The 3rd Ethics Crossroads Town Meeting

April 22nd 2005 13:00~16:15
at KIT Tokyo Campus

Program

1. Lecture
   "Value Clarification Method for Moral Education"
   (Yoshihiko Morotomi, Prof. Meiji University, Phd)
2. Report of Progress of Projects
   
   1. Ethics Across the Curriculum
      (Hideo Nishimura, assistant Prof. KIT)
   2. Research on CSR
      (Kyoko Ando, researcher, KIT)

Lecture

1. Three Main Schools in Moral Education

There are 3 main schools in moral education in the U.S.A.: 1) moral character education by inculcation, 2) cognitive development, 3) value clarification.

1) Moral Character Education by Inculcation

This is an education method to inculcate good values in their culture and society in students and make them internalize good character. i.e. to list values which U.S. citizens should internalize, and inculcate them in students.

In Japanese schools, this is a major method of moral education. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology lists 28 values for students to internalize as Japanese citizens such as kindness, and patriotic feelings. In schools, teachers give students a supplementary reader for moral education. The students imagine characters' personality and feelings, and sympathize with them. The student internalizes these good values.

2) Cognitive development theory in moral education

This school is based on Piaget's developmental psychology. Piaget conceived the theory of cognitive development of children. Cognitive development and moral development have a relationship. Lawrence Kohlberg(Harvard Univ.)developed Piaget's basic theory.

In this method, a teacher gives a test case to students, and lets them solve the case.

Ex) There is a man whose wife is seriously ill. One drugstore is selling the only medicine that will cure her, however the medicine is too expensive for them to buy. Is it ethically right for him to steal the medicine?

In the cognitive development theory, there is no right answer. They do not consider the solution to the problem. Instead, what is important is the reasoning. Cognitive development of morals means the ability to use reason to reach an answer. The development of thinking ability is important.

Discussion with peers is effective in order to develop cognition. Discussion with more intelligent peers stimulates and develops one's thought.

3) Value-clarification

This school is based on humanistic education, and educates students' feelings and moral. From the 1960's to the mid 1980's, value-clarification was applied to value education for university students.

Unlike inculcation, the value-clarification method aims at desocialization and self-actualization of students. They do not consider social value as something to be inculcated, but as something already internalized. They think it is more important to clarify one's value, than to acquire social value by inculcation. Teachers ask students to ask themselves "what is important to you" and "what is your mission in you life", and let students clarify these things for themselves.

Value-clarification can be applied to career making decisions for university students and the general population. The methodology of value-clarification is similar to that of developmental counseling. In developmental counseling, a method of structured group encounter is often used, and group members support each other. In the structured encounter group, participants think of topics such as the most important values in their lives, and the vision they have for their company. They discuss these things and support each other.

2. Methodology of Value-clarification

1) Exercise 1: making one's flag

Objective: to be aware oneself in the past, present, and future.

1. 3 minutes: write the answer to question1)-6) on each part of the flag.
2. Share the answers with other group members(in a 5 to 6 person group). 2minutes per a person (30 seconds for presentation, 1 and a half minutes for Q&A)
3. Think by oneself and ask oneself about 1)-6).

Questions:

1) Who affected you most in your life?
2) What event were you affected by most in your life?
3) What are you proud of now?
4) What point do you want to improve about yourself now?
5) Imagine that you will die one year from now. What do you want to do during this year? (Take for grant all that you hope will be actualized)
6) What is the most important thing you want to achieve in your life?

2) Methodology of Value-clarification: Humanistic Education

Methodology : similar to counseling method, especially Rogerrian method
humanistic education, holistic education.
Awareness, awareness of one's inner self

3. Philosophy of Value-clarification

1) Process-oriented

Value-clarification is process oriented. The thought is that the process of gaining values is more important than contents of the values. An appropriate internal process to reach values is important. One example of process-oriented practice is counseling.

Ex)client: I cannot forgive any person including myself, my parents, or anyone else. I feel that I should be forgiven if I kill everyone in this society.

Here, the content of the client's values are not good, however the counselor should not say, "No, this is bad." The counselor should say, "Yes. You have been suffering so much that you want to kill everyone in the world". Then the client is made aware of his or her own feelings, then he or she may say, " Yes, I have. To tell the truth, I do not want to kill anyone. I have been suffering" and his or her thought process will change.

The process oriented school thinks that this process where the client expresses his or her feelings, the counselor accepts them, and the client becomes aware of his or her real feelings, is more valuable than the content's of the client's value.

2) Relativism and A Critique of it

The other Philosophy of value clarification is relativism. However, relativism in value clarification is not nihilistic relativism.

The contents of values are relativistic, on the other hand, the process is universal. In this context, the process of discussion in moral education is valuable even if the answer before and after discussion is the same.

4. Valuing Process―What kind of process is ideal ?

In value clarification education, the object is not the internalization of the contents of values, but that of valuing process. What is an ideal valuing process? Rath, founder of valuing process, showed 3 dimensions and 7 steps as elements of an ideal valuing process :

�T.respect
�@ Respect
�A Express one's idea in front of everyone
�U.Choose
�B Think of choices
�C Think of the outcome of each choice
�D Choose in freedom
�V.Act
�E Act
�F Act repeatedly, and maintain.

When a decision is made along with the 7 steps, the value is desirable. For dimension �V, moral skill training is effective. In moral skill training, after discussion of their decision, students experience it in role-play and rehearse it.

Other scholars have revised the 7 steps. For example, Merrill Harming proposed 7 steps. The third step: sensing inner guidance is a very important proposal.

�@ Opening
�A Anticipating Consequences
�B Sensing inner guidance
�C Choosing
�D Acting
�E Persisting
�F Speaking up

�T.Thinking
�@ Thinking on many levels
�A Critical thinking
�B Logical thinking
�C Creative thinking
�D Basic cognitive skills
�E Divergent thinking
�F Moral reasoning
�U.Feeling
�@ Being aware of one's feeling
�A Accept one's feeling
�B Discharging distressful feeling
�C Experience positive self-concept
�V.Communicating
�@ Sending Clear Messages
�A Empathic listening
�B Questioning for clarification
�C Feedback and receiving it
�D Non-lose conflict resolution
�W.Choosing
�@ Considering alternatives
�A Considering consequences
�B Choosing strategically
Goal setting, problem solving, data gathering, planning
�C Choosing Freely
�X.Acting
�@ Repeatedly
�A Consistently
�B Skillfully, competently

Kirschenbaum noticed that feeling was very important in the value clarification process. The process for value clarification is very similar to "the process of opening to inner experience" proposed by Karl Rodgers. Kirschenbaum points out that value clarification should not be recognized only as cognitive process but also emotional process. So, value clarification is sometimes recognized as an subset of psychological education, or client-centered counseling.

It is important for students not to judge values according to outer rules but to judge according to inner thinking and feelings. It important to be aware of one's real feelings and judge values according to them .

5. Model Case of Value Clarification Education-in Primary School

Teachers let each student read a poem, choose which part he or she empathized with, and listen to others' opinions in a receptive way. Then they will be aware of the differences in each other and respect each other, and be aware of new ideas inside themselves.

In Science & Engineering Ethics education, the same method is applicable. For example, students rank the various values in science and technology according to their reasoning, and discuss them. It is important to be aware of one's own mind, respect each other, and polish one's own values.

Q&A

1. Acting; moral skill training

Q: You mentioned "acting" in the 7 steps. I agree with the opinion that acting is important. I think to act is essential in moral education. We have to make sustainable system one can act morally. Not only to think morally but also act is important.

Q: I would like to ask the methodology of moral skill training. Do you have any special advices about moral skill training for engineers working in the company?

A: I will introduce one moral training example in primary school. Teacher gives a case that one students group ostracize one student. Students discuss the case in-group. Various opinions may be express such as "I would be angry if I were him", "I would ask why they ostracized me", and " I would ask them to let me mate me". Then students try each opinion in role-play, and learn what the best solution is. If he gets angry, they may get angry also. Then, students will understand that to get angry is not good solution. If he ask them let them mate him, they may give up to ostracize him. Then, students learn that to tell their needs directly is better than to get angry. I recommend that they should begin with worse choice so that they can learn from failures.

2. Process Oriented Attitude

Q: I agree with process oriented attitude. EU, which tries to make a constitution, embraces process oriented attitude.

A: Your comment on EU situation was suggestive. Merit of value clarification is relativism about contents of values, so it is useful in intercultural dialogues. For example, from the viewpoints of value clarification, the contents of western values and eastern values may be incompatible, however the process of dialogue between them is universal.

3. Positive Image Ethics

Q. I liked the poem"Happiness" you introduced. It reminds me that ethics, which has negative image, should have positive image.

4. Restriction of Free Expression of One's Values

Q:Recently, the policies of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and of the school boards in cities seems to begin to restrict teachers' free expression of their values and relativism. For example, I have heard of the news that teachers who expressed their opinion in their class were punished. What do you think about it?

A: It may be true. However, the cases you can hear from the news is so problematic that are reported as news. Today, basically, it is recommended that teachers express their value as self-disclosure. Without teachers' self-disclosure, students cannot open their heart to the teachers. So, today, self-disclosure training for teacher is recommended. So, it is not prohibited for teachers to tell their values. On the other hand, evaluation of teachers is becoming stricter than before.

5. Alignment of Individual Values and Organizational Values

Q. What should we do if one's value clarified by value clarification and company's value are different? I think that it is a purpose of science & engineering ethics education to integrate engineer's individual value and engineer's community value. I would like ask you how to align the organization's value and the value of member in the organization.

A: I would like to introduce the method of "coaching" which is a kind of humanistic psychological education method used in companies. In high quality coaching, a manager ask his or her subordinate "what is the most important value of you?", and " what kind of job do you want to do in this company?". Then, the subordinate answer freely, and two values, the subordinate's value and the companies value, will be clarified. Then, the manager will tell the subordinate to make a plan to let two values be consistent. Before, it was the mainstream of education in most companies that the company inculcated their value by compulsion. However in most companies, the performance improved after they change their policies of value education from inculcation by compulsion to coaching style. Unmotivated staffs get motivation again and begin to commit their job. In another way, manager may let his or her subordinate do what the subordinate wants to do after the subordinate finishes the job that company hopes him or her to do. Please apply this idea to science and engineering ethics education.

6. How to Keep Organizational Norms?

Q: I would like to ask a question as a representative of the Japan Society for Architecture. Recently, loose of company norm tends to raise scandals in architecture industry. Are there any good ideas to keep organizational norms systematically? Each staffs of the company have norms, however there is no consistency in the whole company.

A: This is the most difficult question for me. I am afraid that I have no good answer. I feel that it is the most difficult that the staffs have same values or norms in the department of literature I belonging to.

Q: Do you think if outside evaluation is good for awakening ethical mind of the organization ?

A: I think so. In many universities, evaluation by students began to be incorporated.

7. How to Apply Value Clarification to SEE and Business Ethics Education

Q: I thought over how value clarification contributes to science and engineering ethics education and company ethics education. I think value clarification education contribute to bring up so awaken engineers as to have responsibility as an engineer and to blow the whistle on illicit behavior at companies.

8. How to Make Atmosphere of the Freedom to Choose One's Value

Q: You mentioned "to choose freely" in the 7steps of value clarification. However, I am afraid that it is difficult to make atmosphere of the freedom to choose and express one's value in companies of difficult economic times. Would you please give some advise how to make atmosphere of the freedom to choose and express one's value in companies.

A: In order to make atmosphere of the freedom to express one's values, I recommend recruit someone from the outside world for the facilitator of the meeting at first. It is difficult to make such free atmosphere only with insiders. At first few times, someone from the outside world helps to make free atmosphere, and then after the few times, they can express their values freely without the person from the outside world. Young people these days get motivated unless they choose it by their will. So in order to motivate young workers, you should give them feeling of self-determination.