9 - Ethical Relationships in Secondary Classrooms

Summary

Chapter 9 draws on a case study of a pilot project in two secondary schools, one in the United Kingdom and one in Colombia, to illustrate how ethical education spaces can be co-created, sustained and enriched. It regards ethical education practice to consist of at least three aspects: (1) exploring students’ self-awareness which is intimately connected to relationships with others; (2) experiencing one’s feelings, emotions and relations, and (3) inquiring into one’s own and others’ lived realities, and things in the world. These respond to the particular needs and challenges of adolescence and contribute to enriching students’ relationships with self and others, learning and goodness in the world. To present the case study, this chapter begins by considering the needs for relational development during adolescence. It then articulates the conceptual framework underpinning the above ethical education practices. Following a detailed description of each ethical space, the pedagogical intentions underlying it, and the learning processes that the students embarked on within each space, the case study discusses how the participating students have experienced these spaces, and reflects on teaching and learning practices that have enabled these experiences. Finally, this chapter makes suggestions on how ethical spaces might be integrated in secondary education.