The Importance of including Ethics in Teacher Training Courses in Germany

Abstract or Introduction

The profession of a teacher always has a double ethical dimension. On the one hand, as a transmitter of knowledge he is responsible for an adequate instruction of the subjects taught by himself. On the other hand, as an educator, he has to guide his students towards a life based on ethical and moral values and personal responsibility. In a few words, he has to nurture both their intellectual growth and the growth of their character. Whereas many countries have taken the importance of the educational task into consideration by including ethics in teacher training courses, the ethical dimension of a teacher’s profession is still neglected in Germany where the focus is put on the methods of subject teaching. As a result, new teachers are unprepared to handle situations which require ethical judgement and often feel helpless when they have to take ethical decisions.

So, the purpose of this report is to highlight the importance of including ethics in teacher training courses in order to show German professionals, who are responsible for teacher education, how an implementation of ethics in teacher training curricula can improve the quality of teaching and help teachers to fulfill their role as educators.

As a first step, the meaning of ethics in education derived from a general definition of ethics is explained. Then, based on the results of a survey, the needs of novice teachers for an instruction in ethics are illustrated. Finally, three of the main ethical topics which are relevant for teachers are described.