Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
Information/Consultation Seminar
Introducing Ethics Education in
Schools
International Perspectives on the
Teaching of Ethics in Schools
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
2
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
3
• Educating into religion • Educating about religion
• Educating from religion •Humanistic curriculum
Different Approaches to the Teaching of Values
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
4
• One subject which incorporates Religious Education and secular Ethics e.g. England & Wales, Norway and the US
• One subject which is completely secular in nature e.g. France and Quebec, Canada
• Two subjects (Religious Education and secular Ethics) e.g. Germany, Ireland, Belgium and Australia
Different Models
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
5
• Religious Education is a statutory subject with a non-statutory programme of study
• non-religious philosophies
• can contribute to intercultural understanding and citizenship education
England and Wales
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
6
• six major religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism
• ethics, philosophy and morals •General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) - two
attainment targets: 1. students should ‘learn about’ religion and life stances 2. students should ‘learn from’ religion and life stances
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
7
• Spring 2005: new, non-sectarian programme in Ethics and Religious Culture
• It aims to develop in pupils three equally important skills:
1. competence in ethics
2. competence in religious culture
3. competence in dialogue
Quebec, Canada
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
8
• It replaced religion classes with a curriculum covering all the major faiths
• the program became mandatory in Quebec schools in May 2008,
• http://www.learnquebec.ca/en/content/curriculum/personal_dev/erc/
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
9
• Religious and Moral Education is taught in 92% of primary schools
• The Educate Together schools (2% of sector) employ the Learn Together programme,
• It combines ethics and values with a comparative view of world religions.
Ireland
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
10
• Strand 1: Moral & Spiritual
• Strand 2: Equality & Justice
• Strand 3: Belief Systems
• Strand 4: Ethics & the Environment
• http://www.educatetogether.ie/about/learn-together
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
11
• The New South Wales 2010 Ethics pilot programme was implemented as a complement or alternative to Special Religious Education.
• The overarching aim of the course is to ‘provide a secular complement for the discussion of the ethical dimension of students' lives’.
Australia
Information/Consultation Seminar: Introducing Ethics Education in Schools
International Perspectives on the Teaching of Ethics in Schools Louise Chircop and Lucianne Zammit
12
Lessons:
• a particular ethical question (e.g., ‘What makes a practice or action fair or unfair?’)
• a feature of the ethical decision making process itself (e.g. the use and nature of ethical principles).
• discussion-based ethical inquiry
• http://www.primaryethics.com.au/K-6.html