Free Essay Example on Ethics in Teaching

Introduction

Teaching is a dynamic career, where instructors try different methods to pass information. As much as education is involved, it targets different audiences whose interests and preferences have variances. Therefore, one has to idealize a class in its unique characteristics and deliver instructions befittingly of the students' needs and qualities. Some teachers find it easy to implement teaching styles, while others are faced with resistance and hostility. The response could depend on the nature of the students or the approach that the teacher institutes. Careful consideration needs to be made on different teaching environment parameters to ensure that one is successful in the deployment of a new teaching method. Paul Seymour tried an excellent teaching method in collaborative learning. Still, his timing and selection of a place to introduce it failed him. Consultation among stakeholders at the State University of Chicago should help develop an approach that shall not invite students' hostility, and the lecturer is comfortable using.

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Summary

The article is written about an assistant professor at the State University at Chicago, Paul Seymour. The good professor is an enthusiast of collaborative learning, a concept he adopted from his mentor Dr. Mary Craxton (Herreid, 2006). The latter had successfully applied the teaching method with her students. Paul thought it was an ideal approach to use when his time to teach came beckoning. However, it was not to be as successful as it had been with his mentor.

When Paul introduced the concept to his Molecular Evolution class, it was received with outright hostility (Herreid, 2006). Some students openly opposed the group approach, as they preferred the individual approach. Further, they shared their dissatisfaction with some of Paul’s colleagues and bosses at the faculty. At the time of evaluation, he received poor ratings from the juniors in the class. Although he was sure the approach was incredible; it was certainly not working with the juniors at State University at Chicago (Herreid, 2006).

Through the reservations of faculty members and the students' challenges, Paul was reconsidering his decision to use collaborative learning. The situation was depressing him, and he needed to do something. It was five weeks since he started using the approach, which was already a mess (Herreid, 2006). He was also new in the job, and failing on the first attempt with collaborative learning was not a good sign.

Recommendations

There are different people and parties involved in the case study. At the center of the controversy is Associate Professor Paul Seymour and the forty juniors at the State University of Chicago. Other players include Dr. Mary Caxton, colleagues at the Department of Integrative Biology, and the department's chairman – Distinguished Professor David Montague. The dilemma that has hit Paul affects all of them in one way or another, as they have a role to play.

The 40 juniors in Paul’s case are a primary concern for the professor. In this situation, they are complainants and have failed to adjust in line with Paul's teaching schemes and preferences. In light of this case study, different things could be done to ensure the class's benefit, which they deserve.

They should coalesce and discuss Paul's method, analyzing whether it is favorable for use in the department. If the conclusion favors Paul's approach, they should develop a mechanism of slowly introducing it and making it part of the department’s teaching culture (O’Mahony et al., 2016).

The department should invite Paul and explain to him the complaints emanating from the students. They should recommend him the best approach to teaching the class, such that he can consider it to quell the resistance.

Through the chairman, the department should address the students on the importance of flexibility in receiving instructions. They should have an eye in the long-term future where other lecturers could introduce other methods other than Paul.

The department’s input would be essential in saving Paul from his dilemma. Quick intervention through any of the methods above would save the situation, the class, and Paul’s career.

At the center of the dilemma is Paul, trying to implement a method he picked up from his mentor. In many cases, people adopt concepts from their mentors and apply them in their raw form. In some cases, the approaches do not work. Classes are different, and the impression of teachers is also diverse. Therefore, one must ensure that their approach is agreeable, and it resonates with their audience (Van Rooij & Zirkle, 2016). Paul should have considered a strategy tailored to the juniors, other than what he used in his research programs. The mindset of the juniors and that of a graduate researcher is different. Therefore, applying a similar approach to the two classes of people is entirely misguided.

Paul’s dilemma and depression could be solved by trying a few resolutions that could reset his situation. The following are recommended ways in which Paul Seymour can rescue his concern with the class.

The most immediate recommendation is for Paul Seymour to change the teaching style for the class. He should utilize the remaining two-thirds of the semester using an approach acceptable among the learners (Van Rooij & Zirkle, 2016). He could drop grading the group works, use them as a partial learning method, and concentrate on grading individual work.

Paul should also meet the department’s leaders and colleagues and get a laydown of how they do things around the department. Organizational culture is a crucial concept for new employees. Paul should take some time to learn the trade at the State University of Chicago.

Another strategy for Paul would be a phased deployment of the collaborative learning program. He should discuss the intentions of learners and develop a clear implementation plan. This should see the new instruction mode becomes part of the teaching strategy (Van Rooij & Zirkle, 2016).

Consult with Dr. Mary Caxton, who introduced him to the collaborative learning approach, and get information on the best way to utilize the style. The mentor would help him develop a tailored approach for the juniors in Paul’s class, enabling him to teach in a better way.

Paul should understand that planning helps eliminate so many challenges in implementation. Therefore, before setting out to engage in collaborative learning in a new environment, he needed adequate preparation and scanning of his class to get the best outcome. As things stand, he may be forced to change his teaching tactic.

Conclusion

Teaching approaches differ significantly, and each of them is useful under different circumstances. Paul learned the hard way that not every teaching style resonates with a group of learners. Further, he understood that what has been picked from elsewhere may not necessarily function in a new environment. He faced hostility with the class and also at the department. Accordingly, it is recommendable that he gets back to his teaching plan and establish an acceptable teaching model. For Paul and the department to rescue the situation, it requires an integrated approach that involves all the stakeholders. The bit of learning from Dr. Mary Caxton, consulting with the learners, Paul's flexibility, an advisory from the department should all be harmonized to get the best approach. As a result, this case study's overall recommendation is a harmonized discussion and brainstorming that would result in an acceptable mode of instruction for learners and the professor.

References

Aultman, L., Williams-Johnson, M., & Schutz, P. (2009). Boundary dilemmas in teacher-student relationships: Struggling with “the line.” Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(5), 636-646.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.10.002

Herreid, C. (2006). Paul Seymour, Assistant Professor: A Dilemma Case in Teaching [Ebook] (1st ed., pp. 1-2). National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.
http://www.sciencecases.org/seymour/seymour.asp.

O’Mahony, S., Sbayeh, A., Horgan, M., O’Flynn, S., & O’Tuathaigh, C. (2016). Association between learning style preferences and anatomy assessment outcomes in graduate-entry and undergraduate medical students. Anatomical Sciences Education, 9(4), 391-399.
https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1600

Van Rooij, S., & Zirkle, K. (2016). Balancing pedagogy, student readiness, and accessibility: A case study in collaborative online course development. The Internet and Higher Education, 28, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2015.08.001