Ethical Capability

Rationale

The Ethical Capability curriculum explores what it means for both an individual and society to live well. Students examine what we ought to do, how we ought to live, what kind of society we should have and what kind of person one should be. These questions concern individuals alone and relationships between people, and between people and environmental, social and economic systems. They involve contested and complex concepts.

This exploration strengthens students’ capacity to make decisions informed by an understanding of the values, principles, concepts and ideas that underpin different assumptions, and an ability to analyse and evaluate these.

Building capability in ethical understanding supports the development of informed citizenship at local, regional and global levels.

Aims

The Ethical Capability curriculum aims to develop knowledge, understandings and skills to enable students to:

Analyse and evaluate ethical issues, recognising areas of contestability
Identify the bases of ethical principles and ethical reasoning
Engage with the challenges of managing ethical decision making and action for individuals and groups
Cultivate open-mindedness and reasonableness.

Learning in Ethical Capability

The Ethical capability curriculum focuses on the conceptual and analytical skills necessary for informed deliberation on ethical issues. This curriculum enables students to identify the assumptions and implications of different ethical positions, recognising the areas of contestability within those positions. It is based on three assumptions:

many aspects of ethics are contestable and debatable and students are encouraged to challenge assumptions and to examine competing sources of authority
the development of ethical capability is enhanced by engaging with philosophical ideas, the premises of different religions, secular world views and cultural norms
reasoning is central to developing ethical capability and provides a way to structure competing considerations and manage judgements. Students are encouraged to confront ethical dilemmas critically, to ask whether intuition or feelings are adequate guides, and to consider how a range of principles or values contribute to their understanding of an ethical issue.

The curriculum provides the opportunity to examine multiple issues and examples sourced widely from, for example, narratives and other literary forms, current affairs, issues raised across diverse fields such as history, the arts or science, or hypothetical ethical dilemmas constructed specifically for examination of particular problems.

Students will draw on the learning set out in the critical and creative thinking continuum to develop the skills and considerations of ethical decision making and apply these to their exploration of ethical concepts, principles and problems.

By the end of Level 2, students identify and describe ethical concepts using illustrative examples from familiar situations and a basic vocabulary about ethical problems and their outcomes.

Students identify and explain acts and situations that have ethical dimensions, using illustrative examples. They explain that personal feelings may influence the way people behave in situations where ethical issues are involved.

By the end of Level 4, students use concrete examples from a range of contexts to explain the contested meaning of concepts and significance of acts. They explain how to identify ethical considerations in problems.

Students use examples to evaluate ethical actions in relation to their outcomes. They explain the role of personal values and dispositions in ethical decision-making and actions, recognising areas of contestability.

By the end of Level 6, students evaluate the meaning of ethical concepts and analyse their value, identifying areas of contestability. They explain different ways to respond to ethical problems and identify issues related to these.

Students identify different ethical issues associated with a particular problem. They identify the basis of a range of ethical principles and explain the role and significance of conscience and reasoning in ethical decision-making.

English News

Have you ever wanted a pet, but are not sure how to convince your parents? Have you dreamed of playing fetch with a puppy? Do you want to cuddle up with a kitten? How about climbing a tree with monkey or taking a nap with a sloth?

The students in Year 3/4 are focussing on persuasive texts this term and have been inspired by the picture story book ‘I Wanna Iguana’ to write a letter to their parents, trying to convince them to get a pet. They ranged from the regular type, such a bird, to the down right dangerous (is a black mamba snake really a good idea?)

The resulting writing showcased a mixture of structural knowledge and creative thinking.

Here are couple of extracts from student’s work:

Dear mum and dad,

I think I should get a cheetah because they are so fast and cute. I think they are 50 times cuter that fish, hamsters, guinea pigs and kittens.

Love your cheetah loving and caring daughter Octavia

Dear mum and dad,

If we got a black mamba, no-one would break in and if they break in, they won’t make it out alive.

Your responsible son, Noah

Last Monday, the students in 3/4 participated an ANZAC day writing activity where they they completed a reflection on what ANZAC means to them. This piece was published, along with a symbolic illustration.

Here is an example from Lola C:

As I sit and think about ANZAC day….

I feel grateful and thankful to those who had to go to war and fight countries. I will never forget about them no matter what and will always say prayers to them every ANZAC Day. I feel so sorry for them having to leave their family.

Come along and have a look at the ANZAC writing display situated halfway up the stairs in the main building.

There are so many exciting writing projects occurring across the school this year and I look forward to showcasing other levels work in future newsletters.

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