1. Make a list of five moral issues that you will be addressing with your
students as a teacher in a Catholic school.
When we consider school curriculum, we list math, science, language arts, and social studies. As teachers we need to teach a hidden curriculum, called moral values, which will help our students become better responsible citizens. If a student has never been taught moral values, then how can a student distinguish between right and wrong? I believe, teachers should support the teachings of moral values for the following reasons:
There are many moral issues that teachers face in the classroom on a regular basis. The following are some moral values that can be taught within the school system:
students as a teacher in a Catholic school.
When we consider school curriculum, we list math, science, language arts, and social studies. As teachers we need to teach a hidden curriculum, called moral values, which will help our students become better responsible citizens. If a student has never been taught moral values, then how can a student distinguish between right and wrong? I believe, teachers should support the teachings of moral values for the following reasons:
- Prepare students to be responsible citizens
- Moral values are not taught at home
- Bring perspective to the extreme violence/ dishonesty in our society
- Bring awareness to bad influences at school and society
There are many moral issues that teachers face in the classroom on a regular basis. The following are some moral values that can be taught within the school system:
- Respect for others
- Strong work ethics
- Stealing/ Cheating
- Forgiveness
- Acceptance of others
2. Choose one moral issue to address
specifically.
Misbehaviour in the classroom that stops others from learning
I have chosen classroom disruptions with a focus of coming to class unprepared. Misbehaviour spans from kindergarten to grade 12. Many students do not realize that their disruptive classroom conducts stops others from learning. At the high school levels, disruptions occurs in many forms:
- Yelling out incorrect responses (to get laughs)
- Social talking
- Not coming to class prepared to learn (needing to borrow from other students)
- Rudeness to teacher and fellow students
- Coming to class late (interrupting the lesson)
- Dismissing other students ideas in a rude manner
- Laughing at students if they give an incorrect response
All these negative attitudes take away the teacher’s time to correct the inappropriate behaviour. These behaviours seem to be an entitlement of those students who lack courtesy for others.
3. Select a particular division (Primary, Junior or Secondary) and subject
area (it need not be a religion or family life class) as a focus for this task.
Grade 9, Mathematics
Intermediate Panel
area (it need not be a religion or family life class) as a focus for this task.
Grade 9, Mathematics
Intermediate Panel
4. Describe how you would explore the moral issue by using the
"See, Judge, Act, Evaluate" method with your students.
In a grade 9 mathematics classroom there are many opportunities that lends itself to explorations that require the use of utensils such as a pencil, eraser, ruler, calculator, etc. There are many students in the classroom that are disinterested in learning and have chosen to come to class unprepared leaving no option but to disrupt other students or the teacher in order to seek the necessary tools to work. This behaviour creates a two-folded problem:
1. The student who is unprepared thinks that other students are obligated to help them out. As good
moral Catholic Christians the prepared students lend out their tools.
2. The students who come prepared and have loaned out their tools now fall behind in their own work
due to lack of materials.
The borrowers do not realize that by appealing to the lenders’ moral values they are holding them back from doing their work and reaching a good understanding of the material(s).
"See, Judge, Act, Evaluate" method with your students.
In a grade 9 mathematics classroom there are many opportunities that lends itself to explorations that require the use of utensils such as a pencil, eraser, ruler, calculator, etc. There are many students in the classroom that are disinterested in learning and have chosen to come to class unprepared leaving no option but to disrupt other students or the teacher in order to seek the necessary tools to work. This behaviour creates a two-folded problem:
1. The student who is unprepared thinks that other students are obligated to help them out. As good
moral Catholic Christians the prepared students lend out their tools.
2. The students who come prepared and have loaned out their tools now fall behind in their own work
due to lack of materials.
The borrowers do not realize that by appealing to the lenders’ moral values they are holding them back from doing their work and reaching a good understanding of the material(s).
5. An explanation of how the existing Catholic curriculum addresses
your issue.
The following is the Ministry Curriculum for Grade 9 Mathematics on the proper procedure of making mathematical decisions:
We can summarize this Ministry problem solving procedure to the above moral issue on disruptive misbehaviour in the classroom:
We can also relate this moral issue to the Catholic School Graduate Expectations:
When disruptive behaviour occurs, the teacher can take a few minutes to discuss how problem solving in math is the same as problem solving in life. The teacher can bring references from the bible how God would like us to “strategically” solve life-skill problems. It is very difficult for students to reflect on how others might feel since most teenagers are self-centered. A classroom discussion can be directed into the following open-ended response questions:
These questions can be answered with the See, Judge, Act and Evaluate methods mentioned above.
Also, addressing this moral issue as a school community, the students should be aware of how to conduct oneself in a classroom. This could be done by discussing “How to be a respectful, responsible student” in the following way:
As stated previously, many students who disrupt or bully probably do not even know that he/she are doing it. This moral issue is a LEARNED BEHAVIOUR that needs to be unlearned by modelling ideal behaviour.
- Why this event happened?
- How does it make the other person feel?
- How does that impact the learning of each individual in the classroom?
- How can we deal with this situation when it occurs?
We can also relate this moral issue to the Catholic School Graduate Expectations:
- Listen actively and critically in order to understand and learn in light of gospel values
- Thinks reflectively and creatively to evaluate situations and solve problems
- Makes decisions in light of gospel values with an informed moral conscience
- Demonstrates a confident and positive sense of self and respect for the dignity and welfare of others
- Presents information and ideas clearly and honestly and with sensitivity to others
When disruptive behaviour occurs, the teacher can take a few minutes to discuss how problem solving in math is the same as problem solving in life. The teacher can bring references from the bible how God would like us to “strategically” solve life-skill problems. It is very difficult for students to reflect on how others might feel since most teenagers are self-centered. A classroom discussion can be directed into the following open-ended response questions:
- Why does disruptive behaviour occur?
- How does it make the other person feel in the classroom?
- How has this disruptive behaviour impacted the learning of each individual in the classroom (including the teacher)?
- How can we deal with this situation next time?
These questions can be answered with the See, Judge, Act and Evaluate methods mentioned above.
Also, addressing this moral issue as a school community, the students should be aware of how to conduct oneself in a classroom. This could be done by discussing “How to be a respectful, responsible student” in the following way:
- Grade level assembly of school rules
- Outlined in the student agenda (this could be read at the beginning of the school year in a homeroom classroom)
- Poster can be placed in a classroom (students can co-construct)
- Mandatory orientation course for grade 9 students (initiate the new high school students as a preventative measurement)
As stated previously, many students who disrupt or bully probably do not even know that he/she are doing it. This moral issue is a LEARNED BEHAVIOUR that needs to be unlearned by modelling ideal behaviour.