Topic > The Ethical Master - 1916

Reflection is a necessary component of daily life, as well as the growth that an individual makes in their profession. This concept remains true for teachers who, because of the particular changes they must make to meet the changing needs of both students and society, are perpetually connected to reflection. Beginning with John Dewey, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous scholars have articulated their views regarding the positive and negative impacts of this reflective teaching, as well as its influence on the moral dilemmas faced by educators. One of these people, Elizabeth Campbell, states her perspectives in her text, The Ethical Teacher, in which she describes the relationship between ethical knowledge and moral action, the link between moral dilemmas and ethical knowledge, and methods for reducing moral tensions in education . In his book, Campbell (2003) argues that “ethical knowledge is based on teachers' understanding and acceptance of moral action as implicit professional expectations in all aspects of their daily practice” (p. 3). These calls for moral action are important for student learning and development. Consequently, it is essential to understand moral action. Campbell (2003) states that moral action “refers to the rigorous ethical standards to which the teacher as a moral person and moral professional holds himself” and “concerns the teacher as a moral educator, role model and example” for students (p . 2). Throughout the text, Campbell explains that teachers must be aware of, understand, and accept these demands for moral action. Furthermore, Campbell (2003) argues against the idea that educators' ethics “remain embedded…in the midst of a document…outlining ways to ease moral tensions and expand ethical knowledge. Furthermore, Campbell's book is consistent with his picture of this ethical knowledge “upholding fundamental ethical principles and remaining critical of moral relativism,” while distinguishing “the complexity of moral interpretations of virtue, the meaning of contextual realities, and the potential legitimacy of different ethical beliefs” (p. 2). By being able to recognize the benefits of ethics within education, Campbell and others embody the influence of educational reflection. Furthermore, this unequivocally illustrates how reflective teachers are more likely to understand the demands of their students, parents, community members, colleagues, administrators and other superiors, which helps them improve student learning and develop students as individuals ethical..