Abstract:

As a philosophical field of study ethics has a long history. There is a considerable amount of literature in professional ethic and ethical codes, as well. However, the changing status of school and teaching require ethics to be revisited and discussions to be made particularly on teachers’ professional ethics in todays’ context. This study aims to contribute to the discussions needed. Specifically, aiming to review the discussions on conceptual definitions of ethics and professional ethics, to commentate on professional ethical codes in teaching in different countries, to portray the current situation of ethics education, the study employs review method. According to the results of the review, developing ethical codes in teaching profession is of great importance both for the professional status of it and the fact that it is a “moral endeavor” itself and a culture bearer. Ethical codes can be developed either by professional unions, governmental agencies or institutions. Yet, it is a necessity to have discussions on what values these codes are built upon and how they should be updated accordingly. Although developing ethical codes is a fundamental step, it isn’t a guarantee of having teachers demonstrate ethical dispositions, behaviors and make good and right decisions. To fulfill these aspirations, it is widely accepted that teachers should have formal education on ethics. Similar to the worldwide trend, in Turkish faculties of education there is a reluctance and incongruity in including a course on ethics. In the chaotic environment of postmodern era, it is urgently suggested that the discussion on teaching of ethics should be done duly and these discussions should shape teacher training practices. 

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