The ethics programme is intended to teach students how to think introspectively and argues critically – gradually proceeding from getting children to question why they have been given a name to provoking discussion on euthanasia and abortion.
The students are also being taught to understand other cultures, lifestyles, outlooks, and life choices different from their own and “to offer solidarity to those in their community and elsewhere who suffer injustice, to commit themselves to the peaceful resolution of moral conflict where this occurs, and to respect and support human rights, social justice, and democratic practice”.
In addition, Ethics has been proven to impact pupils academic, social, emotional and behavioural development.
It is genuinely hard to convey how different and powerful Ethics Education can be to someone who hasn’t studied it. The best analogy I can give for how Ethics differs from regular teaching and learning is that it’s like the difference between storytelling and story reading. The connection between the participants is stronger and more “live”, and when it works well it is a very special way of being with people of any age, a sort of meeting of minds at one another’s best.
What is Ethics about in secondary school?
In Form 3, discussion for the 12-13 years old ethics students revolves around respect for self and others – with tricky discussion topics such as integrating into foreign cultures, pornography and child pornography, cyber-bullying, censorship, addictions and self-harm, with a brief discussion on suicide. They are also introduced to moral dilemmas – such as whether they would choose to save a friend or three complete strangers from a burning house.
Love is the key focal point of discussion in Form 4, with students instructed in topics such as the difference between love and sexual attraction, responsible sex, sexual consent, and the sexual abuse of minors.
The most controversial topic in the course is saved for last, with Form 5 ethics students engaging in discussion about life and death issues – such as war, torture, terrorism, capital punishment, euthanasia, suicide, contraception and abortion, with the teacher obliged to keep an open discussion and not advocating any particular stance.
Abortion, so far a taboo in Maltese political discourse, is the final topic for discussion and is specifically discussed separately from contraception so as to encourage students not to conflate the issues. Students are asked to discuss deep questions such as whether the unborn have an absolute right to life, whether mothers should be allowed abortions in life-threatening situations or in cases when the life in her womb suffers from a condition of very serious disability.
Play – Quandary
This is a free online kids game you can play at home or school. Engage kids in ethical decision making and develop skills to deal with challenging situations.
Ethics Teachers