Ethical Question...

[LowerCaseRepublican]

As you all may know, I'm finishing up my student teaching right now. One of the requirements to graduate is that we have a professional portfolio of artifacts that meet the various state standards, etc. One of the final requirements of this portfolio is that we also include examples of student work. I'm really in a pickle here and need some advice as to what any of you would do...

 

During my first placement, we spent a lot of time discussing in class about different topics. The one very big assignment that I gave was a project regarding discrimination. I had the students research what happened to their families and also their ethnic group as they reached the US (with a focus on whether or not they faced discrimination -- and if they did, what happened) Many of the students told very personal stories and accounts in these assignments because I told them that only my cooperating teacher and I would read them.

 

I'm hitting this moral dilemma because I'm refusing to go back on my word to the students. But this was the best work that the students had done in my seven (7) weeks of teaching and the thing they spent the most time on. I'm caught between my needing to fulfill a requirement for the portfolio (the examples of student work and how they discuss my abilities as a teacher) and giving my students a promise that I would not allow outside people to read their work.

 

I feel that it is my professional duty to honor my agreement with the students and find it morally reprehensible to go ask them "Hey, after I told you I wouldn't let anybody else read them, would you ladies and gents mind if I took a few of your discrimination projects to show off for my minor program and also for future job interviews?" I also feel that including their work doesn't necessarily say much about me as a teacher. All I did was find material that was interesting to that particular student/group of students and adapted my methods of teaching the curriculum to their interests. The fact that the student(s) sat down and did much of their work outside of class reflects more upon the individual effort that they put into the project, much more than my efforts. I sat down with the students and told them my high expectations which the very vast majority of them met but I think that including their work speaks more to their efforts and abilities much more than my assistance/belief in their abilities to meet my high standards.

 

There is just something in the pit of my stomach about including student work as a proverbial billboard for myself that is making me quite uneasy. Since this is one of the final parts of the portfolio that I need to do, I am trying now to figure out what it is that I should do -- even including other work they've done (worksheets etc.) is questionable for me because outside of the written project, much of the better work done in class was class discussions on important topics like discrimination, racial profiling, etc. so there are no written 'artifacts' of student response.

 

I'd appreciate a well thought out response because this is really weighing on my mind because if I don't give examples of student work in my portfolio, I can't use it to finish the program/job interview. But I think it is very unethical for me to use the efforts of others to score points/job opportunities for myself. I think that the use of student works speaks partially for me as a teacher since I was able to find topics and projects that interested them, but the real success of the project came at the hands of the students who focused and did the work to an excellent degree. There are many other factors affecting the success of a student in the classroom rather than just the teacher. There is the student himself, the community, parents, relatives, friends, peer groups, etc. etc. etc. Just like I think it is bunk that teachers take the brunt of the responsibility during NCLB testing for being the supposed only influence on students, I think that it is unfair for me to claim that a student's ability to excel on any given piece of work speaks greatly about me as a teacher because the student has many other factors that influence their success. While I see the value in using student work, I am just having severe problems with justifying morally. Any assistance/suggestions about what to do would be very appreciated.

 

PS: I've contacted the people who will be grading it and I have yet to hear back from them.

[The Critic]

Maybe you could use their work anonymously after talking it over with them to see if that would be all right with them?

If they're not OK with that arrangement, then I wouldn't use them. Your word to them is important, and without their consent I think it's wrong to go back on it.

[3E8]

What percent of the professional portfolio are the student works supposed to take up?

Edited March 24, 2006 by 3E8

[LowerCaseRepublican]

What percent of the professional portfolio are the student works supposed to take up?

It has its own entire section of the portfolio.

 

We've got our philosophy statements (on education, social studies and technology), our 22 state standards and artifacts that meet the standards (with 1 page responses of how each artifact meets the standard) and then a section on student work and reflection on how it looks upon us as a teacher.

 

So, it is a pretty decent sized section of our portfolio requirement.

[Rex Kickass]

Talk to the students' whose assignments that you wanna use. And then take their names off em, if they give you their ok.

[RockRaines]

Talk to the students' whose assignments that you wanna use. And then take their names off em, if they give you their ok.

Thats a pretty good idea right there.

 

If it was me, thats what I would do. Your career is important.

[kapkomet]

That's a hard and difficult decision.

 

Without question, the very LEAST that has to be done is the responses have to be anonymous. It sounds like you're required to submit their work to conform to the standard of the portfolio. Having said that, I think that a disclaimer written as page one of that section basically explaining what you just typed intro'ing this thread would be appropriate. "due to the personal nature of this assignment given to the students, the names have been intentionally left off".

 

Do you have a chance to respond in this section as to how the students performed? If so, that will work to your advantage.

[YASNY]

Regarding your comment that you "feel that including their work doesn't necessarily say much about me as a teacher. All I did was find material that was interesting to that particular student/group of students and adapted my methods of teaching the curriculum to their interests." To me, that is the definition of a good teacher. You, my friend, inspired them to do this high quality work.

 

As for your dilemma about using the students work, talk to the students. Explain to them the situation and then 'flatter' them by saying you would appreciate their permission to use their work for those specific purposes. I think you'll find that most will be honored to help a teacher that inspired them so much.

 

Don't sell yourself short. It sounds like you did a helluva job.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I agree with all of the above, especially not selling yourself short - your students shined on that project because you made it an engaging, challenging and rewarding project.

 

Stressing to the students whose work you'd like to show off that it is a) anonymous and B) saying a lot about their own achievement, I can't foresee there being much objection. Just be honest with them and use it if they allow it.

[3E8]

I think just a certain student's paper alone is not as valuable as either a list of specific assignments you created or examples of your grading techniques. An isolated student's papers in chronological order from when you took over to your time of leave might be most effective in revealing your influence as a teacher. Otherwise a teacher could just pick final drafts from the brightest kids, who would've excelled under positive or negative guidance.

Edited March 25, 2006 by 3E8

[FlaSoxxJim]

Otherwise a teacher could just pick final drafts from the brightest kids, who would've excelled under positive or negative guidance.

 

True to a degree, but just seeing the type of assignments given is an important glimpse into the kind of teacher somebody is. Are the assignments just busy work, or asking for linear thinking at best, or do they stretch the student to think critically and from multiple perspectives, etc. . .

[3E8]

True to a degree, but just seeing the type of assignments given is an important glimpse into the kind of teacher somebody is.  Are the assignments just busy work, or asking for linear thinking at best, or do they stretch the student to think critically and from multiple perspectives, etc. . .

I agree, that's why I said one of the items should just be a list of their assignments.

[LowerCaseRepublican]

I agree, that's why I said one of the items should just be a list of their assignments.

I've got the two units I did in there as part of meeting some state standards.

 

I taught a unit on the Industrial Revolution and I taught a unit on Andrew Jackson's presidency (bridged it into a unit on discrimination when talking about the Trail of Tears, etc.)

 

I used worksheets (using the text as a guide to get information), worksheets (open ended questions like 'Give three reasons why you think the Industrial Revolution was good or bad.' and role reversals like 'If you thought it was good, would your opinion change if you were a worker? Why/why not?' and vice versa for bad), lots of informal discussions with guided group reading of sources, study guides, study games, the big project I gave, video, music (during a discussion on discrimination faced by blacks, I tied in that a lot of hip-hop had to deal with discrimination/social inequality/social problems being faced and then used "Changes" by Tupac to show them...led to a really interesting discussion), overheads etc.

 

They really liked a lot of the stuff from the two units and did the assignments very well. I've got letters of recommendation from the teachers who saw my stuff in action. I'm trying to get them to let me use those instead of student work because student work is private. I think if they have the letters of rec who saw the stuff firsthand and examples of my templates, that that should suffice them. In the school I was teaching in, even if the student gives permission, I'd also have to contact the parent (just in case the parent doesn't want the work used). The area (for better or worse) is lower middle class so many of the parents are either single parents or both parents work constantly so it is incredibly difficult to get in contact with them until very late in the evenings. It really makes things problematic for a situation such as this. It seems to be a very thorny piece of the portfolio that it is just going to yield me a completion grade for my methods course -- not to mention that examples of their work (while very excellent) speak more to their ability, focus and putting their nose to the grindstone than it does my ability to say "Yay, I was able to find something interesting for them and still teach them the material." I'm not trying to sell myself short but in reality, I saw those kids 45 mins. a day in class. They have influence of family, peers, home, other classes, etc. playing in their motivations to do my work as well which is why I don't know if using their work is the most accurate portrayal of me as a teacher.

 

I also have a job interview at the school where I was teaching, so I'm really hesitant about leaving any student work in that may tip off the administration to the kids' identities (during my time there, I had gotten to know a lot of the kids who were, for lack of a better term, troublemakers...and I'm not worried how that'll reflect on me if they want to think negatively of me getting to know them, I just don't want to betray that trust of "Hey, can I use this in my portfolio? I have no idea who or how many administrators are going to read it." I want to give them more details before I go and ask to use something of theirs that is really personal.

 

I did get a big ass thank you card from a lot of the 7th graders I taught, I wonder if that'd be a good enough example for them of student work. I'm hoping so because then that way, no real privacy issues are breached.

[kapkomet]

LCR, it sounds like you are going to be a terrific teacher. Just don't rip kids who think "conservitavely" too bad.