Considering Ethical Issues

As people, we are shaped by learned behaviours and societal influences.  These become our ethics.  The core of our decision making and standards. Teachers in NZ are bound by the Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards; Our Code, Our Standards.  Principles, standards and legal obligations that guide our behaviour as teaching professionals.   My current teacher inquiry is to use Trello to improve work completion with Pasifika and Māori students.  One ethical issue highlighted through this inquiry was equal access to technology.

Students at my school are expected to provide their own digital device.  Students from low-income families, who are not able to, are usually loaned one from school.  This was the case for 5 of the 12 students in my Māori-Pasifika focus group.  Significant damage to devices during previous terms meant one student was unable to get a school device, another two missed out as there were no more to loan.  A decision was made that school devices must stay in the classroom for the remainder of the year. This created huge disadvantage for families without devices at home.  Three of these children provided the only device in the household, therefore limiting parents access to communication with the school. 

When reflecting on the questions to guide ethical decision-making from Hall (2001) it was clear to me that students were the stakeholders that should be given priority.  They needed devices in class to have access to the learning opportunities that other students had.  Without a device, they were not able to access the tools for learning. Restrictions were in place from the school, due to financial limitations, but after much discussion with senior leaders around possible courses of action, the school purchased another six Chromebooks. I was encouraged by the course of action taken and I chose to issue a number of devices into my personal name, to be used in the classroom.  This allowed students with no access (due to previous damage) to have a device at school. I negotiated with students to take Chromebooks home certain nights to complete the survey and other parent communication, as relevant. Students respected the arrangement made, and the liability I was taking on their behalf. 

Our Code Of Professional Responsibility Our Code, Our Standards (Education Council, 2017) is clear in expectations of our commitment to learners, Pg.10.  We are expected to promote inclusive practices to support the needs of all learners. This includes students from low socio-economic situations who can not afford to purchase devices for classroom learning. It also states in the Standards For The Teaching Profession that we are to manage the learning setting to ensure access to learning for all students, Pg.20.

Year 7&8 students are new to our school family.  It is important for me to establish relationships with whānau early on so I can support and resource students to achieve success.  In the future, I would like to host a 'Whānau & Food' evening early in the year; inviting whānau in to determine what their digital needs are before it becomes a disadvantage for the students in the classroom. This supports the Maori world view; establishing relationships and effectively communicating with whānau. Cram (2009) (cited in Katoa Ltd, n.d.) suggests this as one of the seven Māori cultural values when doing Kaupapa Māori research, Manaaki ki te tangata; looking after people, sharing, hosting and being generous with time, expertise, and relationships. 

The NZARE (2010) discuss the principle of having concern for the rights and interests of all the individuals involved in research, and developing relationships based on trust and mutual respect.  In future inquiries, I will need to be more thoughtful and intentional about developing a plan to address these principles.  It could have been much easier if I had identified the device issues through meaningful relationships with whānau, prior to the commencement of the inquiry. 




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

Hall, A. (2001). What ought I to do, all things considered? An approach to the exploration of ethical problems by teachers. In IIPE Conference, Brisbane.

Katoa Ltd (n.d.) Research Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.katoa.net.nz/kaupapa-maori/kaupapa-maori-research-ethics

New Zealand Association for Research in Education (NZARE). (2010). NZARE Ethical Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.nzare.org.nz/portals/306/images/Files/NZARE%20EthicalGuidelines2010.pdf

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