Transcript EthicsCodeGeneralSession

The NAEYC Code of
Ethical Conduct: A Position
Statement of
The National Association for the
Education of Young Children
Guidelines for Responsible Behavior in
Early Childhood Education
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The Code of Ethical
Conduct
• Offers guidelines for responsible
behavior
• Sets forth a common basis for
resolving the principal ethical
dilemmas encountered in early
education & care
From the Preamble to the Code
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The Code of Ethical
Conduct
• Primary focus: daily practice with
children & their families
• Revised periodically—current version
approved April 2005
• Recent Additions: Supplement for EC
Adult Educators (Joint statement
developed with NAECTE & ACCESS) and
Supplement for EC Program Administrators
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So,What Are Ethics Anyway?
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To answer that question, we
have to begin by looking at:
• Values
• Morality
• Professional Core
Values
• Ethics
• Professional Ethics
• Ethical Responsibilities & Dilemmas
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VALUES
What Do You Value?
VALUES
Values are things that an
individual believes to be
intrinsically worthwhile or
desirable, that are prized for
themselves (e.g., truth, beauty,
honesty justice, respect for
people and for the environment).
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MORALITY
• Morality involves peoples' views of what is
good, right, or proper; their beliefs about
their obligations; and their ideas about
how they should behave.
• Morality concerns duties and obligations
to one another and is characterized by
words such as right, ought, just and
fair.
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ETHICS
• Ethics is the study of right and
wrong, duties and obligations.
• Ethics involves critical reflection on
morality, including the ability to make
choices between values and the
examination of the moral dimensions
of relationships.
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PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
The moral commitments of a profession that:
• involve moral reflection that extends and
enhances the personal morality
practitioners bring to their work,
• concern actions of right and wrong in the
workplace, and
• help individuals resolve moral dilemmas they
encounter in their work.
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Ethical Responsibilities &
Ethical Dilemmas
• Ethical Responsibilities
--clear-cut, spelled out
• Ethical Dilemma
--conflicting professional
values & responsibilities
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What Does a
Code of Ethics Do?
• Creates a profession’s sense of
identity
• Identifies the issues the profession
cares about and wants new members to
care about
• Communicates with those outside the
profession what they can expect from
its members
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HISTORY OF THE CODE
• Initially prepared under the
auspices of the Ethics Commission
of NAEYC, which became the
Ethics Panel
• Its development was a 5-year
process, involving NAEYC
membership
• Draft Code approved by NAEYC
Governing Board July 1989
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HISTORY OF THE CODE
(cont.)
• 1st set of revisions adopted 1992
• 2nd set of revisions approved by
Board November 1997
• Code is reviewed for revision
periodically (every 5 years)
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REVISION PROCESS
• Undertaken according to NAEYC’s
procedures for position statements
• NAEYC 2003 Annual Conference gathered
feedback re: revisions—Ethics Interest
Forum & conference session participants
• Request for input on NAEYC Web site
• March 2004 Governing Board appointed
workgroup
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REVISION PROCESS (cont.)
• Workgroup reviewed feedback
received, suggested recommendations
• Developed Draft revised Code
• Draft revised Code posted on Web
site—requesting feedback
• Request for feedback from EC
leaders, seeking diverse perspectives
• Final draft; Board review/approval
April 2005
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The Code…
• The goal of NAEYC’s Code of Ethical
Conduct is to inform, not prescribe,
answers in tough decisions that teachers
and other early childhood professionals
must make as they work with children and
families.
• The strategy inherent in the code is to
promote the application of core values,
ideals, and principles to guide
decisionmaking about ethical issues.
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S. Feeney & N. Freeman,
Early Childhood Educator: Using the NAEYC Code.
THE CODE of
ETHICAL CONDUCT
• Core values
• Conceptual framework
• Ideals—reflect the aspirations of
practitioners
• Principles—intended to guide conduct
and assist practitioners in resolving
ethical dilemmas
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Features of the Code
• Ideals & principles direct practitioners
to those questions that, when answered,
provide basis for conscientious
decisionmaking
• Many situations with ethical dimensions
will require practitioner to combine
guidance of the Code with sound
professional judgment
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Sections of the Code
• Section I: Ethical responsibilities to
children
• Section II: Ethical responsibilities to
families
• Section III: Ethical responsibilities
to colleagues (coworkers, employers,
employees)
• Section IV: Ethical responsibilities to
community and society
• Statement of Commitment
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Revised Code
• Same format as previous versions (Core
Values, 4 sections, Ideals and Principles,
etc.)
• Revision of Core Values
• Language updated & simplified
• Issues regarding child assessment and
accountability as well as diversity are more
fully addressed
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Revised Code (cont.)
• Ethical responsibilities to Community
& Society (Section 4)—”Individual” &
“Collective” responsibilities
• Statement of Commitment modified
• Glossary of terms related to ethics
added
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2005 Code and the 1997 Code
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What do we do?
No: Seek
solution
Responsibility:
Do what is right
Yes: Solve it!
ID Problem
↓
Involves ethics?
↓
Dilemma or
responsibility? ↓
Can it be solved
with ethical
finesse? ↓
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Yes (issues of
right, wrong…)
Dilemma: You
have a choice…
No…
What do we do?
Yes: Seek legal
advice!
Look for
guidance in Code,
get more info…
↓
Legal dimension?
↓
Decide on a
course of action
↓
Issue resolved!
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No…
Let’s Play a Game!
What Would the Good
EC Educator Do?
What Would the Good
EC Educator Do?
A game with
rules!
You’ll play this
game with your
colleagues
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What Would the Good
EC Educator Do?
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•
•
•
•
•
Choose from Group 1 AND Group 2
Use the Code for guidance
What core values apply?
To whom do you have responsibilities?
What guidance is in the Code?
What would the “good ECEer” do?
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What Would the Good
EC Educator Do?
Discuss… (and it’s OK to change
your decisions after hearing
from your colleagues)
So, How Can the Code Be Used
in Real-Life Situations
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Why Is the Existence of the
Code Important to ECE?
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The Code of Ethical Conduct
Final Thoughts
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