Ethical Literacy® Learning Community

What’s the connection between self expression and ethics? Could adolescents’ natural need to express themselves and to explore self-expression (through music, visual arts and other forms) be a way to encourage more thinking about “what’s right?”

Audience, Timing, & Preparation

Audience: Students

Timing: Long-term project

Preparation: Be prepared to allow students to discover what speaks to them (see, NOTE). Provide your own “snapshot of what speaks to you” as a model. Collect examples to use with future audiences.

Activity

Students need to share a piece of artwork with their group. The assignment is: “Present a snapshot of artwork that ‘speaks to you’ about one or more of the ethical values of our school” (see, NOTE)

Once students understand the kinds of art you want them to explore, remind them of the assignment: “Present a snapshot of artwork that ‘speaks to you’ about one or more of the ethical values of our school. Your snap shot can be a stanza, scene, segment, or any other excerpt that demonstrates why you chose it.” Ask students to prepare responses to these questions:

How did you discover this art?
Do you think this art speaks to very few or lots of people your age? Why or why not?
Which core ethical values does this artwork represent to you, and why?
Does this artwork remind you about anything from your own life, or inspire your hopes and dreams? Explain.
If you could talk to this artist, what questions would you ask and what would you want to say?

Reflection

Return for updates on artwork from time to time – do responses to the above questions change over time?

When to Use

You may need to provide time to study art generally first, but once underway this activity could be used to keep the teacher updated on art trends and student interests periodically across the year.

Note

Students may need some time to learn or think about/explore what to share. As a first step, talk to your students about what “counts” as art, or what they consider “art”, if the broad definition is “any form of expression that is meaningful.” This is an opportunity to find out what art forms your students are engaging with (if any) to make sense of the world and their lives. If they can’t think of any “artwork” that “speaks to them”, take your time in helping them to explore and connect with human kind through the arts! Encourage them to consider a Facebook Photo, a YouTube excerpt, art from an online gallery, an acceptable “graphic novel” excerpt (Maus by Art Spiegelman is an example) or any form of “traditional art” like music, paintings, literature etc.

Click here to download a PDF version of this activity.

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.

Driver and Connector, Ethical Awareness, Orrville High School, Values in Action | building school culture

Trustees Inquiry 1

Comments (0)

By admin,

This content is visible to all registered members of participating Ethical Literacy® Schools.

Please Login or register to download and/or read the rest of this content.

Decision Making, Trustees as Keepers of the Moral Compass | building school culture

Trustees Inquiry 2

Comments (0)

By admin,

This content is visible to all registered members of participating Ethical Literacy® Schools.

Please Login or register to download and/or read the rest of this content.

Decision Making, St. George’s School, Trustees as Keepers of the Moral Compass | building school culture

Assessment Activity

Comments (0)

By admin,

This content is visible to all registered members of participating Ethical Literacy® Schools.

Please Login or register to download and/or read the rest of this content.

Clairbourn School, For Participating Ethical Literacy® Schools, Schools of Integrity | building school culture

Professionalism I: Work Ethic

Comments (0)

By admin,

This content is visible to all registered members of participating Ethical Literacy® Schools.

Please Login or register to download and/or read the rest of this content.

Cross-Cutting Dimension | building school culture

Building Ethics Awareness

Comments (0)

By admin,

This content is visible to all registered Building School Culture™ Trainers and members of participating Ethical Literacy® Schools.

Please Login or register to download and/or read the rest of this content.

Ethical Awareness, For Building School Culture Trainers, For Participating Ethical Literacy® Schools | building school culture

Integrating Ethics: A professional development activity for faculty and school leadership

Comments (0)

By admin,

Intended activity outcome: To increase content area teachers’ awareness about the possibilities for integrating ethics.

Audience: Middle and high school level faculty

Activity Steps:

1. Review the definition of ethics as “the study of what is right and what is good.” Discuss teachers’ understanding of the broadest aims of education. Ask:

Beyond basic competencies, what’s the purpose of school?
Based on the definition we just discussed, what do ethics have to do with this purpose?

2. Small Group Work: Have teacher’s divide into “mixed” groups–with different content areas represented in each group. Ask them to discuss this question:

Do you think every content area has a connection to ethics?
If so, provide examples for each content area represented in your group.
If not, provide examples for why not.

3. Keep participants in small groups. Explain that math teachers often have a heard time connecting their lessons to ethics because much of their work is around specific instruction with no room for interpretation, like Algebra. Ask each small group to brainstorm the ethical dimensions of: