Category: Education

Kinghorn Volunteers of the Year 2024

Primary Ethics is delighted to announce the winners of the Kinghorn Volunteers of the Year 2024.

Yes, that’s winners, plural. This was the first year in which nominations could be made for a team as well as an individual.

[Read more about the Award here.]

So the 2024 winners are Jim Neely, Regional Manager, ethics teacher and coordinator in the Queanbeyan region near Canberra, and the Northmead Public School ethics team from western Sydney. Jim, who coordinates three schools in Queanbeyan, receives $$3000 in prize money to distribute to the library services in his schools, while the Northmead team receives $1000.

The judging panel was Jill Kinghorn, Bruce Hogan (Primary Ethics Chair), Barb La Ganza (winner 2023), Kaye Remington (community volunteer), Martin Bregozzo (parent volunteer) and Evan Hannah (CEO).

Jim Neely

Jim Neely is currently regional manager for five ethics programs in the Queanbeyan region, which deliver lessons to thousands of students every week. Currently, he is keeping 15 ethics teachers engaged and himself teaches four classes every week in three different schools.

Jim is dedicated to growing ethics education and works diligently to recruit via local events and media. Besides his five schools, he explores every option to launch new programs in other schools in the region.

From one of his team: “Jim strongly supports teachers at Queanbeyan schools and graciously relieves us when we can’t take our class or seeks out another teacher who can. Behind the scenes, I know he works with the Queanbeyan schools to encourage their participation and active support for ethics classes. My own class had only six students in Term 1 this year. Through his efforts with the school, I now have about 13. And a happy class it is!”

“I nominate Jim because I believe he epitomises the qualities and ethos that are so necessary in an organisation that relies on volunteers in order to be effective and respected. Any organisation would be lucky to have Jim. Primary Ethics is fortunate that we are where he chooses to commit his time and effort. I feel fortunate to volunteer in his area.”

The Northmead team 2024, f rom left: Veronica, Mallika, Susannah, coordinator Tania, Christina (back), Myat (front), Elaine. Missing: Abha.

Northmead Public School ethics team: This team volunteers in a large, diverse school in western Sydney and this nomination is particularly special this year – it is the school’s centenary year!

The team have worked really hard at building a very strong, steady and committed presence to ensure that ethics is now offered across all the school years, having started 10 years ago with only two classes. The reputation and popularity of the program has grown significantly and there are now over 200 students engaged in weekly lessons. This represents almost one third of the school population. The program is seen as an important part of school life and the team is well known and respected as very community-minded.

As well as the two winners, the judging panel gave a special commendation to Faith Weisbrot, who has been on every shortlist since the award commenced in 2022. Faith is a coordinator, teacher and relief teacher at schools in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.

Most weeks Faith teaches from three to five lessons, making sure no children are missing out. Faith has proven year on year what a great team leader she is. She is always available to her teams, mentoring the newer volunteers, making sure to catch up once a term, fostering a sense of team bonding. She organises Classroom Support workshops and observations where feasible.

Faith embodies the true spirit of a Primary Ethics volunteer, humble and hardworking.

Faith Weisbrot
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Arpana: ‘So much more than I ever expected’

“I started as an ethics volunteer when my eldest daughter was in Stage 2 and now she’s at university! Teaching ethics has given me so much more than I ever expected.”

Arpana writes about her journey as an ethics teacher.

“When my daughter started school, I was looking to get involved in the school community. I became an active member of the P&C but wanted to find other ways to apply my interests in children’s learning for life skills. Then, one day, I saw a callout in her school newsletter for ethics volunteers. The idea of contributing to children’s learning in this way was incredibly exciting, even though I had no prior experience in the teacher role. Thankfully, the process of signing up was extremely simple. I submitted my resume, attended a weekend training workshop and learned how to deliver the scripted lessons. The training made it clear I didn’t need to be an expert. Everything I needed was provided and we even practised running discussions. I couldn’t wait to try it with real students!

“I still remember the day I taught my first ethics lesson. I was nervous about meeting the students and running an interactive lesson, but the kids were so engaged. They jumped into the discussions straightaway and it was wonderful to see how much they enjoyed it.

Arpana at the school where she teaches in Sydney's west.

The principal asked a group of students what the best part of their day was and there was an overwhelming response of 'today’s ethics lesson'!

Arpana

“Later that day, the school’s Twitter page shared an update. The principal had asked a group of students what the best part of their day was and there was an overwhelming response of “today’s ethics lesson!” This served as a major confidence boost for me and from then on ethics became a highlight of my week.

“Currently, I dedicate just 30 minutes a week teaching ethics, although this has varied over the 10+ years I have been a volunteer. One thing that has stayed constant is how valuable each lesson is — not just for the students, but for also for me. I’ve been pleasantly surprised on multiple occasions by how thoughtful and mature the student discussions are. They’re learning to be open-minded, to listen to others’ perspectives, to share their own in a way that’s respectful. It’s inspiring to see them build on each other’s ideas and sometimes even change their minds after hearing someone else’s point of view.

“There have also been moments that really stayed with me. Once, I missed a class because I wasn’t feeling well. When I came back the next week, the children were all asking, “Where were you? Why didn’t you come?” I explained I’d been unwell and one of them piped up, “That’s not good — why didn’t you send your husband?” It made me laugh, but it also hit me how much they valued ethics lessons. They don’t see it as being about me; it’s about the lessons and the conversations we share.

“Over the years, I’ve also received more formal recognition for my efforts. I was honoured as a nominee for the NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards in 2018. Such credits really make me feel like I’m part of a larger team, with the shared vision of bringing these ethics lessons to many students.

“Watching my daughter grow up has been a reminder of how quickly time passes, but ethics has stayed a constant part of my life. It’s such an inclusive program, not tied to any religion or culture, which is what makes schools the perfect place for it. I hope these lessons can reach as many kids as possible because they’re learning skills that will stay with them for life.

“Teaching ethics has taught me to see things differently, to listen better and to appreciate the diversity of thoughts that young minds bring. It’s been an incredible journey and I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be part of something so meaningful.”

Find out more about volunteering >>

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Graduating to high school ethics

Adam Bennett and Billie Acosta, after many years of teaching ethics in primary schools, have finally graduated to teaching high school ethics.

Billie and Adam have both taught ethics to their own children for over seven years, teaching all stages at primary school as their kids grew up. This year, they began teaching ethics at Smith’s Hill High School in Wollongong. Both have children at the school and in 2024 the school began offering ethics to year 7 and 8 students for the first time.

'More challenging...'


I’ve certainly appreciated the evolution of responses, when it comes to teaching high school ethics.

smiths hill

Adam Bennett has always enjoyed teaching ethics but was a little nervous about high school classes. “Even the most engaged children become more challenging as they get older, gain experience and develop more confidence. It can be hard to keep students engaged and pace the lesson just right to keep them involved. You never know which topic will captivate them and which will bore them.”

The Primary Ethics high school training observes how 11-to-13-year-olds can appreciate more advanced material and techniques and helped prepare Adam for the more self-assured students.
Some of the ethics class from Smiths Hill High School

Even so, both teachers are finding that employing the new discussion moves, introduced with the high school curriculum, can be hit-and-miss. They notice that there seems to be an implicit consensus among the students that the point of ethics classes is to argue. The year 7 and 8 students seem to enjoy verbal sparring, as they debate their points of view. But with occasional reminders of the guidelines for healthy discussion, they do respectfully disagree, giving reasons and examples.

Billie Acosta has noticed that building on others’ points remains a popular strategy for Stage 4 classes, which have discussed topics including the environment and custodianship vs. ownership, politics and the media, social and cultural responsibility, human longevity and how it affects society, mindful communication and respect, among others. However, not all topics receive rave reviews from the students. As Billie recounted, “If you’re a fan of the pithy response, I offer you this from one of our students after one lesson – ‘some topics have overstayed their welcome!’ I don’t disagree.”

Is this the age where it happens and we, as ethics teachers, get to witness it first hand?

Both teachers find that the new discussion moves serve as a crucial fallback when organic debate is not flowing freely, but timing can be very important. Guiding the class in this way is not always aligned with class feeling about the topic and can just as easily stall the conversation as prompt fresh ideas. One of the main aims is to make sure the lesson continues to be a safe space: students are safe to disagree, provide their reasons and to express their point of view. Arguing for one side of an issue or another is an important element of the class, which many of the students may have learned from primary school, and it can be challenging to keep some students from arguing all possible angles of a given question.

Billie and Adam

We realise there’s a need for curriculum and lesson plans but sometimes this may not leave the time or scope to tease out nuances in a particular discussion. Obviously, the demographic plays a part in student responses and Smiths’ Hill is certainly a specific demographic, as an academically selective school. Watching the students subconsciously sort through the issues and build on or try to refute each other’s ideas remains hugely satisfying. Occasionally, however, the discussion grinds to a halt.

Adam and Billy say: “As teachers, we often learn some interesting new slang and sometimes a little more about our students and the culture they live in, during these ‘brick wall conversations’. Sometimes we get stuck here and have to limp back to our questions and discussion moves, to get things moving again. Sometimes, the students surprise us with their lateral thinking and this level of understanding leads to a whole new class of ethical discussion.”

Adam and Billy agree: “Teaching ethics is a rewarding way to help children become skilled critical thinkers, able to identify and evaluate different opinions, formulate cogent arguments and disagree respectfully, as well as learning from each other.

Although we got involved to teach our own kids, even after 7+ years, teaching ethics is still great fun and we’d recommend it to anyone!”

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An ethics student speaks out

“Ethics classes have been a huge help to me, both in primary and now in secondary school,” writes 16-year-old Keean from southwest Sydney.

“In ethics classes, I have seen so many shy students gain confidence and we have had so many interesting discussions. I learnt how to critically think about problems and delve deeper into my opinions and why I thought certain things.

Instead of just stating my opinion, I was able to understand how to reason and how to convey my opinions in a thought out manner instead of blankly stating them.

I also learnt how to have a functional group discussion with people with different opinions in a respectful manner.

Ethics classes have helped me in high school as well. They taught me not just to trust any information I come across, but rather check other sources and gather more information before coming to a final decision or answering a question.

Keean

Overall, ethics classes were so enjoyable, rewarding and so helpful for me, I highly recommend participating.”

Make a difference for students like Keean by volunteering as an ethics teacher >>
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Brilliant Bangalow

Claire McLisky has been the ethics program coordinator at Bangalow Public School in the far north of the state since 2019. Claire recently to the local Bangalow Herald about the value of ethics education.

Some of the Bangalow team: Angela Saurine, Jane Barker, Deborah Green and Claire McLisky.

“I started teaching ethics in 2017, when I signed up in anticipation of my daughter starting kindy. Since then I have taught all four stages and have loved getting to know the school and all the smart, cheeky, funny and thoughtful children who have been in my classes. I’ve been the Bangalow coordinator since 2020 (a difficult year!) and am enjoying building and supporting my team of teachers as they discover the delights and challenges of ethics teaching.

“Ethics at primary school level is important for two reasons. Firstly, it gives students an opportunity to develop skills that are essential in our complex world – such as critical thinking, giving evidence-based reasons for their opinions, being able to discuss and disagree with others respectfully and how to make well-considered ethical decisions.

“Secondly, without the Primary Ethics program, the students who opt out of Religious Education would have to spend a half hour of their school time doing ‘meaningful activities’ in non-scripture, which mostly seems to just mean colouring in or chatting to their friends.

“Of course, some parents prefer for their students to do non-scripture, which is their right, but many more choose to enrol their children in the ethics program.

Ethics at Bangalow Public School is very popular! Around 60 percent of all students opt for ethics.

Claire McLisky

“In early stages (Kindy and Years 1 and 2), the classes focus on being curious and asking questions, with our trained facilitators employing storytelling and games to get the students engaged. Topics include the difference between knowing and guessing something, changing your mind, telling the truth. In later stages (Years 3 and above), students explore more complex ethical questions, with stories, contemporary issues and real-life scenarios forming the basis of their discussions on issues such as how we should treat living things, voting and fairness in our society.

“Primary Ethics has done a lot of research which shows that our teaching method – using a ‘community of inquiry’ approach where students sit in a circle and share their ideas with each other – improves children’s general reasoning skills as well as their ethical reasoning capabilities.

“We would love to welcome some new volunteers to our team. There are so many benefits that come from teaching ethics – from the chance to engage with young people in a meaningful way and feel connected to the local community, to the opportunity to give back, to the glow that comes from having a really good discussion and having our own assumptions challenged.

“We think our ethics education program is brilliant!”

Join us! Find out more about volunteering
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Elizabeth: ‘I look forward to every one of my ethics lessons!’

Elizabeth Tosti looks forward to teaching her ethics lessons so much that she is going even deeper in her third year of ethics volunteering. She has just taken on the role of ethics coordinator at one of the three local schools she teaches at.

Elizabeth writes: “I first heard about Primary Ethics from a friend who teaches ethics at his child’s school. I had taken early retirement from a busy professional career and was discussing my search for meaningful volunteer work. He suggested that being an ethics teacher could be the perfect role for me.

After investigating further via the Primary Ethics website, I immediately felt that the ethics education program was a wonderful, important initiative to help children develop critical thinking skills and the ability to hold respectful discussions. So I signed up for the training. I really enjoyed that, finding it very helpful in preparing me to be an ethics teacher, since I’ve had no formal teacher training.

I started teaching Kindergarten at Ultimo Primary School in 2022 and immediately just loved it! I’m now teaching three classes at three different schools – kindergarten, Stage 2 and Stage 4 at schools in Ultimo, Glebe and Rozelle.

Elizabeth Tosti on right with Anuya Velpanur, area manager, and Anna, another ethics volunteer.

I’ve found it doesn’t take long to prepare for a lesson – about half an hour – and they are cleverly scripted, with the right balance of storytelling, discussion questions, roleplays and fun games for the younger students, all based on interesting topics that are relevant for each age group.

Elizabeth Tosti

Elizabeth second from right with some of the ethics team at the Ultimo kindy orientation day.

I thoroughly enjoy getting to know my students and am constantly surprised and delighted by their insights and opinions. It’s also extremely rewarding when you observe improvements in the way they listen to each other and articulate their thoughts.

Teaching ethics also hones your facilitation and multi-tasking skills – very often everyone in the class wants to voice their opinion at the same time!

I have learned over the past two and a half years that ensuring I have the support I need with class management from the supervising schoolteacher is essential. I’ve found that a brief discussion with the teacher at the start of term to let them know how they can best help me is all that’s needed and allows the lessons to go more smoothly.

I would highly recommend ethics teaching to anyone who wants to contribute towards helping children become thoughtful, critical thinkers, able to identify and evaluate different opinions – and for anyone who enjoys seeing children grow and learn from one another. I look forward to every one of my lessons and find teaching ethics great fun, challenging and extremely rewarding!”

We're always looking for more volunteers!
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@Home bulletin for parents Term 3 2024

Welcome to @Home for Term 3 2024, where we let families know what your children, from kindergarten into secondary school, could be exploring in their ethics lessons this term.

Subscribe here to receive our @Home email bulletin once a term.

The topics we show below are based on classes which began at the beginning of the year. Schools start at different times of the year, some lessons go faster or slower than others, some schools skip ethics for the first and last weeks of the term while others teach every single week – and so on. 

We hope the students talk about ethics with you at home – ask them questions about it!

If your child tells you they are discussing a topic you don’t see in this bulletin, you can also look at the Curriculum section of our website.

Kindergarten: Disagreeing
Disagreements happen all the time, both big and small. In Term 3, our Kindergarten students will dive into the ethics of disagreeing with others. Is it okay to tell someone they’re wrong? Are there good and bad ways to voice disagreement? Our curriculum aims to help children think about their ideas and those of others. By listening to different viewpoints, especially ideas that challenge their own, students learn that respectful disagreement is an important part of learning together.
Later in the year, they’ll tackle topics like owning up and being truthful.

Stage 1 – Years 1 & 2: Being brave
In Term 3, our Stage 1 students will explore what it means to be brave. Can you be brave if you aren’t afraid or does being brave mean overcoming fear? They’ll also think about a special kind of courage – moral courage. When is it important to stand up for what we believe is right?
Later in the year, students will think about saying sorry and forgiving people.

Stage 2 – Years 3 & 4: Understanding diversity
In Term 3, our Stage 2 students will reflect on some big questions about cultural diversity. Why do different groups of people have different laws? Is it because they have different moral values or is something else going on? And is it fair that the punishments for crimes sometimes differ? For example, in Australia, we might fine someone for stealing, while in traditional Inuit culture, they might banish the person from the tribe.
Later in the year, students will reflect on whether we should always strive to avoid harming living things.

Stage 3 – Years 5 & 6: Getting ahead in sport
In Term 3, our Stage 3 students will discuss the ethics of sports and unfair advantages. Athletes use various methods to gain an edge, but what exactly counts as an unfair advantage? Is loading up on carbohydrates before a race fair? Drinking coffee? Training at special high-altitude camps? Wearing a special swimsuit? Or taking performance-enhancing drugs?
Later in the year, students will consider whether we can blame people for their actions when they have no other options.

Stage 4 – Years 7 & 8: Lizard people and fake news
The internet is full of all kinds of information, some of it quite strange. How important is it, therefore, to think carefully about what we believe? Why do so many people fall for conspiracy theories? Why might politicians spread fake news and does fake news harm democracy? Do media organisations have a duty to combat fake news? In Term 3, our Stage 4 students will dive into these questions, learning how to navigate the complex world of online information responsibly.
Later in the year, students will discuss the ethics of being ignored and whether it’s important to be true to oneself.

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Twelve years an ethics teacher

Peter Scott has been an ethics teacher at an inner-Sydney school for more than 12 years now. In this blog post, Peter looks back – and into the future.

I have been a Primary Ethics teacher at Glenmore Rd PS for 12 years now and I still wake up each week with the excitement of exploring the curriculum with new students. In my early years I used to get butterflies at the thought of managing a group of students. The school’s teachers and Primary Ethics colleagues helped me with lots of tips and built up my confidence. I have taught three stages and seen the curriculum evolve over the years, becoming easier to deliver and more effective in the discussions.

I recently started a new topic with my stage 3 class, Interacting with AI. We were all excited to discuss something so important. About 10 minutes in, I asked the class to tell me what they thought artificial intelligence was. Hands shot up around the circle, but before I could choose a student, a voice calmly rang out with a full description. The class went very quiet as calling out was breaking our class rules.

Peter Scott

More disturbing though was that the voice was not one of my students, it was Siri!

I use an Ipad to deliver the curriculum and Siri had been listening in. When the question was asked she couldn’t contain herself and jumped into the middle of the discussion. It was quite spooky and seemed entirely appropriate, although it took several minutes to get the class calmed and back on track.

So now I have an extra student in my class. I have asked Siri to please observe the class rules before she decides to call out again!

Find out more about volunteering with us!
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The Kinghorn Award for ethics volunteers 2024

Primary Ethics is delighted to announce the Kinghorn Award for ethics volunteers 2024, which brings substantial prize money to go to the recipient’s chosen school, as well as public recognition and appreciation for the often-unsung efforts of our wonderful volunteers.

This award will honour an ethics volunteer or a school team of volunteers who have strongly contributed to the success of the ethics program at their school – or schools. We want to acknowledge team players, good communicators, who are supportive of other volunteers, reliable and committed to our program of ethics education.

The award is open to all ethics teachers, coordinators, regional managers and members of the Classroom Support Team (except individual Primary Ethics staff – they are eligible as members of a team). Every volunteer can nominate other volunteers for this award – there is no limit on numbers of nominations. Only volunteers who have been active in 2024 are eligible to be nominated.

We are looking for someone or a team who:

  • has made a significant contribution to our mission to deliver ethics education to children so that they can develop skills in ethical reasoning, critical thinking and respectful discussion
  • has conducted themselves in a manner true to our values of respect, integrity, independence, excellence and teamwork.

THE PRIZE

The winner has the privilege of directing $4000 towards the library service in the school or schools of their choosing. They will be awarded an engraved trophy and their school library will be given a hardcover copy of Unstoppable Us, volume 2. Why the World isn’t Fair by Yuval Noah Harari, containing a bookplate with details of this award winner.

We will present the award to the winner at a ceremony in December 2024.

Make your nomination here >>

Nominations close at midnight on Friday 27 September, 2024.

The winner will be announced in late November 2024.

WHY THE KINGHORN AWARD?

The Chair of the Primary Ethics Board, Bruce Hogan, through his Hogan Family Foundation, is funding this award in order to recognise the fantastic contribution of the Kinghorn Family Foundation to Primary Ethics.

Primary Ethics would not be where it is today without the Kinghorns. From 2013 through to the present day, John and Jill Kinghorn’s Foundation has provided significant funding to Primary Ethics. This generous funding directly resulted in the employment of urgently needed staff to manage and develop ethics programs and provide teacher training.

This Kinghorn Award recognises both the pivotal role the Foundation has played and the significant role of the winner in bringing our ethics program to more children in our state.

THE JUDGING PANEL

The judging panel will be comprised of:

  • The Chair of the Primary Ethics Board, Bruce Hogan
  • Two randomly selected volunteers – you can express interest in being on the panel on the nomination form
  • CEO of Primary Ethics, Evan Hannah
  • plus others to be arranged.

Now is the time to think, reason and if necessary discuss your reasons for choosing your nominee – and then go ahead and nominate them!

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