A Practical Guide to Effective Post Secondary Teaching and Learning
Chapter 1 - Creating a Positive Learning Environment
1F. What are some ethical principles that guide my instruction and professional / interpersonal relationships?
"Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
- Frank Outlaw
The summation of creating a positive learning environment for positive relationships fits in with the major expectation that post secondary instructors are aware of and follow ethical principles which are professional guidelines, ideals, and expectations that need to be followed. Murray et. al (1996) provides an excellent synthesis and description of these principles.
Briefly these principles are:
- Content Competence: A university teacher maintains a high level of subject matter knowledge and ensures that course content is current, accurate, representative, and appropriate to the position of the course within the student's program of studies.
- Pedagogical Competence: A pedagogically competent teacher communicates the objectives of the course to the students, is aware of alternative instructional methods or strategies, and selects methods of instruction that, according to research evidence (including personal or self-reflective research), are effective in helping students to achieve the course objectives.
- Dealing with Sensitive Topics: Topics that students are likely to find sensitive or discomforting are dealt with in an open, honest, and positive way.
- Student Development: The overriding responsibility of the teacher is to contribute to the intellectual development of the student, at least in the context of the teacher's own area of expertise, and to avoid actions such as exploitation and discrimination that detract from student development.
- Dual Relationships with Students: To avoid conflict of interest, a teacher does not enter into dual-role relationships with students that are likely to detract from student development or lead to actual or perceived favoritism on the part of the teacher.
- Confidentiality: Student grades, attendance records, and private communications are treated as confidential materials, and are released only with student consent, or for legitimate academic purposes, or if there are reasonable grounds for believing that releasing such information will be beneficial to the student or will prevent harm to others.
- Respect for Colleagues: A university teacher respects the dignity of her or his colleagues and works cooperatively with colleagues in the interest of fostering student development.
- Valid Assessment of Students: Given the importance of assessment of student performance in university teaching and students' lives and careers, instructors are responsible for taking adequate steps to ensure that assessment of students is valid, open, fair, and congruent with course objectives.
- Respect for Institution: In the interests of student development, a university teacher is aware of and respects the educational goals, policies, and standards of the institution in which he or she teaches.
A final thought from Gandhi on values we might reinforce in order to make a positive difference in the realm of teaching and learning. He suggested that we avoid:
"Wealth without work; pleasure without conscience; knowledge without character; commerce without morality; science without humanity; worship without sacrifice; politics without principles."
- Gandhi