Weekly Ethics Sessions with Year Two Students: Lessons Learned
Insights Gained from Instilling Ethics in Primary School Students
Each week, for 45 minutes, I sit down with a group of year twos to discuss ethics. We tackle tricky moral concepts, usually through a story, with questions designed to spark deep conversation among the class.
The Ethics Centre founded Primary Ethics in 2011 as an independent, volunteer-led initiative to teach ethics in public schools. Today, they reach over 45,000 students in 500 schools, from kindergarten to year eight.
Our sessions are led by trained volunteers who facilitate discussions, listening actively and asking questions to help students build critical thinking skills and collaborate.
Teaching Primary Ethics offers invaluable lessons, both for the students and me. Here are five key insights I've gained:
1. Curiosity is the key to critical thinking.
Curiosity fuels growth, discovery, and innovation, and it's essential for developing skills such as critical thinking, empathy, and thoughtful decision-making. It encourages us to question and probe deeper, looking beyond accepted information.
Children's endless curiosity is a powerful force. As adults, we can lose touch with this natural curiosity, and settled beliefs can become our prisons. Encouraging curiosity in children helps them explore and challenge the world in healthy ways.
2. There's power in admitting ignorance.
One profound moment came when a student asked a question I couldn't answer. I told them, "I don't know — let's see what other students think." This admission fostered an environment where students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and asking questions, even if they don't have all the answers.
Admitting we don't know everything doesn't signify weakness; it's an opportunity to learn and grow. Teaching ethics is about discovering solutions together, not imparting knowledge as an authority.
3. Openness to others strengthens disagreement.
Children may be full of opinions, but they also listen to one another's viewpoints, even during respectful disagreements. They assume good intentions and a shared desire to learn.
Imagine if we, as adults, could model this behavior when faced with opposing political beliefs. Sharing a willingness to learn from each other fosters respectful disagreement.
4. Psychological safety nurtures creative thinking.
Creating a psychologically safe space encourages collaboration, exploration, and even changes of mind. Students express themselves freely, build upon each other's ideas, and engage in active listening.
They thrive in an environment that respects their ideas and questions, fostering emotional regulation and adaptability.
5. Ethics education builds resilience for life.
Through ethics lessons, students develop vital skills like moral reasoning, problem-solving, and effective coping mechanisms. They learn to tackle complex ethical issues with thoughtfulness and empathy, and to grapple with discomfort and uncertainty.
Despite age differences, adults can learn from children's approach to moral questions. Their curiosity, openness, and resilience are valuable traits that can help us navigate challenging situations as well.
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Lessons Learned Details
- Curiosity: Developing curiosity builds the foundation for skills like critical thinking, empathy, and decision-making. Encourage question asking, probing, and exploration.
- Admitting Ignorance: Acknowledging we don't have all the answers fosters an environment where students feel comfortable expressing their opinions, even if they're unsure. Greater willingness to ask and answer questions leads to a deeper understanding of topics.
- Openness to Disagreements: Modeling openness and understanding encourages effective communication, conflict resolution, and inclusivity. Students are more likely to listen, respect each other's viewpoints, and engage in constructive discussions.
- Psychological Safety: Building a safe, supportive learning environment where everyone feels valued and heard fosters creativity, new ideas, and strategic thinking. Students learn to trust one another, validate each other's feelings, and collaborate effectively.
- Resilience: Addressing complex ethical issues with thoughtfulness and empathy builds resilience in students. They develop problem-solving skills, emotional regulation mechanisms, and adaptability to change.
- Nurturing curiosity plays a crucial role in promoting critical thinking, empathy, and decision-making, as it encourages a deep questioning of accepted information.
- Admitting one's ignorance can foster an environment where students feel comfortable expressing their opinions and asking questions, leading to a deeper understanding of the topic.
- Modeling openness to others, even in the face of disagreements, can help develop effective communication, conflict resolution, and inclusivity skills in students.
- Creating a psychologically safe learning environment encourages creativity, new ideas, and strategic thinking by fostering trust, validation of feelings, and effective collaboration skills.
- Ethics education not only equips students with skills like moral reasoning, problem-solving, and emotional regulation, but also builds resilience, allowing them to navigate complex ethical issues and ultimately, contribute to their personal growth and development.
