Ethics education in schools – project EthosVojko StrahovnikUniversity of Ljubljana, Faculty of Theology

Project ETHOS is funded by the European Commission, Comenius Programme.

International conferenceCHALLENGES IN BUILDING CHILD FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES

October 10 – 12, 2014 | ZADAR (Croatia)

Ethics education and contemporary society

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rapid and profound changes present the educational sector and especially education professionals with new challenges

an all encompassing nature of ethical reflection and awareness calls for an integrative approach

teachers and educators often lack more specific knowledge about ethics and related competencies to tackle them in the classroom in a coherent and integrative way

Ethics education and contemporary society

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early childhood education is the most important phase to initiate a healthy development

ethics education, intercultural dialogue and critical thinking have a significant role in forming an ethically mature human person

dialogical nature of ethics and ethics education therefore prescribes openness toward the other and especially to be open in the process of mutual growth and learning

Project Ethos: Initial idea 4

project Ethos was prepared specifically targeting primary and pre-primary school teachers with a goal to offer them an outline for ethics education and addressing ethical questions

practices, experiences, and opportunities for teachers to obtain knowledge in this field vary significantly

offer an innovative integrative approach to ethical themes and frameworks relevant for education that would arise out of the needs of teachers and other educators

Project Ethos: Needs, problems, challenges

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inter-subject or cross-curricula educational contents and aims

teachers often lack the required in-depth knowledge, competencies, time and opportunities for ethics education

no support network practices vary

Project Ethos: Aims and target groups

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analyzing the existing state of the art of ethics education

clearly definine the needs of the teachers/educators, as well as pupils and their parents

methodological guidelines educational tools and materials curricula proposals support and advocacy long term aims

Project Ethos: Partnership7

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Theology (Slovenia); Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Graz (Austria); Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg - Innovation in Learning Institute (Germany); Amitié, Bologna (Italy); Scienter CID (Spain); Primary school Šmartno v Tuhinju (Slovenia); Udruga za promicanje i unaprjeđivanje filozofije za djecu 'Mala filozofija'- Association Petit Philosophy (Croatia) and Inova 4T - Tuzla Technology Talent Tolerance (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Educational approach and educational materials

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Educational approach and educational materials

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five key topics: respect, tolerance, responsibility, values, and friendship

thematic toolboxes for teachers age groups 3-5, 5-7, 7-9, 9-11, 11-

14 instructions, skills, intelligences methodological guidelines teachers as rolemodels curricula proposals

Code of ethics for schools10

as a special tool for ethics reflection and relationships

based on inclusive approach where participants (teachers, pupils and parents) are invited to use their ethical reflection and “set the rules” of mutual respect, order, and goals

Piloting and experience11

“Working with the materials was nice, since students got to know also ‘some of the other sides’ of the teacher that are usually not reveal and we could together discus some more deep and important topics”;

“Some children were very touched by the story, particularly a girl that has recently suffered a close and severe personal loss, there were also tears, so we had to discuss the theme deeply not just on the surface.”

Piloting and experience12

“I tried ‘Mein bester Freund‘ – ‘my best friend’ (7-9) with 7 - 8 years old students. Always, when we had a conflict, we remembered, what is important for a friend. So we could find good solutions; we could articulate, what a friend likes and what doesn’t.

“The students were very open and they put on their thinking caps. They were motivated to philosophize. I was surprised about the creativity of their thoughts and how trustful they were searching for answers. ”

Piloting and experience13

“Students discussed lively. In the combination between the ppt and the biblical book Ruth students were rethinking their attitudes about friendship: They got more empathic and tried to get into the perspective of a friend. They opened their hearts and spoke of personal things.”

“I have to be attentive to include all of the students into the discussion. Girls were very active and liked that the teaching hours was more relaxed and that they could express their opinions. Boys were also active, but I had to be very attentive that we did in fact stick to the topic and not lead the discussion too far away.” ”

“Mostly students did not think about these topics before and the discussion was interesting. I was surprised how differently they ranked various values (also form the way I would have ranked them), most of them put friendship and love at the top.”

A big thanks to teachers and pupils, who participated!

Conclusion14

overall we strive to begin with the creation of a wide network of teachers in the field of ethics education

achieving mutual respect of diversity, open and democratic society of dialogue and ecological awareness

ET2020: promoting equity, social cohesion and active citizenship by promoting intercultural competences, democratic values and respect for fundamental rights and the environment, as well as combat all forms of discrimination, equipping all young people to interact positively with their peers from diverse backgrounds.

Contact15

www.ethos-education.eu

www.facebook.com/ethoseducation ethos@ethos-education.eu

Vojko StrahovnikUniversity of Ljubljana,

Faculty of Theology, Poljanska 4, SI 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

vojko.strahovnik@teof.uni-lj.si

Thank you for your attention.16