Learning How to Change

As an assignment for my Professional Practice course, I have to choose a story in the media and discuss ethics. I have chosen a story that is currently in the news regarding a teacher strike at Vancouver English Centre (By Matt Meuse,  CBC News  Posted: Aug 04, 2016) and is still ongoing. You can read the full article here:  VEC Teachers Strike Kidder's Model of ethical decision making and Four Paradigms for understanding ethical dilemmas is what I will reference here. For the purposes of this post, I would like to look at right vs. wrong through the lens of justice vs. mercy. Institutional Perspective The article states that the ESL teachers' strike has cancelled English classes for 600 Vancouver students because teachers at VEC want fair wages, and the school is not negotiating with them. According to VEC's website, their own refund policy states that students must submit written notice of withdrawal to be considered for a refund. Their pol...

Hidden curriculum refers to "the unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that students learn in school. While the “formal” curriculum consists of the courses, lessons, and learning activities students participate in, as well as the knowledge and skills educators intentionally teach to students, the hidden curriculum consists of the unspoken or implicit academic, social, and cultural messages that are communicated to students while they are in school" ( Education Reform ) I'd like to explore this topic from two different perspectives: the student experience and technology. The student experience, for the purposes of this post will look at moments of truth. I work for an institution that prides itself on customer service training for all staff and teachers. As educations, we often cringe at the thought of viewing our students as customers, but the truth of the matter is that they are and we are providing them with a service. I ...