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An Examination of a Design Curriculum and the Teaching of Ethics

Posted on:2017-05-13Degree:Ed.DType:Dissertation
University:Wilkes UniversityCandidate:Harbord, Meredith JFull Text:PDF
GTID:1457390005493888Subject:Secondary education
Abstract/Summary:
Adolescence is a time when students explore and develop ethical and moral parameters. The messages presented by secondary teachers, in their curriculum choice and hidden curriculums, affect students' thinking, emotional well-being and decision making. Teachers have a duty to inform students of the moral choices that students must make in the process of product design. Informed choice implies a consideration of the various consequences of ethical design decisions. This qualitative multi-case study considers the manner in which the ethics of design has been incorporated within the Design curriculum of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Design course. The research explored the Middle Years Programme curriculum and how it addresses the cognitive and developmental needs of teenagers studying in the context of Design, and the opportunities for students to develop ethical consideration through the Design curriculum. The findings of the studies drew attention to differences in the emphasis given to the teaching of ethics in the documents, some conflation of academic, professional and other forms of ethics, and differences in the understandings of educators who are making decisions about curriculum and pedagogy in the area of ethics. The findings also indicated that assessment practices have an influence on curriculum decisions and teaching practice in the teaching of ethics.
Keywords/Search Tags:Curriculum, Ethics, Students
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