Teachers as Conscientious Objectors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doris A. Santoro
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Professional Ethics ◽  
Global Education ◽  
Conscientious Objection ◽  
Teacher Resistance ◽  
Conscientious Objectors ◽  
Research On Teaching ◽  
Moral Dimensions ◽  
Support Students

Teachers often characterize their interest in and commitment to the profession as moral: a desire to support students, serve their communities, or uphold civic ideals embedded in the promise of public education. These initial and sustaining moral impulses are well documented in research on teaching and teacher education. However, moral commitments can also be a source of teachers’ dissatisfaction and resistance, especially in the age of the market-based Global Education Reform Movement. This article explores the phenomenon of conscientious objection in teaching as an enactment of professional ethics. Conscientious objection describes teachers’ actions when they take a stand against job expectations that contradict or compromise their professional ethics. Teachers who refuse to enact policies and practices may be represented by popular media, school leaders, policymakers, and educational researchers as merely recalcitrant or insubordinate. This perspective misses the moral dimensions of resistance. Teachers may refuse to engage in practices or follow mandates from the standpoint of professional conscience. This article also highlights varieties of conscientious objection that are drawn from global examples of teacher resistance. Finally, the article explores the role of teachers unions as potential catalysts for collective forms of conscientious objection.

Conscientious Objection (European and American approaches)

Law and World ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-144
Keyword(s):  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Conscientious Objection ◽  
State Regulation ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
State Regulations ◽  
Conscientious Objectors ◽  
The Law ◽  
The Individual

The Article concerns the legal issues, connected with the situation, when a person (or group of people) disobey requirements of the Law or other State regulations on the basis of religious or nonreligious belief. The Author analyses almost all related issues – whether imposing certain obligation on individuals, to which the individual has a conscientious objection based on his/her religious beliefs, always represents interference with his/her religion rights, and if it does, then what is subject of the interference – forum integrum or forum externum; whether neutral regulation, which does not refer to religion issues at all, could ever be regarded as interference into someone’s religious rights; whether opinion or belief, on which the individual’s objection and the corresponding conduct is based, must necesserily represent the clear “manifest” of the same religion or belief in order to gain legal protection; what is regarded as “manifest” of the religion or other belief in general and whether a close and direct link must exist between personal conduct and requirements of the religious or nonreligious belief; what are the criteria of the “legitimacy” of the belief; to what extent the following factors should be taken into consideration : whether the personal conduct of the individual represents the official requirements of corresponding religion or belief, what is the burden which was imposed on the believer’s religious or moral feelings by the State regulation, also, proportionality and degree of sincerity of the individual who thinks that his disobidience to the Law is required by his/her religious of philosofical belief. The effects (direct or non direct) of the nonfulfilment of the law requirement (legal responsibility, lost of the job, certain discomfort, etc..) are relevant factors as well. By the Author, all these circumstances and factors are essencial while estimating, whether it arises, actually, a real necessity and relevant obligation before a state for making some exemptions from the law to the benefi t of the conscientious objectors, in cases, if to predict such an objection was possible at all. So, the issues are discussed in the prism of the negative and positive obligations of a State. Corresponding precedents of the US Supreme Court and European Human Rights Court have been presented and analysed comparatively by the Author in the Article. The Article contains an important resume, in which the main points, principal issues and conclusion remarks are delivered. The Author shows, that due analysis of the legal aspects typical to “Conscientious objection” is very important for deep understanding religious rights, not absolute ones, and facilitates finding a correct answer on the question – how far do their boundaries go?

From Society to Self (and Back) through Place: Habit in Transactional Context

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 50S-59S ◽  
Author(s):  
Malcolm P. Cutchin
Keyword(s):  
Essential Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Moral Dimensions ◽  
The Individual

This argument extends the efforts of scholars of occupation and habit in several ways. It extends previous examinations of John Dewey's perspective on habit by bringing to the forefront his view of the social and moral dimensions of habit in the context of his larger metaphysical ground-map. That view suggests a habit process involving the transaction of the social and the individual, with habit as central to that transaction. Dewey's view is further enhanced with a portrayal of how it operates in the material experience of place and landscape. Examples from several scales of place are discussed to illustrate the essential role of material landscapes in this habit process. Using these analyses, the concept of rehabilitation is reconsidered.

Virtue Ethics and/or Virtue Epistemology: A Response to Anton Froeyman

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 432-446
Author(s):  
Herman Paul
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Virtue Epistemology ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Moral Virtues ◽  
Intellectual Courage ◽  
Virtuous Behavior ◽  
Moral Dimensions ◽  
Ethical Approaches

Abstract In response to Anton Froeyman’s paper, “Virtues of Historiography,” this article argues that philosophers of history interested in why historians cherish such virtues as carefulness, impartiality, and intellectual courage would do wise not to classify these virtues unequivocally as either epistemic or moral virtues. Likewise, in trying to grasp the roles that virtues play in the historian’s professional practice, philosophers of history would be best advised to avoid adopting either an epistemological or an ethical perspective. Assuming that the historian’s virtuous behavior has epistemic and moral dimensions (as well as aesthetic, political, and other dimensions), this article advocates a non-reductionist account of historical scholarship, which acknowledges that the virtues cherished by historians usually play a variety of roles, depending on the goals they are supposed to serve. Given that not the least important of these goals are epistemic ones, the articles concludes that virtue ethical approaches, to the extent that they are focused on the acquisition of moral instead of epistemic goods, insufficiently recognize the role of virtue in the pursuit of such epistemic aims as knowledge and understanding.

Design Philanthropy: Challenges and Opportunities in the Evolution of Philanthropic Giving

2021 ◽  
pp. 089590482110494
Author(s):  
Melissa Arnold Lyon ◽  
Shani S. Bretas ◽  
Douglas D. Ready
Keyword(s):  
Education Reform ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
Venture Philanthropy ◽  
Policy Borrowing ◽  
The Past ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Instructional Core ◽  
Democratic Engagement

Over the past several decades large philanthropies have adopted aggressive approaches to education reform that scholars have labeled venture philanthropy. These efforts focused on broad changes to schooling and education policy, borrowing techniques from the venture capital world. But many foundations have recently become convinced that market forces and macro-level policymaking alone cannot drive educational improvement, particularly in areas related to classroom teaching and learning. In response, foundations have begun to design their own instructional innovations and identify providers to implement them. This paper interprets these recent efforts as early evidence of a distinct adaptation in the evolving role of philanthropies, which we dub design philanthropy. Although this approach represents an attempt by foundations to simultaneously increase democratic engagement, directly influence the instructional core, and spur educational innovation, it poses new risks for coherence, scalability, and sustainability in education policymaking.

scholarly journals Listening to the learner voice: The ever changing landscape of technology use for language students

ReCALL ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gráinne Conole
Keyword(s):  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Web 2.0 Technologies ◽  
Role Of Teachers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Support Students

AbstractWhat does learning in today's technology-enhanced environment mean? Is learning as an activity fundamentally changing as a result of the opportunities offered by new technologies and tools? How are the new communicative channels and increased social dimensions possible through Web 2.0 technologies impacting on the way students work and learn? And what does this mean for the role of teachers and institutions in terms of how they support students? This paper considers these questions and reports on findings from current research evaluating how students are actually using technologies and what this research tells us about the ways in which patterns of learning might be changing. It will consider the implications for individual teachers (in terms of designing and supporting learning activities for students) and institutions in terms of the impact on policy and the associated infrastructure needed to provide an appropriate environment that maximises the potential offered by new technologies.

scholarly journals Stakeholder attitudes towards employability in a Sino-British university

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Speight ◽  
Natasa Lackovic ◽  
Lucy Cooker
Keyword(s):  
Research Literature ◽  
Branch Campus ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Graduate Employability ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
Global And Local ◽  
Support Students ◽  
Stakeholder Attitudes

In 2004 the University of Nottingham opened its branch campus, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Degree-awarding powers for UNNC remain with the UK, but there is recognition that Nottingham must understand the specific context of its Chinese branch; provision therefore operates according to the principal of equivalence rather than of replication. This paper explores stakeholder attitudes towards the university's Nottingham Advantage Award. This is an extra-curricular programme designed to support students in the development of their 'employability'. Launched in the UK in 2008, it was piloted at UNNC in 2010-11 and is now nearing the end of its first full year of operation. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with staff and students at UNNC. These were analysed alongside interviews carried out in the UK and with reference to the research literature. This provided an understanding of the role of the Award overall and in the UNNC context. The study shows that while stakeholders hold broadly similar views in the UK and China, there are subtle differences of emphasis concerning the understanding of, and responsibility for, learning for employability. In addition, a group of China-specific themes emerged from the UNNC interviews that indicated recognition of the need to differentiate priorities and provision for each site. The paper concludes that the challenge for the Award at UNNC is to serve both global and local agendas and that it should strive to reduce the 'information asymmetry' existing between stakeholders to promote effective graduate employability.

scholarly journals Attributes of social capital in the educational organisation

Educatia 21 ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 144-151
Author(s):  
Mirela Minică ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Educational System ◽  
School Organization ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Current Period ◽  
Low Degree ◽  
Degree Of Confidence ◽  
The Impact

The article highlights according to the concept of social capital, the changes generated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the educational system. This research identified the attributes of social capital at the level of the adults involved in the educational process (parents, students), the impact of the current period on them and the opinion of the respondents regarding the education reform. The conclusions of the study prove an activation of the intentions of involvement and participation in the management structures and in the educational projects at the level of the school organization, along with a low degree of confidence in the way the reform of the educational system is designed and implemented. Change management in recent years has highlighted the need for school involvement in the development of social capital and also the need to increase the role of social stakeholders in solving the challenges facing school organizations.

scholarly journals The Role Of Education Reform In Uzbekistan In Reducing Youth Delinquency

2020 ◽  
Vol 02 (11) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Tojibayev Bakhromjon Turabayevich ◽  
◽  
Azimov Ashirali Mexmonboevich ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Young People ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Education Reforms ◽  
Youth Delinquency

The article assesses the importance of education in the modern world and its role in reducing youth deviation as a social institution. Education reforms in Uzbekistan emphasize the quality of reducing the deviation of young people by increasing the efficiency of "human capital".

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