INTRODUCTION

Supervision as a Moral Action

Today we are looking at "Supervision as a Moral Action". What does this mean?

Through a comprehensive study of supervision, supervisors will understand that teaching of its very nature assumes a caring for the one taught and a respect for the integrity of what is being taught. Not to care for the person being taught, or to distort the meaning of what is being taught, violates the very idea of teaching. Supervision is an activity that involves another in supporting and furthering that caring for learner and respect for the significance of what is taught. The moral authority of the supervisor is joined with moral authority of the teacher. (Sergiovanni, 1998)

Sergiovanni and Starrat (1998) note that we will better understand supervision if we understand that there is a "moral" dimension involved in teaching and supervision. They note that there are four dimensions of "morality" or "professionalism" surrounding a teacher and a supervisor. They are:

• A commitment to practice in an exemplary way.
• A commitment to practice toward valued social ends.
• A commitment not only to one's own practice but to the practice itself.
• A commitment to the ethic of caring.

Let's try to understand this better by defining what "moral" and "ethical" and "moral agent" mean. Moral means conforming to standards of what is right or just in behavior; virtuous: a moral life. Ethical means being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong that govern the conduct of a profession. A moral agent is one who is able to make choices, able to act on choices and is able to be held accountable for the choices which they make.

Here is an excellent Powerpoint Presentation overview of Learning to Lead.

Here is another excellent Powerpoint Presentation overview of morality and ethics

I would also like you to review this presentation which gives an excellent outline on how we make moral decisions;

Another look at how we make "moral" decisions.