Category: Education

Former student turns ethics teacher
Alexa-Stuart-feature

Alexa Stuart loved her ethics lessons when she was in primary school. A decade on, the 18-year-old is back at her former school teaching a new generation of ethics students.

In April, I taught my first ever ethics lesson! I had a gorgeous bunch of Year 2 kids at Lambton Public School, and – despite my nerves – it went really well. But actually it wasn’t my first ever ethics lesson. My first was in that very same school, in 2012 when I was just eight years old.
Our school was one of the earliest schools in Newcastle to start teaching ethics so for the latter part of my primary school years I was able to attend ethics classes. I remember loving it so much, I think I used to annoy my friends because after class I would just want to keep talking about the ethical dilemmas. I had so much to say and there was never enough time in ethics, so I just kept talking as we went out into the playground. And then when I got home, sometimes I would keep talking about it to my family over dinner.

One of my most vivid memories of ethics was in Year 5 or 6 when our ethics teacher stepped out of the circle and allowed us to moderate the discussion ourselves. She watched us as we tried to navigate how to take it in turns without putting up our hands. We were forced to talk to each other rather than just the teacher. I remember feeling so mature and that our teacher really respected us and trusted us.

Ethics lessons were a highlight of primary school for me. Last year I graduated from high school, and this year I’m taking a gap year, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to volunteer and become an ethics teacher!

When I started doing my ethics teacher training, I started remembering a lot of the topics and scenarios that we did when I was younger. I remembered talking about palm oil and the orangutans, about performance-enhancing drugs and whether it’s OK to hunt sharks after they have hurt humans. Back then, I thought that if I just thought about it hard enough, I could figure out the “correct” answer to all these tricky questions. Now I realise that the whole purpose of ethics is to learn the skills of
critical thinking and ethical problem-solving that help you to come to your answer, not the answer itself. It’s about the journey not the destination.

When I went back to my old school for my first lesson, I spoke to some of my old teachers. It was lovely to see them again and chat to them about what I’d been doing over the past few years. It felt so strange and nostalgic to be back at my primary school and I was very nervous, but once in the classroom I was surprised at how well the students listened to me. I was a bit worried that because I’m so young I would lack some authority and I was worried that the kids wouldn’t be fully engaged. But I needn’t have worried because they all seemed to have a great time. A lot of hands went up whenever I asked a question and despite them being a bit wriggly at times, they gave some very thoughtful (and cute!) answers.

It’s been strange to experience the other side of ethics classes, this time as the teacher. Having to remain neutral and lead the discussion rather than contributing my own thoughts can be a challenge. I feel very lucky to have experienced ethics as both the student and the teacher, and now I’m trying to convince some of my friends to volunteer, it’s such a great experience for young people!

Next year I’ll probably go to university, I think I will do development studies as I’m interested in social justice, development and inequality. Hopefully I’ll still have enough time to keep teaching ethics!

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Teaching my first ethics class
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New Primary Ethics volunteer Zoe Wright’s first lesson went swimmingly.

I walked out of my first class already in love with ‘my’ kids and excited about the rest of the year. Although I was nervous beforehand, everything went swimmingly. I was very lucky to have a great classroom teacher present, who unobtrusively lifted an eyebrow at the right kids at the right moment to support me. Before the class I had an opportunity to speak to the teacher and made sure I asked about the classroom rules and behaviour management and how he normally got the kids’ attention. During the think-pair-share activity I used the same signal and it worked a treat – the class was already very used to it so I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. Now that the introduction is done, I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to the topics!

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My first lessons as an ethics teacher
Jan Mottram Ethics Teacher

New Primary Ethics volunteer Jan Mottram found teaching her first lesson a rocky experience – but by the second week she was able to go with the flow and enjoy herself.

My first day of ethics teaching was quite overwhelming for me.  I had learnt so much during the training, but once faced with a class of 22 eager kids from years 1 and 2, that all seemed to go out the window. I was a bit anxious, very hot and the mask didn’t help. [NB From 7 March, mask-wearing is no longer mandatory, though you will be supported to wear one if you choose to.

Watch our video for the top 5 tips on teach Ethics in a mask.

Lesson 1: The first session had an estimated 10-minute time frame. I think I did it in two. The questions that weren’t supposed to take much time seemed to go on for a while. The discussion about how many bones are in a hand took on a life of its own and I suggested they research it and let me know next week.  Pairing the children just seemed to be an excuse for some of the kids to talk about anything but the topic.  I was so keen to stay on script that I spent too much time reading my notes rather than watching what the class was doing.  When the general consensus of the class was that it is okay to break rules because they are usually stupid, I found it hard to get them to listen to the kids who had a different view.

Leaving the Primary Ethics rules till the end of the lesson was not a good move for this class, but by the time I realised that I had run out of time. I left the lesson feeling disappointed in myself and as the afternoon wore on I found myself thinking of so many things I could have done better.

Lesson 2: I was determined to do better next time and my second lesson was a lot less stressful for me.  I took it slower and went with the flow. I started by asking them if they had found out how many bones are in a hand. Unfortunately there were various answers even though they had all googled it or counted them. We went through the class rules again and I was able to refer to them when needed. Some of the children were very engaged in the lesson but some were obviously not interested at all. I later found out that they had not been outside at all during the day due to the rain. Being the last class of the day, I was lucky I had any interest at all. I had intended to have a break at some time to play a quick game of ‘Simon Says’ but when I checked my watch, we only had five minutes to go.

Despite my rocky start, I find I’m already enjoying the experience and am confident that lessons will continue to improve. Next week I plan to start the lesson with a game. I can only try.

Thanks to Dana for her encouraging words and the advice, ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself’.  Very wise words.

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‘My small way to make a big difference’

Thousands of volunteers teach Ethics every week – they get as much out of it as the children do.
Hear from six of them about why they do it and how you can become an volunteer ethics teacher too.

Watch it with captions:

Watch it without captions:

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New year, new school, new class
Rob-Forsyth

Rob Forsyth is an experienced ethics teacher who this year moved to a new school. His thoughts on starting afresh will be helpful to completely new teachers and those starting the year with a new class.

We all know that the first day at school can be a stressful experience for children, but of course, it can also be stressful for new Ethics teachers.  The items I’ve found that disturb my sleep the night before include, but are not limited to:

  • Can I be sure that I have all the appropriate material after extracting it from Evie [the Primary Ethics volunteer portal]?
  • What will the classroom set-up be like?
  • What will professionally trained teachers think of my amateur delivery of the lesson?
  • Even simple things like, if I need to use a bathroom, which bathroom should I use?
  • Will the children enjoy Ethics?

I’m sure we all have these butterflies.

Sign-in at schools always takes time, so be early. I have always found teachers (and principals) very helpful and keen to offer assistance in set-up and disruptive class behaviour. The teachers know the children well and are familiar with specific ‘enthusiastic’ individuals and will be there to assist if required. A semicircle of chairs works best for me, with sufficient space but not too far away, as children speak softly and we want everyone to be heard.

Before you start, perhaps engage in a conversation with a few students and that will assist in breaking the ice, this will allow you to start a roll call in a casual manner.

Remember to breathe, the children will be keen to listen, so speak slowly. As you get into the substance of the lesson, check the time as you will discover that the period will fly by.

At the conclusion, I find it good to ask the class teacher if they wish to say anything and this will allow the lesson to be completed in a way that is familiar to the students.  In some classes, you may be asked to nominate a student who has been a good contributor, I generally congratulate the whole class in the first lesson – so everyone’s a winner, including you!

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Food for thought

New bite-sized ethical dilemmas for children at home

April 2020: The not-for-profit organisation that runs ethics classes in NSW schools has developed a selection of ethics exercises, called Bites, for children to participate in at home. Each week in term 2 Primary Ethics will upload two new Bites for children; one designed for students from kindergarten to year 2, and another for those in years 3–6.

Primary Ethics CEO Evan Hannah says the lessons will help provide continuity for students who take ethics classes.

“Around 45,000 students in NSW have to miss out on their usual ethics classes for some weeks yet, so we’ve put together these lessons to help children to keep exercising their questioning skills until their usual volunteer teacher can join them in classes at school,” he said.

“These activities to help children with their thinking and reasoning have a role to play in helping them to process the current changes that we are all experiencing due to the impact of COVID 19,” Evan added.

They will also introduce a number of new students to the practical study of philosophical ethics.

“Primary Ethics Bites will be available for every child and their family, and like our school-based program, it will be free of charge. We hope the Bites provoke some deep thinking around the dinner table.”

Each Bite provides an ethical dilemma presented in audio or audio visual format along with a written version. Children are encouraged to read, watch or listen to the stories which provide a context for the dilemma, and ponder the questions provided. Siblings and others in the household are encouraged to participate, too.

“These fun Bites use engaging stories to encourage the use of questions and considering alternative views to help build skills in critical thinking and ethical reasoning. At schools we use a ‘community of inquiry’ approach and Bites are written to extend that into home-based lessons.”

“We’re grateful for the assistance of Primary Ethics Volunteers who, along with their children, have offered to voice the various parts in our stories and provide a range of diverse views for the discussion aspect of the recordings,” Evan said.

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Ethics lessons finish early for term 1

Ethics volunteers and schools have been working together to end their Term 1 ethics lessons by 20 March – if they haven’t already – to allow schools to establish best-practice social distancing and to protect our volunteers.

We look forward to seeing our volunteers return to classrooms at the start of Term 2.

Primary Ethics and its volunteers wish to support the wider community effort to ‘flatten the curve’ – the term used to describe social distancing techniques that will lower demand on critical health services during the pandemic.

Other organisation-wide measures Primary Ethics has established include:

Postponing all upcoming training sessions

Work is underway to have our courses available for volunteers to complete virtually. Further information will be provided for training participants and their support teams.

Social distancing measures

Our regional managers and ethics coordinators are encouraged to complete interviews by phone or Zoom/Skype, and to host virtual get-togethers or delay regular catch-ups.

Phone-based classroom support

Our classroom support team members continue to mentor ethics teachers by phone but are postponing in-class visits until classes resume in Term 2

Staff to work remotely

Our team of full and part time staff are now working almost entirely remotely, with skeleton staffing of the office by team members who live close-by and commute on foot or by bike.

Contacting Primary Ethics

Our phone cover will be more limited at times than usual, but if you leave a message or send an email, we’ll get back to you shortly.

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The courage to think differently

School libraries to loan Lenny’s lesson

When you look at a squishy, black banana, do you see it as something destined for the compost bin or the basis of a delicious meal? In OzHarvest’s book Lenny and the Ants, we follow Lenny the Kangaroo as he rediscovers food through the perspective of a resourceful team of Harvest Ants.

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Primary Ethics volunteers Jessica Hicks and Naziah Gargan present Lenny and the Ants to Miranda Public School principal Narelle Chaplin.

Thanks to the generosity of philanthropist Rob Keldoulis, not-for-profit education provider Primary Ethics was able to distribute a copy of Lenny and the Ants to the libraries of 500 NSW public primary schools.

“Ethics classes help children to understand that there are often different perspectives on an issue, and by engaging with others we’ll often come up with new ways to solve a dilemma,” said Evan Hannah, CEO of Primary Ethics.

“We’re great supporters of the work OzHarvest do to reduce waste and help make nutritious food more accessible, and it’s exciting to open up this thinking to the thousands of children who’ll have access to this fantastic book,” Mr Hannah said.

Primary Ethics volunteers distributed the books in their local schools.

OzHarvest Founder and CEO, Ronni Kahn said the book is a first step in engaging children and their families on the fun ways we can save food from being wasted and the rewards of being resourceful together.

“Lenny and the Ants helps children understand the precious nature of food in a way that is joyous and fun. Whether a child or an adult reads this book, I believe the message resonates with everyone – wasting food makes no sense. It also reinforces the fact that there is a way to live in harmony with what we have, with awareness and resourcefulness. Food is about sharing, caring and love and Lenny and the Ants completely embraces that notion!”

Some copies are still available for donation to school libraries.

“If you’re a staff member, parent or carer who’d like to have a copy for your school library, please get in touch,” Mr Hannah said.

Lenny and the Ants is also available to buy from the OzHarvest Soul Shop.

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Ronni with her grandson and author of the book Jessica Chapnik Kahn

 

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