Overcoming barriers in teaching ethics: developing moral reflexive practice - Paul Hibbert

transcript

Overcoming Barriers in Teaching Ethics: Developing Moral Reflexive Practice?

Professor Paul Hibbert, University of St Andrews

Agenda

§  Encapsulating barriers to ethics development: the knowledge-action gap

§  Opportunities, explored 3 ways 1.  Working on the detail: threshold concepts 2.  Building practices: experience and formation 3.  Connecting process and culture: responsible

management education at St Andrews

§  Concluding remarks

Encapsulating barriers

§  Accreditation pressures and other mixed (institutional) blessings

§  Motivations and marketing §  Knowledge-action gap: does ethical knowledge

lead to moral practice?

But does service learning help to bridge the knowledge-action gap?

Pless, Maak and Stahl (2011) found that while 95% of participants increased their knowledge of responsibility issues and 91% were able to reflect on this, only 35% felt that they might act on that knowledge…

How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live.

Henry David Thoreau

1. Threshold concepts

Meyer & Land (2003, 2005, 2008) identify some characteristics of threshold concepts, including §  Nature of knowledge §  Integrative effects §  Irreversible character §  Transformative nature

Concepts that have a particular “troublesome” character can change thinking and practice

An example

§  Concept: responsibility §  Context: Exec MBA summer school

Small groups working on “reflexive management practice”

§  Assessing outcomes: Students were asked to consider the impact of the class on their understanding of their own past experience, and the future shape of their practice

See: Hibbert, 2013; Hibbert & Cunliffe, 2014

Reflexive practice: participant comments

Troublesome nature of knowledge “ ...One of the main points which has since struck me about my past performance was my lack of self-awareness. I was so focused on my performance being culturally acceptable to those in positions of influence, that I did not consider the wider implications of my actions.”

Integrative effects “... As a father of four girls, this brings many questions, what the future of my daughters will be, what type of life roles they will play, will they be active members of the society?”

Irreversible character “...These questions not only exposed my weaknesses as a manager but it creates a sense of insecurity with my management style. The endless reflection created an internal struggle and convinced me that I need to change my outlook towards individuals.”

Transformation (in action) “...I have charted a timetable for weekly time set aside for God, personal/self, family, friends and work. I had tried this for a month now and found that I complete my work at a faster pace and I am happier”

How to find and work with

threshold concepts?

2. Experience and formation

§  A need to recognize the opportunities afforded by experience(s)

§  A need to help people approach experience in a reflexive, relational frame…

…which is tied to a how we value others

Moral reflexive practice is rooted in: relating to and valuing others

See: Hibbert & Cunliffe, 2014; Siedlok, Hibbert & Beech, 2014

Curiosity-

driven dialogue

Instrumental exchange

Exploration: seeking to import a ‘fix’ for a

problem.

Connection: offer and acceptance.

Horizon: finding ways to answer my question

Curiosity-

driven dialogue

Exploration: challenge boundaries

Connection: imperfect knowing agents

Horizon: seeing different questions / problems

What favours “curiosity-driven dialogue”?

3. Connecting process and culture

§  Pedagogic process §  Developing ‘threshold [ethical] concepts’ as

detailed aspects of taught material §  Building up dispositions and skills for “community

driven dialogue” that supports respect for / valuing of “the other”

§  Cultural embedding in the school / university §  Collective, collegial approaches §  Consistency between intent, symbols and actions §  Connection across and beyond the university

See: Bell et al, 2014; Hibbert, 2013

Practices that make it believable

§  Collegiality §  Distributed leadership and student involvement §  Communication – transparency

§  Consistency §  Ethics in the conduct of research §  Ethics in the focus of research §  Equality of treatment and opportunity across

grades

§  Connection §  Service, charitable and community involvement:

commitment, not special projects

Concluding remarks

Some ideas for exploration §  Work to identify key concepts and

approaches to “grasping” them §  Enable classroom (and elsewhere)

conversations that allow boundaries to be pushed and understanding to be developed

§  Have a consistent culture that gives a reality to talk and sets expectations

References & Resources

§  Bell, E., Caulfield, P., Hibbert, P. and Jennings, P. (2014) Cultures of Integrity: Ethics Education in UK Business Schools. York: Higher Education Academy.

§  Fairfield, P. 2011. Dialogue in the classroom. In: Fairfield, P. 2011. (ed.) Education, Dialogue and Hermeneutics (pp77-90). London: Continuum.

§  Hibbert, P. and Cunliffe, A. (2014) Responsible Management: Engaging Moral Reflexive Practice through Threshold Concepts. Accepted for publication in Journal of Business Ethics, available online early: doi: 10.1007/s10551-013-1993-7

§  Hibbert, P. (2013) Approaching Reflexivity through Critical Reflection: Issues for Critical Management Education. Journal of Management Education, 37:6 803-827.

§  Meyer, J. H. F. & Land, R. (2003). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge: linkages to thinking and practising within the disciplines, in Rust, C. (ed) Improving student learning: theory and practice - ten years on, 412-424. Oxford: Centre for Staff and Learning Development.

§  Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2005). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 49: 373-388.

§  Meyer, J.H.F., Land, R. and Davies, P. (2008). Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge, in Land., R., Meyer, J.H.F. and Smith, J. (eds) Threshold Concepts within the Disciplines, 59-74. Rotterdam: Sense.

§  Pless, N.M., Maak T. & Stahl G.K. (2011). Developing responsible global leaders through international service learning programs: The Ulysses experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 10, 237-260.

§  Siedlok, F., Hibbert, P. and Beech, N. (2014) Learning Practices and Interpretative Modes in Collaborative Contexts. Accepted for the Academy of Management Conference, Philadelphia, USA.