Teachers. Leaders. Worldwide
Academics, Morality, and Education.
Though there exists some exceptions where schools are able to successfully fuse high quality academics with a strong sense of morality and proper societal orientation, many schools seem to delight in ONLY ensuring their products achieve high grades in examinations WITHOUT much emphasis on the student's moral and social development!
If the National curricula focus mostly on producing Scientists, Doctors, Engineers, Professors etc without adequate provision for ensuring these professionals also develop a fine sense of morality, decency, and social grace, SHOULD the teacher, upon personal conviction, take it upon himself to integrate these ideals into his or her classroom practice?
And if, in a public school setup, the teacher or the school decides to infuse some measure of moral discipline into its activities, how far can it go if there isn't much support from the parents or the wider society? So many questions, so many hard choices, where do you stand in the midst of it all???
Tags: Morality, academics, culture, discipline, parents, religion
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Nzeaka Emmanuel Ezimako on -
I really think that the teacher should take it upon himself and create these moral lessons.This should be drawn from the themes of his lesson and from there he can extrapolate on the morality and contentious issues in wider society.It worked well for me in Literature and English lessons . I know it can be done in other subjects too. Curriculum developers should endeavour to graft this life lessons('as my students named it) into the various subjects instead of seeing it as a different entity. It will help enliven the teaching process . It worked for me and my Year 11 Literature class, we operated like a family. I also gained insight from their expose.
Emmanuel
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Permalink Reply by Ibrahim K. Oyekanmi on -
Emmanuel, I quite agree with you. Using moral topics in a thematic approach will ensure a simple and steady way of getting learners to explore issues and get to adapt them to their local realities. And if it can be employed in a school-wide effort, i'm sure every teacher will find a way of integrating the theme into his or her teaching subjects. Even Science subjects can be taught with a infusion of ethical standards and practices.
On the whole, i'd expect the approach to curriculum planning design to take cognizance of the feedback from teachers' practices across the society to enable a fine 'grafting' of best practices into the curriculum. But however it plays out, it is still the teacher's task to do his or her best to ensure the learners imbibe knowledge and skills that witt help their overall development as functional members of the society.
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Permalink Reply by Kadidia V. Doumbia on -
I guess you're speaking about revisiting the educational system. teachers have to offer opportunities to their students to express themselves and discuss issues. As teachers we need to open the door to critical thinking, to understanding of others even if they are different. Respect, tolerance will allow us to teach the citizens of the future of the global world. Without this approach wars will never cease.
A teacher does not have to try changing ideals, we don't have to do parents' work but by helping students to think critically we offer them a path to maturity.
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Permalink Reply by Ibrahim K. Oyekanmi on
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Yes, I agree we owe it as a duty to guide our learners to Question their realities! But my question is concerned with how does a teacher navigate the waters injecting morality into education in a world which is tending towards outright seperation of the two? It is either the focus is sure academics OR it is morality! How do we integrate moral values into our daily work in the classrooms as teachers?
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Permalink Reply by Emilie Caes on -
If you teach literature or reading, you can integrate moral values in the story map. After analyzing the characters and conflicts of the story such as man vs man, man vs himself and man vs nature, ask the students the moral lesson of the story. Then ask them how they can apply it in their own life.
Then in math, motivate the students the importance of the lesson why study math. Ask them what you count and measure in the classroom. For example the classroom will be built by measuring the wall, the ceiling, the floor and etc...let the student figure out the importance of counting money and counting time. Students may answer to budget money andto budget time and etc.
I can share specific methods of teachings which l have applied in my 18 year teaching experience. Right now I have mentioned a few but will share more later on. If you are using a lesson plan, add in your outline subject/ objective and procedure how you would motivate students or what moral lesson can you share in class.
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Permalink Reply by Linda Rozenblad on -
I think it is a good idea to have norms of moral disciplines in your vision and mission statement of the school so that every teacher and the parents know what The morals values of such a school are.
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