Category: Teaching

From Kindy to Year 6 – ethics reflections

Emma Bonham has taught ethics to her daughter’s class from the start of primary school and now to the end. She reflects on “a remarkable time”.

I’ve had the most remarkable time guiding my little ethics group from Kindergarten to Year 6, with very few class changes along the way. I have been so lucky in this, because it has allowed me to see the immense benefits that children gain when they get the opportunity to have consistent exposure to the ethics program.

From almost before they can read and count, they are also learning how to reason, think, disagree with courtesy and keep their minds open. It fills me with joy to see them now, in year 6, able to grasp complex subjects with ease and dive into potentially divisive topics with eagerness and curiosity. Their minds are flexible and their natures open – they understand the ethics circle to be a place of safety and confidentiality and they do not hold back their opinions!

For me, the lack of an engaging non-scripture alternative was what drew me to ethics. I wanted my own children to have this option and when I started seven years ago, volunteers were (probably still are) in short supply. As soon as I reached a time when I could attend the training I did so. The training course pushed me out of my comfort zone in that I had been a stay-at-home mum for quite a few years by then and it seemed confronting to be surrounded by people I did not know, learning new things and making presentations in a group scenario. Once I got there, however, I realised that of course everyone running it was lovely and delighted to have volunteers eager to learn. And everyone volunteering had a desire to contribute to their local community that of course was similar to mine, so it became a fun few days.

Emma and her daughter

Before I became a mum I was a university lecturer, but it was actually my parenting skills and the in-school reading group experience that came to the fore with ethics training. Teaching at uni is teaching adults, not crowd-managing kids in a classroom!

A firm voice, clear boundaries, an understanding of your next 30 minutes, these are the things that are important in an ethics class.

Emma

And the training is designed to get you to a place where you feel comfortable delivering a lesson and managing kids in their many moods. I feel I haven’t had to do terribly much classroom management this past year or so, because I’ve had the same kids for so long. A quiet reminder here and there that only one person talks at a time, but not much else. In earlier days, though, I found that adding levity to a situation worked wonders. When they were little I would tell them they needed to put up their hand to speak so my ears didn’t fall off if they all shouted at once. I often used positive reinforcement when they were young too, praising whichever child or side of the circle was showing me the best listening face, or congratulating them on their grown-up behaviour.

It has been great to see the kids learn how to disagree, sometimes passionately, but always with respect. More, though, for me, there is a huge sense of satisfaction in watching them change their minds and be able, and confident to articulate that they had thought one thing at the start of the lesson and had their mind changed by the ensuing discussion. I have always offered praise for this sort of flexibility and humility, because it’s such a great skill, to be able to concede with grace. In conjunction with this is the learning to not judge a scenario in the first instance, a compassionate skill that will stand them in good stead as they head to high school.

For myself, I’ve had to learn and perfect the ‘resting neutral face’! Sometimes the kids are so confident and so quick to ask a question it might be easy to judge or respond with my own bias, so it’s been a very good learning curve for me, to learn to restrain that first response and give them the space to express their views.

Emma

One of the joys I wasn’t expecting is the little lift I get when one or two hang back after class or walk into the playground with me, because they’re not quite ready to stop talking about the topic of the day. This is a big deal, given that my class is right before recess and they generally shoot off into the playground! I know they’ve had a great lesson if they want to keep talking. Also, a few times I’ve had the in-class teacher afterwards comment on the great topics and how interesting they are to listen to, which is always good feedback for the program. Honestly, I can’t remember all the way back to Kindy, but recently my group have loved the topic on Midas, the story of the man who stole from a pharmacy for medicine for his sick wife, and the question of whether to prioritise helping people nearby or far away.

By far the most wonderful reward after all these years, though, came very recently. My daughter got in the car after school and began telling me about her day, as usual, and mentioned that the class teacher had been using AI to mark assignments and various other classroom tasks. She told me that she and a couple of her classmates, who are in ethics with her, began a whole-class discussion about AI, ‘just like in ethics last week’. My grin could not have been bigger.

There’s personal satisfaction, of course, in realising they retain the knowledge, but also a sense that they will go into high school with these important skills and an ability to think with flexibility that they might not get in any other part of their learning. What a fabulous note with which to end my time with them!

Find out more about volunteering with us >>

Read More
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
Read More
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 >>

Read More
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!”

Read More
‘This is for me!’ Ramya’s journey as an ethics teacher

Ramya is a volunteer ethics teacher in western Sydney. This is the story of her journey.

I still remember the day I saw a Primary Ethics leaflet in my child’s school bag. As I took it in my hands and read it all through, I felt straightaway, ‘this is for me!’

I like helping people and was already volunteering at our school P&C. When I heard about ethics and read about the topics, I was curious. My favourite activity is spending time listening to my children, so this opportunity to teach ethics to children looked perfect to me.

Ramya

I immediately called the number and spoke to the Primary Ethics coordinator, who then gave me all the information about applying and training. It took me a long time, however, to take the next step and start my journey with ethics – but I did it in the end.

To begin with, I did my training, which at that time was available only on Zoom due to Covid. At first I was very anxious, as I don’t have any experience in teaching and, in the interview, I’d understood that I need to manage the classroom too. The training was a bit challenging at first but I suppose anything can be challenging at the beginning.

My main issue was my accent, as I was new to Australia. I was nervous about my accent and also not sure whether I would understand the students from different backgrounds.

Yet the trainers were so good and made me feel comfortable and confident even though I’d never had any experience of teaching. I had many doubts, but once I finished the training I was confident and clearly understood my ethics teacher role. And once I started my first class, I felt relieved with no doubts at all and began to enjoy each ethics day as my day. I completely fell in love with ethics!

I now volunteer at my children’s school every Wednesday morning. As an ethics teacher, I basically follow the script, which makes it easy and gives us clarity on what we have to do and where we are going in the lesson. Usually a class takes half an hour. That’s all! Thirty minutes to actually volunteer. I prepare ahead of my class by spending an hour reading, to understand the topic and the lesson.

Following the scripts and being neutral is very important. In the classroom I start the topic and read a scenario, using modulation of tone to make it interesting. Then ask the substantive questions and encourage the children to participate.

Area manager Anuya Velpanur with Ramya as she received her 3-year volunteering certificate.

I’m just a facilitator in the class, listening and engaging with them to open up and share their ideas, plus reminding them about the rules. Managing the class was a bit challenging at first but once you know the class and the students, you get to know how to manage them. Or we can ask for the school teacher’s help if required (often there’s a teacher in the classroom during my ethics lesson, quietly doing their own work).

I teach my own kids, which for me is a good experience.  I discussed it with my kids before my first class and gave clear instructions to them how to behave. So far, my kids like me to see me as a teacher in their school. Watching them participate in the discussions has been an added perk.

From being an ethics volunteer, I’ve built confidence in myself that I can do something valuable while being a stay-at-home mum. Teaching ethics helped me get over some of the fears I had and I started to see the world from all aspects, not just with 'Mum-eyes'.

Ramya

The best thing about volunteering as an ethics teacher is the opportunity to be in the class with kids – and also growing to understand the topics. To listen and encourage them to participate. I enjoy seeing the way young children think and make decisions. When I saw them changing their opinions and giving reasons for that, that was my moment!

I also want to say I was nominated as a volunteer of the year 2023 NSW from Primary Ethics which was unexpected and felt good. And I enjoy the great support I get from all the team of Primary Ethics.

At the beginning I started volunteering for my kids as I was keen on sending them to ethics. Now after my almost four years of experience,  I can surely say that it has opened up many benefits in my own life such as confidence, peace, understanding different perspectives and giving clarity to my thinking.

Choosing to volunteer for ethics has changed my life for the best, cleared all the doubts I had before about myself and given me clarity about what I can do. At the end of the day, the very best thing is to hear the children say, “she is my ethics teacher”.

Read More
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
Read More
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!
Read More
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!
Read More
‘What I noticed was the remarkable level of engagement’ – two ethics volunteers speak

In June, two of our many thoughtful volunteers joined us for a webinar to talk about their very positive experiences of teaching ethics. Here’s an edited version of their questions and answers on the night.

Edwina Scerri is a psychologist, living in Wagga in the southwest of the state and teaching her daughter in Year 1.
What drew you to ethics and why do you think it’s important for children?

I’m from Sydney and I just assumed my daughter was going to be able to access ethics once we relocated to Wagga. And to my surprise, there were hardly any schools in Wagga that provide ethics. So I said, right, my daughter’s starting. I wanted her to have this opportunity, so I trained. I’m in my second year now. And I think it’s really important for her and her classmates to have the opportunity for these discussions.

Can you recall a recent topic or scenario that really engaged your students or one that got you thinking differently?

With ethics, there’s often a story. And then from that story, there’s questions and, you know, [for me as the teacher] practising being curious about what comes up. And this was a story about finding an injured bird in the wild, bringing it home, getting it well, then the child wanting to keep the bird.

And so we had this whole discussion about keeping the bird or not.

Edwina Scerri

I think it's done something for me as a parent in terms of the quality of my conversations with my daughter.

Edwina Scerri, Psychologist

I don’t know if I’ve got the right words for it, but I could just see the kids processing and going, this is why I think I wanted to keep it, I might miss the bird [when it leaves] but the bird’s home is in the wild.

And it was just lovely. It wasn’t anything I said. It was me just facilitating the conversation and really practising being curious about what they had to say, asking ‘what do others think?’, having those prompting questions. It was, wow, powerful. It’s half an hour a week, but these kids really can get into it when they’re given that space.

And is there disagreement?

Respectful, curious disagreement. And again, it’s good to make that okay for children, that it’s okay to have a different thought or oh, now that you’ve heard someone else’s thought, how might that impact? Just having a moment to reflect and listen to someone else and then come back: I might think differently about this now. I think it’s a great platform that every child should have an opportunity to experience.

And does your daughter bring the questions home?

I’m a psychologist and I ask people questions for a living, but there’s something different in the way I interact around her now. Those questions come to me more out of curiosity now. It creates another space ready to explore and be curious rather than ‘you should think this way’ or ‘that’s the wrong way’.

My daughter and I love talking and ethics is a lovely extension. It’s her favourite time of the week.

What’s your experience with the children’s behaviour?

The training was very practical and gave me lots of ideas of what to do to manage behaviour. Last year I had a couple of students I wasn’t too sure which way to go with. I had a lot of online support, I had telephone calls and felt really supported and just tweaking a few things made a huge difference. So I know I can ring any time. There are online modules in the training. It was very practical training I could easily transfer and I still refer to my notes sometimes.

In general, a bit of redirection does a lot for kids. And once they build that connection with you, it, it seems to flow okay. I actually think they look forward to it. It’s a different way of being at school, just getting to talk and to have somebody hold that space and facilitate a discussion rather than ‘you’ve got to do this or we’ve got to do that’.

Are there any benefits to you in teaching ethics?

It’s something I look forward to doing every week. It’s probably impacted the way I carry on conversations with my daughter outside my ethics teaching. So I think it’s actually done something for me as a parent in terms of the quality of my conversations with my daughter.

Were there continuities `{`between university teaching and primary ethics teaching`}`? To be honest, there were so many continuities that I was shocked.

Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs

Bruce Isaacs is an Associate Professor in film studies at Sydney University and teaches in his son’s school – but not his son – each week.
You’re a uni lecturer, which is obviously very different from teaching at primary level. What drew you to ethics and why do you see this work as important?

Associate Professor Bruce Isaacs

I’m the kind of person who would say everything’s philosophy, right? Our school was asking for volunteers. I was really interested in what were the alternatives being offered in schools. But more than anything, I really believed passionately that ethics should be a fundamental part of our curriculum, not just at primary school, but at high school. And so I wanted to be part of this.

I’m very interested in education at university. And I wanted to compare what we were doing to what would happen in a Year 6 classroom with an ethics curriculum. Were there continuities? And to be honest, there were so many continuities that I was shocked. The degree to which what the Year 6s were doing spoke so beautifully to what I was doing with 20-year-olds. It affirmed everything I’d hoped it would.

Can you recall a recent topic or scenario that really engaged those Year 6s?

Sure. Because they’re Year 6, I feel they are really up for high levels of uncertainty and open-endedness. Yesterday we talked about whether you should think for yourself – which on one level sounds very simple, but on another level has plagued us for thousands of years. I love the fact that the curriculum does not dumb anything down. You know what I wrestle with in them in Year 6? It’s precisely what I wrestle with in adults undertaking university education.

So the story was about Rosa Parks getting on that fateful bus. Rosa Parks in Alabama USA in the 1950s was not permitted to sit down on a bus because it was white-only sitting in a particular area – that was the law. And she (a Black woman) simply refused to stand up. Then she was escorted off the bus, taken to gaol in a police vehicle. And so the question that was posed to students to think about, which is stunning for me, is do you think she should have done what she did [broken the rule]? And what are some of the issues that opens up for us?

So we had this absolutely fantastic, engaging, but most importantly unclosed discussion about how you might respond to that. What is most memorable for me and most vital I think about the ethics curriculum is that it teaches young people to live with that degree of not-knowing.

So much of our lives growing up is find the answer to something. This lesson invites you not to find the answer, but to wrestle with the uncertainties of ‘what does this side look like? What does that side look like? And are there even only two sides to anything?’ And I’m amazed that 11-year-olds get it like that. It’s astonishing to me. I wish we did more at university, to be honest.

Is there any part of your experience with ethics teaching that’s spilled over into your day job?

Oh completely. So what I discovered with Year 6, I started teaching them two years ago, they were like sponges when it came to wanting to put forward their opinions. And what I noticed was the level of engagement, it was remarkable to me. They were highly expressive. They wanted to get into the meat of these questions. And the ethics classes are based so much on creating dialogue in those spaces and the script is incredibly supportive to enable you to create the dialogue. I lifted some of that for my university teaching, not the actual ethics script itself, because obviously I would adjust it for different levels of learning, but that dialogical mode. I leaned on that in my own university classes, especially in first year where I was teaching a critical theory course.

I can only speak from teaching Year 6, but I’ve talked to friends who do other grades and it seems to be the same experience. I can say that the dialogue that is established between the student and the teacher without telling the student right or wrong is absolutely transferable to the university space. And if anything, that’s what we require of all students at university. So I would like to think that what ethics is doing, and I see it firsthand, I see the students who come at 18 or 19 years old, from what I can tell from the Primary Ethics curriculum, ethics prepares them for a really high level of learning and critical engagement.

We often have questions about classroom management from our ethics teachers or new applicants. How do you deal with behaviour in your classroom? And do you feel the Primary Ethics training prepared you for what you found in the actual classroom?

Sure. Firstly, the ethics curriculum is amazing. Whoever designed that, kudos to that person and that team because they distilled from such complexity an amazingly elegant program. Then the training was astonishing. The help in how to manage the classroom is really great. And so I would say to anyone who wants to do it, in training you get in a team with other volunteers and you become close with that team and you do lots of mock lessons. I thought that was such fun. I loved it. I felt so much more confident then going into the class. This is not to say it isn’t challenging. I learned very early on that Year 6s are probably going to listen to you less than first or second year university students. And for that, if you have a teacher in the classroom from the school, which I do some of the time, that’s fantastic because this is a kind of authority. But if not, there are lots of support systems and I’ve got to say I feel equipped to manage the class.

Anyone who starts, I would say don’t be tough on yourself. If it’s a little bit challenging for a few weeks, the students don’t know you. And so you have to build a bit of rapport and get their trust and then slowly this relationship starts to emerge.

But the ethics training spends a lot of time on how do you work in the classroom, how do you deal with disruptive students, how do you support them and work with them. So I would say to anyone thinking of it, that’s the least of my concerns now when I go to class. I think the students are wonderful.

Have you found some personal benefit with having been through the ethics training and now teaching?

Yeah, absolutely. I love the classes. I love the bonds with students. I’ve taught at university for many years, but not in this kind of space. I know it sounds cliched … teaching is astonishingly rewarding in itself. So the act of teaching for me is as if you’re constantly engaged in a social good. So on that one level, it has been rewarding to teach people who are younger and to see that development in more stark terms in light of ethics lessons. It’s just incredibly rewarding.

I love Edwina’s word ‘curiosity’. One of the things I do research into is learning philosophies, pedagogy and curiosity is a big one. What ethics gave me in speaking to 10 to 11 year olds on a weekly basis is that when I talk to my own son, who’s eight (he does the Year 3/4 class), I try to remind myself to approach almost anything from that place of not-lip-service curiosity. What does it mean to be genuinely curious about any position? And I think that is something we have to craft in ourselves, which is why I’m so committed to ethics from very young. It’s something that needs to be developmental, all the way through your life.

Volunteer with us too!
Read More