Thursday, March 8, 2018

Reflecting on ethical missteps...

In my first few years of teaching, I have come to realise the importance of abiding by the code set out by the Education Council. Particularly as a male teacher, there is a great deal to be gained by getting to know the standards and rules set out in this document and to use it as a guide for behaviour in situations which may cross ethical lines.

For this weeks reflective activity, I was asked to identity a possible ethical dillema that I have faced. In this modern age, it is common for students and staff to coexist in the digital space. It is easy for students to find a teacher on social media such as facebook, and to friend request them. I decided to focus on what would happen if a student friend requested me, and at the same time began sending emails to my work account which stray into the realm of 'personal' communication rather than focusing on educational issues.

Ehrich et al (2011) provide a model which can be useful in guiding reactions to ethical incidents and I decided to use Ehrich's (2011) model to guide my analysis of the ethical dillema identified, and a possible outcome. After watching the Ted talk:
 I was able to guide my thinking more clearly - as on first glance the model is slightly confusing.
  1. My critical incident was the simultaneous act of a student befriending me on facebook, while also sending personal emails.
  2. I had to analyse this incident through firstly the lens of Professional ethics . What does the teacher's code of practice say? I also looked at it through the lens of public interest. What would the student's parents think? Others in the community? There is also the global context - one in which male teachers are vilified... I also looked at the Education Council's(2018) guide for Teachers and Social media. An interesting quote is "What one must consider when using social media in a professional setting is the reason why one would use it and how it should be used." I questioned whether having a 'friendship' on Social Media was really a good 'reason' to use it.  There is also the "teachers and social media" website available at:https://teachersandsocialmedia.co.nz/ which has the very precise quote: If learners contact you by social media and ask for help or advice relating to sensitive personal issues, social media isn’t the right forum for providing support. Consider redirecting them to appropriate support structures, such as the Guidance Counsellor or guidance team in their school/centre. 
  3. On the individual level, I believe that students need to be valued as individuals and dislike the one-size fits all approach that dominates educational discourse. I have an informal attitude with many of my students, preferring the collegial approach to the behavioural management approach, and this reflects well in my results and classroom environment. However, I also would need to be aware that this hypothetical student may perceive my friendly tone to mean something more, and they could take accepting a friend request to mean something 'more' than a professional friendship. 
  4. I now needed to choose whether to a) accept the friend request, b)decline the friend request and say nothing more of it, c) to decline the friend request and report it to higher management or d) do nothing and hope that it would go away.
  5. Option a) could lead to a large kettle of fish - with possible ramifications for myself, the school and the student. This seems like the worst of the options as it could lead to the 'worst possible' scenario - one where the student/teacher relationship becomes blurred and bordering on unethical. Option b) is better but may leave the student feeling hurt and dismayed, which could have a negative result and lead to them being withdrawn from school. Option C) allows me to share this problem with someone else, possibly the school guidance councillor who would be able to discuss the problem with the student in conjunction with me. Of course there is always option D - to do nothing, but this would just be putting this off till a later date.

As part of the 'last step' I analysed my response through a lens of the code of standards. I found the most apt part of the code in section 2 :
The particularly important part is number 2: engaging in professional relationships. It is important that the boundary between student and teacher remains in place - and friendships on Social media have become a clearly defined 'line' in common practice. This helps me to choose Option C - as this way the wellbeing of the learner can also be protected.


References:


Education Council. (2017). Our Code Our Standards.Retrieved from: https://educationcouncil.org.nz/sites/default/files/Our%20Code%20Our%20Standards%20web%20booklet%20FINAL.pdf

Education Council (2017). Guide to Teachers and Social media. Retrieved from: https://www.educationcouncil.org.nz/content/teachers-and-social-media

Ehrich, L. C. , Kimber M., Millwater, J. & Cranston, N. (2011). Ethical dilemmas: a model to understand teacher practice, Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 17:2, 173-185, DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2011.539794

Netsafe (2017). Responding to online incidents. Retrieved from
https://www.netsafe.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Responding-to-an-Online-incident-A4P-Student-NS0082-v14.pdf

2 comments:

  1. Hi John,
    Online communication and social media is an excellent tool but does come with its own issues.I understand your dilemma that on one hand you want to maintain your professionalism but at the same time you also would like to support your students . As teachers we all walk on a fine line where we also hold a huge responsibility to value our learners at the same time we manage learning in a way to maximise learners’ physical, social, cultural and emotional safety. I would think an element of professional distance is always vital with learners that respects professional boundaries and supports the Code of Practice., And you have opted for the right option to uphold the wellbeing of the learner and maintain professional relationship.
    I like to keep online communication for students open via school channels class blogs,school emails and google classroom which helps me to give direct feedback on their' learning. This as I see is a professional dialogue space to hold communication between between parent, student and teacher. Expectations around how communicatIon channels will work and how it will be engaged is important for the learners to be aware of so that there are no grey area and clear boundaries are set.
    Thank you again for your thoughtful post.

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  2. Hi John,
    An excellent summary of a complex issue. This is not really something I have had to grapple with as I generally avoid social media use. However, as part of your option C you could also discuss this issue with the student, or your whole class. You could state your position clearly e.g. "By the way class, I'm happy to add you all as friends after you leave school, but for now I don't befriend current students on social media platforms."
    Good work John!

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