When we talk about ethics in teaching, training, and supervising, we talk about the rules and ideals that shape how trainers and educators behave when working with students, trainees, and supervisees. These values include fostering inclusivity and diversity, safeguarding confidentiality and privacy, respecting the autonomy and dignity of each individual, and being fair and unbiased.
Creating secure and encouraging learning settings that promote the development of each participant is the aim of ethical teaching, training, and supervision. In addition to being receptive to the needs and worries of their students, trainees, and supervisees, educators and trainers must be conscious of their prejudices and actively endeavor to reduce their impact.
The counseling psychologist's supervision is an action that he or she applies to a wide range of tasks. Osipow and Fitzgerald (1986) state that counseling psychologists carry out various tasks, including counseling, teaching, research, consultation, program building, assessment, and supervision. Counseling psychologists may assist a student or a colleague in learning various professional skills. Each of these talents requires supervision, which exposes the supervisor and supervisee to moral dilemmas and choices.
Respect for the autonomy and dignity of people is one of the most crucial tenets of ethical teaching, training, and supervision. Educators and trainers should not impose their views or beliefs on their students, trainees, or supervisees; instead, they should respect their rights and choices. Additionally, this means that educators and trainers must be open about their prejudices and make a deliberate effort to lessen their effects. This can be accomplished by being conscious of one's prejudices and actively seeking various viewpoints and experiences.
Another crucial ethical teaching, training, and monitoring value is fairness and impartiality. All students, trainees, and supervisees should receive the same treatment from educators and trainers; neither should there be partiality nor prejudice. This means that everyone should have access to chances for learning and progress and that evaluations and assessments should be based on merit. It is critical to be conscious of one's prejudices and work diligently to reduce how they affect how students, trainees, and supervisees are evaluated.
An essential component of moral teaching, training, and supervision is maintaining confidentiality and privacy. This means that educators and trainers should respect the privacy of their students, trainees, and supervisees and should not release sensitive material without their consent. This also implies that educators and trainers should consider the requirements of their students, trainees, and supervisees and refrain from disclosing confidential material that might be detrimental or destructive.
Ethical teaching, training, and supervision must prioritize promoting diversity and inclusion. This means that regardless of their background or traits, educators and trainers should seek to establish a learning atmosphere where all persons feel valued and appreciated. This can be accomplished by actively seeking out diverse viewpoints and experiences and developing curricula considering many cultures, ethnicities, and viewpoints.
It is forbidden for supervisors, trainers, or educators to have sexual or romantic relationships with students presently enrolled in counseling or linked programs and with whom they have control and responsibility. Both in-person and online interactions and relationships are prohibited. Supervisors, trainers, or educators do not support or tolerate sexual harassment of students.
Several provisions about ethical issues in training, teaching, and supervision are included in the American Counseling Association's (ACA) Code of Ethics. These consist of the following −
Counselors must give concise, precise, and helpful feedback and be suitable to the monitored person's stage of development.
Counselors must stop their supervision when it is apparent that more supervision would not be beneficial.
Counselors must deliver instruction and training suitable for the learners' requirements and fairly portrays the counseling profession.
Counselors are not allowed to take advantage of their positions in training and education to harm clients or supervisees.
Teachers seldom ask what to teach their children about morality, but if pressed, they will consider the consequences of their actions on their students' future perspectives. The headteacher must be aware of such difficulties to assist the school's teachers.
The most prevalent issue has been what to do about wrongdoing by superiors. The difficulties vary from textbook selection and casual teachers to library book censorship, various types of cheating such as abuse of school finances and equipment, and even serious incidents of incorrect punishment and the risk of bodily injury to pupils. They are also bothered by unethical—and, generally, unfair—directives and processes. Their difficulties are frequently not in assessing if their bosses' actions are correct but in knowing what to do about the issue.
The curriculum's issues are the second most common. Worries vary from issues they believe are not their responsibility to teach to concerns about standards and the amount of content to be taught, as well as perceptions of its ineptitude. They typically feel helpless to intervene, which lowers morale and, as a result, ethical vigilance. Issues posed by instructional techniques may be discussed under the same subject. Drama classes may breach students' privacy, science studies may cause conflicts with parents, AIDS education may be contentious, and vocational topics instill a work ethic. History classes may raise current political concerns.
They are concerned about their colleagues' incompetence, poor teaching, and inappropriate behavior. Their peers are sometimes viewed as sluggish, failing to keep up with or enhance their studies. Teaching techniques are sometimes viewed as inadequate, if not psychologically detrimental. Such issues create allegiance conflicts—the playground rule against informing keeps its force or is transformed into a belief in a duty of loyalty. Frustration at their supervisors' inaction, continuously stepping in and calming another teacher's class, or re-teaching a previous grade subject drives them to seek action—often unsuccessfully.
Multicultural classroom issues are high on the list of issues addressed by instructors. Many of them have been addressed (for example, what to do about pupils who reject the authority of female professors, and how to train Islamic females to engage in a co-ed class given the cultural pitfalls of interacting with guys). Conflicts with parents and their various expectations, as well as differences in the regard they are held, are still present.
When it comes to physical abuse or alleged sexual assault, a teacher follows the law and Departmental guidelines, and administrators appear to do nothing. The youngster may have been hesitant to notify the instructor because he or she was terrified. Under the current conditions, the teacher cannot be certain that the perpetrators will not discover or deduce who has told them or that the abuse will cease.
A youngster exposes something of major educational relevance, such as domestic strife. Suppose the teacher tells other instructors whose classroom reactions to the kid may be advantageously affected by their knowledge. In that case, the youngster will likely find out and acquire a negative attitude toward authority and the value of getting aid from them. When a school kid struggles and refuses to go to people who can assist, concealing secrets causes complications.
Problems may appear to be raised by anything from youth group leadership and friendship with students' parents, playing on the same rugby team, making personal friends of students to foolish behavior such as partying and drinking at the pub with students; and, at the extreme, dating and possible sexual relations. On the opposite side of these questions are concerns about how instructors may defend themselves against harassment allegations and, worse, without appearing cold, unpleasant, or indifferent to their pupils.
The ethical problems of the staff room: Inquiries by principals into staff religious beliefs and marital status; support of the school's philosophy and ethos; and behavior outside of school or at home are highly documented issues, particularly in private schools. Revelations of the things, as well as pregnancies, applications for positions or promotions, and other personal matters, may be made without the staff member's permission. Student privacy is violated when actions in class are reported to other teachers. A student, like anybody else, has the right to know who is listening when they talk.
Ethical issues in training, teaching, and supervision can include −
Inappropriate use of Authority and Power − Trainers and supervisors may take advantage of or manipulate trainees or supervisees by abusing their positions of authority and power.
Dual Connections − Conflicting roles or numerous relationships between supervisors and trainers and their supervisees or trainees can result in miscommunication, boundary breaches, and exploitation.
Insufficient Supervision − Supervisors may need to give their supervisees proper or adequate supervision, which may cause them to act unethically or in an unprofessional manner.
Inaccurate or Misleading Information − Trainers may give trainees incorrect or deceptive information, which can cause uncertainty, misinformation, and poor decision-making.
Violating Confidentiality − By revealing private information without permission, supervisors, trainers, and supervisees may transgress confidentiality.
Need for more Record-Keeping and Documentation − Supervisors, trainers, and supervisees may need to provide sufficient record-keeping and documentation, which may cause ethical and legal problems.
Educators and trainers must pay attention to the wants and needs of the people they supervise, train, and teaching. This means that they must be receptive to feedback and prepared to adjust their teaching, training, or supervising methods in response to the demands and worries of their pupils, trainees, and supervisees.