According to H.Douglas Brown, of San Francisco State University,there are five moral dilemmas that lead to moral imperatives for "socially responsible" teachers. They are:
Dilemma 1. "Risking the cultural biases of communicative approaches:"
Imperative 1: Teachers need to respect cultural diversity while "utilizing the best methodological approaches available."
Dilemma 2. "Avoiding contributing to disempowerment:"
Imperative 2: Teachers need to enable students to "bridge the gaps that separate countries, political structures, religions, and values through a unifying language."
Dilemma 3. "Creating inoffensive yet interesting materials:"
Imperative 3: Teachers should not polarize students through offensive material. All material should be engaging, relevant and "as balanced as possible."
Dilemma 4. "Remaining as neutral as possible:"
Imperative 4: While we need to promote critical thinking, it is important to guide the students' process as neutrally as possible.
Dilemma 5. "Dealing with assessment standards:"
Imperative 5: Become proactive regarding standardized testing. Perform your own research to determine if standardized testings produced valid results.
More information can be found in Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy by H. Douglas Brown. (3rd edition)[/i]
Moral Dilemmas
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2