Enrollment for this course is closed. Please join our course waitlist for future offerings or contact us at ConnectEd@uw.edu if you would like to request a Ethics & Education Workshop for a group of educators. 

Course Description

It’s hard to do the right thing and become the kind of person you want to be. This is true for everyone but applies in unique ways to educators and others involved in learning communities. Much like doctors, lawyers, and engineers, educators are bound by standards of professional ethics – but what are these, and how are they useful? Where do these ethical guidelines come from, what justifies them, how do we evaluate and shape them, and why and how should we live by them? Is professional ethics something you can even study and learn? Isn’t it a thing you simply… do? (Can we do it better?) 

These and other related questions fall squarely within the field of educational ethics, which aims at personal and professional growth through taking time and space for thoughtful reflection on practice. In part, professional ethics education works by offering a shared language and framework to help educators, school leaders, and other community members deliberate over the ethical decisions they make every day. 

This three-day workshop highlights normative case studies as an emerging approach to the study of educational ethics and to developing professional ethics among educators. As popularized by the Justice in Schools project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, normative case studies are “richly described, realistic accounts of complex ethical dilemmas that arise within practice or policy contexts, in which protagonists must decide among courses of action, none of which is self-evident as the right one to take” (Levinson & Fay, 2016, pp. 5-6). The case study approach does not necessarily provide any final answers to ethical dilemmas. Rather, it makes values, moral principles, and ethical problems more noticeable while enhancing our powers of democratic discussion and deliberation. What we hope to gain through the case study approach is practical wisdom, the very foundation of ethical professional practice. 

All educators are welcome to join this workshop: K-12 teachers, paraprofessionals, school and district administrators, families, and the school community.

Course Objectives

Participants will…

• Be offered an overview of different approaches to educational ethics and professional ethics.
• Understand the case study approach to educational ethics and its unique strengths. 
• Read and study at least four case studies, alongside commentaries on those cases. 
• Deliberate over four case studies in groups using a recommended discussion protocol.  
• Begin to apply what they have learned to their own school contexts.
• Optional: Contribute to scholarly research on the case study approach by offering to make your (anonymized) reflections available for academic study. 

Meet the Facilitator

Tomas Rocha, PhD, serves as Assistant Professor of Philosophy of Education, Justice, and Equity at the UW College of Education. He teaches courses on educational research, critical educational thought, and educational justice to MEd and PhD students. He is passionate about the role of philosophy and the humanities in realizing just, equitable, and democratic systems of education.

Course Details

• Participants will meet for three in-person sessions at the UW-Othello Commons in South Seattle (see below for more information).
  • August 1, 9:00am-1:00pm
  • August 2, 9:00am-2:30pm
  • August 3, 9:00am-1:00pm
• Participants will also complete approximately 4 hours of independent reading and study before the sessions. 
• Registration includes up to 16 equity clock hours for full participation in the workshop.  
• The registration fee for this course is $250. Teachers paying for their own registration out-of-pocket may select the discounted rate of $200. 
• Registration is limited. Please join our waitlist if the course becomes full. We will contact you in the event that a seat becomes available or an additional date/time of the course is created. For questions or to register a large group of educators, please contact ConnectEd@uw.edu.

About the Location

The UW-Othello Commons is located at 4200 S. Othello St., Seattle, WA 98118.

Free street parking is available on the neighboring blocks. The Commons is also directly across the street from the Othello Link light rail station.

A 30-minute lunch break will be provided each day. A refrigerator is available on-site and there are dining options nearby.