Mini Unit on Morality and Ethics
Mini-Unit on Morality and Ethics
3. Mr. Fitton shared two quotes that have been guiding principles in his life:
Quotes:
“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
“Doing what’s right isn’t always easy, but it is always right.”
-Explain the importance of knowing yourself and having a clear sense of your values. Try to emphasize that this unit is about understanding who they are. Ethical dilemmas often have no warning, so we must be ready for them.
3. How Heroic are you? Class discussion: if you saw someone in distress, would you assist them?
Play youtube clip. 50 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfh4OMgUJUU After the clip, we will discuss why people walk by others who are in distress. This will lead to a discussion of the concept of "diffusion of responsibility." Often, if someone else is around, we won't act, because we believe someone else will.
Quotes:
“All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.”
“Doing what’s right isn’t always easy, but it is always right.”
-Explain the importance of knowing yourself and having a clear sense of your values. Try to emphasize that this unit is about understanding who they are. Ethical dilemmas often have no warning, so we must be ready for them.
3. How Heroic are you? Class discussion: if you saw someone in distress, would you assist them?
Play youtube clip. 50 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfh4OMgUJUU After the clip, we will discuss why people walk by others who are in distress. This will lead to a discussion of the concept of "diffusion of responsibility." Often, if someone else is around, we won't act, because we believe someone else will.
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4. Do Rushworth Kidder activity.
Activity: Using the Mini-Whiteboards
-Ask kids about what are universal values. Right down a list on left side of the board. We will come up with a list of values that run across all cultures. Try to make about five at least.
(Kindness, love, honesty, integrity) – now do we actually live these values out even if they are central to us.
-Ask kids what types of people in history have lived with these values in mind. Draw on right side of the board. Who lives these out? (Gandhi, Jesus, The Buddha, Dalai Llama).
-Draw 4 concentric circles in the middle of the board. (Like a dart board) Smallest middle circle = Family) Second circle is friends, third circle is neighbourhood, third circle is “world”
-Now, ask kids a series of moral questions.
-You are on a bus and it is crowded. Your grandma gets on, do you give up your seat. (Then ask if it was your neighbour down the street, then ask, a homeless person…).
-How far out in these circles do you live your ethics? Just family? Just neighbourhood?
-If your mom dropped a $20 bill do you give it back? Neighbour, Rich man? Billionaire.
Your office manager confesses that she stole money from the office account to buy medicine for her ailing father. Her father has died and she offers you a check from the insurance proceeds to pay you back. After you cash the check, do you fire her or forgive her?
*More on Kidder: https://www.slideshare.net/chrkennedy/ethical-decision-making.
-Ask kids about what are universal values. Right down a list on left side of the board. We will come up with a list of values that run across all cultures. Try to make about five at least.
(Kindness, love, honesty, integrity) – now do we actually live these values out even if they are central to us.
-Ask kids what types of people in history have lived with these values in mind. Draw on right side of the board. Who lives these out? (Gandhi, Jesus, The Buddha, Dalai Llama).
-Draw 4 concentric circles in the middle of the board. (Like a dart board) Smallest middle circle = Family) Second circle is friends, third circle is neighbourhood, third circle is “world”
-Now, ask kids a series of moral questions.
-You are on a bus and it is crowded. Your grandma gets on, do you give up your seat. (Then ask if it was your neighbour down the street, then ask, a homeless person…).
-How far out in these circles do you live your ethics? Just family? Just neighbourhood?
-If your mom dropped a $20 bill do you give it back? Neighbour, Rich man? Billionaire.
Your office manager confesses that she stole money from the office account to buy medicine for her ailing father. Her father has died and she offers you a check from the insurance proceeds to pay you back. After you cash the check, do you fire her or forgive her?
*More on Kidder: https://www.slideshare.net/chrkennedy/ethical-decision-making.
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5. Ethical dilemma Sheet for groups to discuss. As a class, we will divide into groups and read/discuss some ethical dilemmas. Discuss how Ethical dilemma is never a "Right Vs Wrong" situation. It is a "Right Vs Right" situation. Below are two documents - one with traditional ethical dilemmas, the other with examples of actual cases from Canada.
Watch the trolley problem as another dilemma.
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5+ - Optional task, have students go to computer lab and do the "9 Moral Dilemmas that will break your brain quiz" from Buzzfeed! GOOGLE: Buzzfeed "Moral Dilemmas that will Break your Brain" or go to the link below.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tracyclayton/moral-dilemmas-that-will-break-your-brain?utm_term=.ch7WWYrMN9#.joovvVk5KY
-Another site with additional dilemmas... http://psychopixi.com/uncategorized/25-moral-dilemmas/
https://listverse.com/2007/10/21/top-10-moral-dilemmas/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/tracyclayton/moral-dilemmas-that-will-break-your-brain?utm_term=.ch7WWYrMN9#.joovvVk5KY
-Another site with additional dilemmas... http://psychopixi.com/uncategorized/25-moral-dilemmas/
https://listverse.com/2007/10/21/top-10-moral-dilemmas/
Additional Videos on Everyday Heroism/Bystanders --- We will discuss "The Bystander Effect"
A. (bystander effect - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsPfbup0ac&feature=related )
B. Show youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIvGIwLcIuw (staged kidnapping, how many people will help? Search Bystander Effect People watch Girl Be Abducted
C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU5EmuisrOY New York Subway potato chip guy
B. Show youtube clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIvGIwLcIuw (staged kidnapping, how many people will help? Search Bystander Effect People watch Girl Be Abducted
C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU5EmuisrOY New York Subway potato chip guy
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