Ethical teaching

What is it about?

The teaching profession in South Africa, like elsewhere in the world, is regulated by the specific codes of conduct, as stipulated by the South African Council for Educators (SACE). While common criticisms against SACE include failing to ensure the registration of all teachers, and not adequately dealing with the unprofessional conduct of teachers, it is the question of whether SACE can act as an ethical regulator, which attracts the most attention. Seemingly, there exists a tension between the legalistic approach to ethical deliberation, as contained in SACE, and the real experiences of teachers, which teachers argue, are neither understood nor taken into account by SACE. In considering whether it is at all possible to teach teachers how to act ethically, or how to use their ethical judgement, the article turns its attention to the inter-related practices of deliberation, belonging and inclusion, as manifestations of ethical teaching.

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Why is it important?

The article addresses the importance of ethics and ethical identity in teaching. It argues that professional regulations and structures linked to teaching are inadequate to manage ethical teaching. Rather, in recognising the diverse plurality of teacher identities, this article has argued that the ethical judgement of teachers might be better informed if teachers are connected to the desired ethical practices of their profession through practices of deliberation, belonging and inclusion.