H E N T N E W S

Holistic Education Network of Tasmania, Inc.

 August 9^th, 2002         Send this email to a friend

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Thinking and acting ethically are highlighted in the Essential Learnings for Tasmanian Government schools.

Ethics can be integrated into classrooms by looking at codes of practice/behaviour, making ethical decisions, examining contemporary ethical issues, and resolving ethical dilemmas. Students can learn to apply ethical principles to simple right vs. wrong issues through to those involving complex right vs. right ethical values.

WWW Sites

Institute for Global Ethics

JOSEPHSON
INSTITUTE
OF ETHICS

From an holistic point of view, thinking ethically includes both the head and the heart - both principled reasoning and an ethic of caring. And perhaps even including some wisdom of the soul.

We also need to remember that values are strongly influenced by worldviews that can significantly affect ethical decision making. For example, materialistic, indigenous, quantum and ecofeminist worldviews could result in very different ethical outcomes.

Quote

“Education is a mirror - it brings about a fundamental understanding of our own mind.”
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Predicting consequences of possible actions is an important part of ethical thinking. This process can also be profoundly affected by different worldviews. Simple linear cause-and-effect thinking for example may not foresee outcomes that are obvious using a systems thinking approach.

It is important that discussion about thinking and acting ethically includes an awareness of the personal and collective philosophies, paradigms or worldviews of the stakeholders and those making the decisions.

For the 7-12 classroom...

Some Ethical Guidelines

• GOLDEN RULE
• GUT-FEELING TEST
• PUBLICITY
• KID-ON-YOUR-SHOULDER
• ROLE-MODEL TEST

more info

Ethical Dilemmas

• Truth vs Loyalty
• Individual vs Community
• Short Term vs Long Term
• Justice vs Mercy 

more info

Have you ever wondered.... 

... why two electrical engineers decided to bypass numerous warning systems in order to see how long the Chernobyl turbines would continue to turn?

Lesson 4 - How Big is Your Backyard?

HENT Web Site and Discussion List

HENT has a comprehensive web site and there is a national discussion list on holistic education hosted by EdNA. 

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