers "fulfil their public duties" has an influence on the lives of children. I think this is even more apparent in today's digital age, where educators who partake in social media are under the scrutiny of peers, parents and students.
This has implications for educators because anything that is seen not to be appropriate by others can have consequences for an educator's career. The problem with ethics is that it is a deeply personal moral code, which the influences of your own life, shape. Due to these differences, our own morals may not marry up with another person's.
Therefore, it is important that teachers follow the code of ethics they are bound by as a registered teacher in New Zealand. The code explicitly states that we must "teach and model those positive values which are widely accepted in society and encourage learners to apply them and critically appreciate their significance (NZ Teachers Council, 2004).
I would hope that this guideline made it clear to educators what is acceptable and not acceptable in society, but there will always be varying interpretations based on the individual. An example of this might be seeing your family doctor in a private facebook post, smoking and drinking. Would this be appropriate? Some people may have no issue with this, but for myself, I would be second guessing this person as a professional in the field of medicine.
However, for an educator, we have the implications of our audience being a student. a vulnerable stakeholder by all accounts, being shaped by influences that we as educators provide. It really is food for thought, do we want their influences to be those things, that we perhaps as adults can discuss, but for a child can perhaps take away some of the innocence they have.
The issues of law and ethics within each school should be explicitly discussed as a school, therefore a common set of principles can be agreed upon, and staff can hopefully maintain ongoing conversations, important because ethical decision making is such an individual process. Hall (2001) concludes that "group analysis of cases provides a rich starting point for developing both ethical consciousness and the cultivation of skills for ethical decision-making" (pg 13).
References:
Council, N. Z. T. (2004). New Zealand Teachers Council code of ethics for registered teachers.
Hall, A. (2001, April). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. In IIPE Conference for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
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