The NSW Education Department have recently trialled Ethics classes as an alternative for students who are not currently part of SRE (Special Religious Education) classes. Lots of Christians and other providers of SRE have been lobbying for this to be reconsidered, seeing it as a potential threat to the ongoing provision of SRE in the school timetable.
While I agree with much of the lobbying that has been undertaken, my primary concern with the proposed classes is to do with the already existing school curriculum.
I have a double degree in Bachelor Arts/Bachelor of Teaching (Primary Education). For my major research project at University, I focused on ‘Morals, Values and Ethics in the HSIE (Human Society in its Environment) Syllabus’.
Providing the HSIE Syllabus has not changed since my studies and time as a School Teacher, at its core HSIE is already supposed to be teaching students morals, values and ethics. So to propose Ethics classes as an alternative to SRE is a failure of teachers and/or the system to adequately follow through on the ethical framework already integral to the HSIE program.
Those who are currently down with the HSIE documents, is this a fair call?
Hey Dave,
I asked Robyn (who also has a Bachelor of teaching degree), and she seems to think that your right…
Thanks for the post
thanks for checking it with her.
peaceout amigo
Dave, isn’t an argument of many Christians that SRE is already teaching morals and ethics (sorry, haven’t been following the debate very closely)?
hey rob.
thanks for the comment!
that’s not really the main argument.
the main argument is that it’s at the same time as SRE and (it is argued) will invariably lead to SRE being squeezed out.
here’s a useful response from one of my lecturers at college:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/ethics-classes-can-lead-children-to-faith-20101020-16to5.html
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hey light stalking looks like it’s continuing to grow in readership/subscribers/followers – monetising well?
Haha, good but pretty optimistic response from Jensen there. :)
Yeah, LS is going gangbusters! Loving it.
You still drinking coffee in Newtown these days?
yay for LS going gangbusters!
prior to august i was hanging over at tripod cafe near redfern station.
but now that i’ve moved to northern beaches… i typically jump on the first bus and go home at the end of the day!
AND – today is my final day of college!!!!
where have you been hanging?
Nice! Congratulations
To be honest, have really only been going to Ism cafe in the mornings.
i’ll try and drop in sometime over the next few weeks of exams etc and say g’day!