The author discusses professional teaching ethics and its main principles and values. The theoretical basis of the study is ethics of social consequences and, in its context, primarily the principles and values of humanity and human dignity, including their possible application in the teaching profession and, partially, in the process of teaching foreign languages and Slovak as a foreign language to students from abroad.

Authors deal with theoretical and social contexts of the teaching profession as a starting point for empirical research into ethical relationships among Slovak primary and secondary school teachers. They surveyed the opinions of teachers at that level regarding their relationship with students, parents, colleagues and superiors. According to the research results, more than 80% of respondents positively rate the behaviour of teachers towards their students and parents from the viewpoint of realising ethical values, based on which they could be an (...) ethical model for their students. The level of relationships among colleagues received a less optimistic rating. They were, however, much more critical in evaluating their superiors. Only approximately 60% of the members of school management could be an ethical model for other teachers. (shrink)

The principle of humanity is, surely, one of the most significant moral principle regulating the influence of a teacher as a mature moral agent, since teachers, by means of their work, contribute to shaping the humanity and human dignity of students. The principle and value of humanity can, first of all, be applied to the relationship of the teacher towards students. Teachers should, by their humane approach, contribute to removing moral barriers, fear in children and youths, and accept them as (...) morally equal partners. The author of paper deals with the forms of humanity within the teaching profession on the basis of the ethics of social consequences, which is a version of non-utilitarian consequentialism. This ethical conception is based on the principle and value of consequences resulting from decisions and actions as well as opinions and attitudes of a moral agent. The core of the value structure is mainly composed by the values of humanity, human dignity and moral rights of man, because a moral way of life helps the development of human life, it protects and supports it. At present, contemplations on these issues have been revived, thanks to, in part, discussions on ethics and morality regarding various professional aspects of human life. (shrink)

I would like to research Dewey’s philosophy of education and its moral issues in context of contemporary debates. Dewey pointed out many moral educational problems which are topical also nowadays (in Slovakia too). Education tends to socialize its members. Dewey focuses especially on the quality and value of the socialization which depends upon the habits and goals of the group including its morality. According to him, to have a large number of common as well as moral values, it is necessary (...) to offer to all the members of the group an equal opportunity to receive them. The commitment of society to education is a familiar fact. For the reason it is necessary to build connections among teachers, schools, parents, families and society. Dewey emphasizes necessity to look upon such moral values like honesty, loyalty, perseverance, amiability, as moral goods and also some rules for other values – balance, harmony, etc. They are very important as norms or criteria of judging the benefit of new experiences that parents and teachers are usually want to teach them to the youth. Moral values provide the norms and models that guide us to satisfaction and meaning. Dewey’s philosophy of moral education is expressive about the duty of the teacher in moral education of students. He emphasized the influence of intellectual environment the minds of young generation. (shrink)

Report on the international conference Ethical Thinking: Past and Present entitled Ethics in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

This paper aims to present of the ethics of social consequences (a form of non-utilitarian consequentialism) as a theoretical basis for the examination of teacher ethics and a tool for dealing with practical moral problems of the teaching profession. Teachers’ duty is to help students, teach them to recognize the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, show them that they have moral responsibility for their actions and all this can be very well attained on the basis of the (...) ethics of social consequences. (shrink)

The author of the paper deals with teachers’ professional ethics and the current theoretical and practical implementation. She stresses the need for an ethics of teaching to be included in the theoretical and practical training of future teachers. She discusses ethics theories by Slovak and other authors and demonstrates the extent to which they are applied in practice. The author considers that an ethics of teaching should be a tool of the professional and moral practice of each teacher. The current (...) situation in the Slovak educational system is rather unfavourable, and there is often a contradiction between the theoretical knowledge and its practical implementation in the everyday work of the teacher. (shrink)

UNESCO Philosophy Day/Night 2016 was full of intellectual input and efforts for critical reflection in a popular form which, we would like to hope, could motivate, in a great number of people, an interest in philosophy not only as cultural heritage but also a dynamic and constantly developing sphere of thought which is no less relevant at present than it was in the past. It could, thus, be concluded that, in the true sense, the event was a celebration of philosophy (...) and human thought in a complex form. (shrink)

At present, an increase has been observed in aggressive behaviour and actions in students in as well as outside schools in Slovakia and other post-communist countries. This is often considered a manifestation of moral crises in the family and society. Socio-cultural changes also bring about negative phenomena, which are often present in the mentality and actions of children and the young. Moral problems in the teaching profession are a reflection of problems in society as such. It is the task of (...) teachers to minimise the negative behaviour and actions of students, especially those which might have a harmful, or, possibly, tragic impact on the health and lives of all those who participate in the educational process. (shrink)