Kate Sawtschuk uses the five discussion rules to anchor her to the basics of her role as an ethics team coordinator.

Coordinators are a vital part of our volunteer workforce – holding teams together, liaising with schools to get the lesson logistics right. Some coordinators don’t teach ethics themselves but enjoy the organisational side of things. If you’re interested or know an ace organizer, find out more.

Teaching ethics

I have been fortunate to have many bright and fulfilling moments in the classroom during my years as an ethics teacher:

– when an interesting topic thread engages students in passionate discussion

– when it clicks for a student who has displayed challenging behaviours in class

– when a quiet student tentatively puts up their hand to share their thoughts.

Coordinating ethics

In my time beyond the classroom as an ethics coordinator, where I strive to use and develop my own critical thinking and empathy, I have had some equally valuable insights and rewards.

The role of ethics coordinator is like being an ethics teacher but on a different scale of community development. Coordinators are the link between viewpoints of the school and volunteers, ultimately holding the potential to facilitate greater school and community cohesion.

As such, the trusty discussion rules for Years 1-6 which ethics teachers never leave home without are also an anchor point for me as an ethics coordinator in a large metropolitan Sydney primary school in a diverse community.

Using the 5 rules

The rules provide a helpful framework to support a collaborative relationship with the school and recruitment of and advocacy for the ethics teacher team, not to mention a reminder for us to go back to basics in our own personal development and behaviour!

1. Only one person speaks at a time.

Ethics coordinators liaise with school staff and volunteers. Usually, there is more than one perspective being expressed at once! If a coordinator can validate and understand individual viewpoints and act as a bridge, often they can be the one to set a tone of understanding and cooperation.

2. Pay attention to the person who is speaking.

We know that active listening maximises the ability to understand someone’s viewpoint and fosters respectful communication. This can help connect the coordinator’s own ideas to the school or volunteer perspective and enable them to fairly evaluate a situation.

3. Build on other people’s ideas.

Schools face many complex challenges today and must balance these in the provision of ethics classes. Collective brainstorming and compromise are important tools for coordinators in solving problems that arise.

4. Speak to other students, not just to the teacher.

Acquiring assorted viewpoints from others, such as those of various school staff, volunteers, Primary Ethics staff and the school community, can turn what seems like an isolated task into a shared experience and allow for analytical thinking.

5. No putdowns.

The capacity to disagree respectfully is a skill we all need to work on, especially when we feel our values are being threatened. Ethics teachers do not promote their own values in the classroom and nor do coordinators in their role, yet sometimes school decisions can be challenging. To best manage this, refer to the previous four discussion rules!

The impact and success of an ethics coordinator is built upon the astounding volunteer ethics teachers who make up the teams we are so proud to represent.