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Intended activity outcome: Increase parent awareness that ethics is all around us and a part of everyday life.

Audience: Parents from middle school, high school, or college.

Materials: Current newspapers

Timing (start to finish): 45 minutes

Activity Steps:

1. Welcome your participants and emphasize the role parents play in students’ learning.
2. Explain the broad definition of ethics as “the study of what is right and what is good.” Explain that generally “what is right and what is good” relates to basic principles like honesty, respect, responsibility, fairness, or compassion.
3. Break participants into groups of 5 – 6. Hand a newspaper to each group and ask them to divide the front section (current events) pages among themselves.
4. Ask each participant to scan his/her page for news articles that relate to “what is right and/or what is good.” Explain that if an article relates to what is not right and/or what is not good, this fits within the broad definition (since this informs our understanding of what is right or good). Likewise, the opposite of basic values (“dishonest”, “unfair” etc.) relates to ethics.
5. After five minutes of scanning, ask participants to debrief in their small group. Give them fifteen minutes or so to do this.
6. Debrief as a large group by having volunteers read a headline and briefly explain how the article relates to ethics. Low literacy parents?  Replace steps 4, 5, 6 with a small group brainstorm about topics in the news or on their minds and how these relate to “what’s right”.
7. Now ask participants to think about their day and jot down three decisions they made today. Give them two or three minutes to do this.
8. Remind participants of the broad definition of ethics. Now ask participants to pair up and discuss which of the decisions they made today had to do with ethics, and why.
9. Come together again and get reactions about pair work and the broad topic of ethics. Ask participants to be on the lookout for ethics in daily life. Ask that they point out these examples to their kids as often as they can.

Adjourn for refreshments and informal conversation.

© 2011 The Institute For Global Ethics.  All rights reserved.

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Acknowledgments

Developed by Chris Cooper and Jill Reilly

Sample Dilemmas

1.        One of your friends tells you a secret about something bad that they did, and the school has been trying to figure out who it was that did it for around a week now. What should you do and why?

2.        You hear about someone cheating on a test, but you aren’t sure if they really did cheat or not. What should you do and why?

3.        You are walking down the hall and you notice someone throw a piece of trash on the ground and walk off. What should you do and why?

4.        One of your friends forgets to do their homework and tells the teacher they “left it at home.” You know that they lied and didn’t do their homework, so what should you do and why?

5.        One of your best friends just had a death in the family, and you catch them cheating on a test. What should you do and why?

6.        You walk into the restroom and catch someone doing Wordly Wise homework, and you’re not sure if they didn’t do it or if they are cheating off of someone else’s homework. What should you do and why?

7.        You see one of your classmates sharing homework with another classmate who had a late-night ballgame and didn’t have enough time to finish all of their homework when they got home. What should you do and why?

8.        Someone forgets their blazer on Friday, and you catch them go and get one from the lost and found before a teacher can catch them. What should you do and why?

9.        Your teacher incorrectly grades your paper, and the mistakes she made give you extra points, even though you really got the questions wrong. What should you do and why?

10.     You walk in the lunchroom servery and see forks all over the ground, and no one is paying any attention to them. What should you do and why?

11.     The bell rings and lunch is over. You have to get to class on time or you get a referral for being late three times in a row. All your friends scurry out of the lunch room, leaving trash on the table. What should you do and why?

12.     Your friends get up to leave the lunch room and leave a few trays on the table. The lunch lady is walking towards the table to pick it up and put it in the cleaning area. What should you do and why?

13.     You are playing in a game, and the opposing team leaves water bottles on the field afterward. What should you do and why?

14.     You are playing in a game, and the ref makes an incorrect call that benefits the other team. What should you do and why?

15.     You are playing in a game, and the ref makes incorrect call that benefits you. What should you do and why?

16.     You had a late-night game and did not have time to do your homework. You come to school the next day with NONE of your homework. What should you do and why?

17.     You forget your clothes for wellness, but you see an unclaimed wellness uniform in the locker room without a name on it. What should you do and why?

18.     When you get to class, you realize that your teacher has forgotten about the quiz scheduled for today. Your best friend did not have time to study for the quiz. What should you do and why?

19.     A student got a sandwich and a salad at lunch, but he decided he didn’t want the sandwich. He left the sandwich on the salad bar. Ms. Sue came up and asked, “Who left this sandwich here?” What should you do and why?

20.     Your teacher gives a test but forgets to remove yesterday’s notes from the board. What should you do and why?

21.     You have a very important Honor Council meeting to attend during study hall, but you have not finished your homework. What should you do and why?

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Background

This activity was developed for use by schools attending the 2011 Ethical Literacy® Conference presentation “Values in Action: GO HDR!”

Relates to

• Skill development: “Ethical Awareness.”

Objectives

• To increase student buy-in to your school’s Ethical Literacy initiative

Audience

Administrators, faculty, and students

Timing

Allow for at least 30 minutes

Activity

Student buy-in is important for a school’s ethical literacy program. One way to motivate students to take ownership of ethics is to create a buzz and make it fun. In this exercise, your group will design a school-wide ethics program that students would find appealing.

Step 1. Divide into small groups (3-5 per group)

Step 2. Have each group brainstorm 4-5 core values you feel are important to school culture

Step 3. Use the core values to design an acronym or catchy phrase that gives your core values a fun or exciting appeal.

Step 4. You may need to experiment with synonyms to make the words fit together.

Step 5. Have each group report their core values and how they were able to make it fun.

Step 6. Examples: STARS (Success, Tenacity, Accountability, Respect, Safety), TIGERS (Tigers Instill Generosity and Encourage a Respectful School)

Reflection

Upon completion of the activity, ask participants:

1.    To what degree did you have to compromise your values in order to make them fit into a neat package?

2.    Where should we draw the line between emphasizing student buy-in and having an authoritative ethical structure?

3.    What are some ways you could promote this new initiative to get the word out and create buzz?

Acknowledgments

Developed by Chris Cooper and Jill Reilly

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Background

This activity was developed for use by schools attending the 2011 Ethical Literacy® Conference for an evening expedition to the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.

Relates to

• Schools of Integrity finding “Critical Thinking Skills Driving and Connecting Learning”

Objectives

• To find the connection between art and ethics

Audience

Administrators, faculty, and students

Timing

Allow for at least 60 minutes

Preparation

Prepare “Art Walk Cards” that include the Activity and Prompts included below. Explain to participants the process in advance and ask if they have any questions. Pay attention to see if you need to assist in the grouping process explained in Activity step 2.

Activity

Step 1. Select a collection (culture, style, or period) or particular exhibition from the museum’s vast array of art works.

Step 2. Identify and join a small group of other participants who have expressed an interest in observing art from the same collection or exhibit. Briefly discuss your selection and agree to support each other during a concluding reflective conversation while at the museum.

Step 3. Once at the museum, spend some time away from your group and select one art work that speaks to you ethically. It may represent a core value, a right-versus-right dilemma already encountered, or an event in history. Use the prompts below to guide your observation.

Step 4. Now rejoin your group and revisit each member’s selected art work. Share reasons why your selection appealed to you ethically. Once you’ve shared your perceptions of the work, invite group members to continue the conversation on your selection. Repeat this process with each group member until you’ve viewed and discussed each selection.

Step 5. Finally, as a group, explore relationships between the works of art.

• How does this work relate to other works selected by your group from an ethical viewpoint?
• How does one work change when seen in context with other works of art?
• How has this experience helped you to recognize that diverse audiences may perceive different ethical meanings and reactions when engaging with same works of art?
• What evidence in the work of art indicates that the artist acted ethically to contribute to improvement locally, regionally, globally?

Prompts

Initial Reaction

• What is your initial reaction to this work of art?
• What is the first thing you notice? Where does your eye go first? Why?
• What do you find interesting about this work? What does it say to you?

The Label

• Read the label. What is the title of the piece? What does it tell you about the work?
• Look at the date. When was it made? How does this inform your interpretation?
• What other label information can provide clues to the work of art?

Objective Observation

• Suspending judgment, consider everything you see in the work of art. What do you see?

Subjective Observation

• What does the work of art make you think about?
• How does it make you feel?
• How would you describe this work of art to someone who has never seen it?
• How does the artist use materials, subject matter, color, composition to communicate his/her ideas?

Reflection

See Activity Step 5.

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Introductory Video

Objective

This project-based activity provides students with an opportunity to design and make right-versus-right dilemma paradigm masks.

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Audience:  50 high school students and their chaperones from each of two area “feeder” high schools.  Approximately 100 total

• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM:  Interactive keynote by Rushworth M Kidder to approximately 100 students and adults
  Topic: “Putting the ‘ethics’ in ‘work ethic’” or something along these lines
• 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM:  Explanations and first song (“Take a Minute” by K’naan)
• 10:15 AM – 10:50 AM:  Break, then small group tours of the campus
• 10:50 AM – 11:00 AM: 2^nd song (“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus)
• 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM:  One hour follow up sessions to the keynote.  [Carousel of Values:  What is ‘professionalism’] [Am I ready for college?] – 4 groups
• 12:00 PM – 12:55 PM:  Lunch
• 12:55 PM – 1:00 PM: 3^rd song (“Rise” by Flobots)
• 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM: Skits and Discussion
• 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM: Debrief and Raffle
• 2:00 PM:  Students released/returned to high schools.

The Institute for Global Ethics (IGE) will be providing “Building Decision Skills” curriculums to each high school.  IGE will also be translating “Building Decision Skills” into Spanish and providing copies to each school.

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Objective

To visually represent one of the school’s shared values in the form of a tableau vivant – or living statue.

Activity

In small groups, have students create tableaux vivants that represent each of the school’s shared values. These living statues become symbolic snapshots of how students interpret each value.

Working in small groups, students select and discuss one or a combination of the school’s shared values. Once a value is selected, students arrange themselves to form a living statue representing the value. Take time to rehearse the pose prior to presentation to the class. Remember, these statues do not speak, but are moments frozen in time. When performed in front of the class, the group pose is held for a specific amount of time (10—15 seconds) to allow observers the opportunity to consider and identify the selected value. Following the presentations, have students discuss the process and answer any questions from the observers.

Reflection

• How difficult was it to represent a shared value using only each other?
• How do body shapes and placing members of your group in relationship to each other illuminate a shared value?
• How can a photograph capture evidence of our shared ethical values in action?
• How will you know that your living statue effectively describes a shared value?
• How will you know that your audience sees what you see?

When to Use

• This activity is useful when a different approach is needed to understand and communicate the school’s shared values.

To Download this activity as a PDF, click here.

© 2009 Institute for Global Ethics. All rights reserved.

This activity as part of the Ethical Literacy® program, includes implementation and communication strategies of the Institute for Global Ethics® and its education program. Further, it uses components of the Institute’s trademarks and copyrights including Ethical Fitness®, Moral Courage™, and Ethics Newsline®. You may not copy, quote, or publish these materials without our written permission. Please contact us if you would like permission.

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A professional development activity for faculty and school leadership

Step 1: Introduce your audience to the Schools of Integrity project and to the ten research findings that the project uncovered. You can find these at http://ethical-literacy.org/schools-of-integrity/. Discuss the basic notion of ethics as “being good or doing good.” Refer to research, such as IGE’s core shared ethical values from around the world, as appropriate. Also if you have not already done so, describe the Ethical Literacy® learning community (need help describing the community email us: education@globalethics.org).

Step 2: Explain that ethics is not easy and does not happen overnight. When faced with a task as daunting as changing the ethical culture of a school, people may have an easier time getting started if they recognize and appreciate their accomplishments, rather than focusing on what is lacking. Also explain that the following method of idea generation is designed to provide a step-by-step structure, to replace the wide-open, intimidating blank page brainstorm so often suggested.

Step 3: Small group work. Divide into small groups, based on these school constituents: students, faculty, administration and staff. Provide flip chart paper and markers or post-its for each group. Assign each group the following task:

“Take five minutes to brainstorm and list some instances of your constituency group acting in an outwardly ethical manner over the current or previous school year. What has been done that should be heralded as evidence of this school constituency exhibiting integrity?”

Time the groups for five minutes. Encourage each group to record as many ideas as possible. Use your judgment as facilitator. Provide more time if needed.

Step 4: Assign someone from each group to share/explain results. (Consider providing the group that generates the most examples with some small token of recognition, like a gold star or sticker, as appropriate, to make the activity more fun.)

Step 5: Explain to your audience that now the bar is set. These great examples constitute the bar, and this school year we look forward to exceeding it, by putting plans in place to increase the evidence of integrity school-wide.

Step 6: Break the large group back into smaller groups again, but this time create mixed groups, so each has all constituencies represented. Explain that mixed groups will provide an increased range of perspectives, representing all constituencies. (Consider using this quote by way of explanation: “Only the insights of the outsider will correct the inevitable errors of the insider.” William James.) Provide flip chart paper and markers or post-its for each group. Then assign each group the following task:

“Your group is now charged with brainstorming to identify ways to promote ethics over the remainder of the current (or the upcoming) school year. The number of examples generated by each constituency group must equal or exceed the winning number from the earlier exercise (Step 3).”

Step 7: Conclude this activity by assigning someone from each group to share/explain their list of ideas. As facilitator, keep track of the ideas that the groups have in common. After all the groups have shared, provide a summary of the common ideas, and engage the groups in planning the next steps, using the following questions.

• Who will be in charge of implementing each idea?
• When should we touch base on this work again, if at all?
• How will we know if our work has been effective?

© 2008 Institute for Global Ethics®. All rights reserved.

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Objective

To help students identify and communicate ethical values with each other.

Activity

Working with a partner, each of you identifies an ethical value that has special meaning for you. You may select one or your school’s shared values or an ethical value that you hold for your family and friends. Tell your partner the value you selected and why it is important to you. Your partner is to do the same.

Now, partners find another pair. Share your partner’s ethical value and why it is important to him/her with the new pair. Do not share your own. Have each person do the same. Listen carefully to what is said and ask questions if necessary. Within this group of four, pick a new person to share his/her values with the next group.

Each group of four is to find another group of four. Repeat the sequence for sharing each other’s ethical values, but now in a group of eight.

After sharing in this group, the teacher will ask for feedback from the students on this activity.

Reflection

• What was it like to share your partner’s ethical value with a new pair or quartet?
• What did you discover as you continued to share each other’s ethical values in larger groups?
• What did you discover to be similar or different about our values?
• What did you learn from this experience and how will that help you in the future?

When to Use

• This activity can be used to bring greater awareness of individual and shared values within the school community. It also can be used to reinforce the school’s shared values.

To Download this activity as a PDF, click here.

© 2009 Institute for Global Ethics. All rights reserved.

This activity as part of the Ethical Literacy® program, includes implementation and communication strategies of the Institute for Global Ethics® and its education program. Further, it uses components of the Institute’s trademarks and copyrights including Ethical Fitness®, Moral Courage™, and Ethics Newsline®. You may not copy, quote, or publish these materials without our written permission. Please contact us if you would like permission.

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