Ethics and the Good Teacher

Book excerpt: Ethics and the Good Teacher brings together reviews of existing literature and analysis of empirical data from three research projects conducted by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues – The Good Teacher, Schools of Virtue and Teacher Education – to explore the ethical dimensions of the teaching profession. The book is premised on the idea that what constitutes a "good" teacher involves more than technical skills and subject knowledge. Understood as a professional activity, teaching involves an important ethical dimension, a fact that has come under increased scrutiny – and some would argue increased threat – over recent years as education and schooling have become shaped by market logic and accountability. Addressing the influence of personal and professional character on teachers and teaching, and containing clear implications for policy, practice and research, this book will be of great interest to teachers and other professionals working in education settings, as well as those working in educational policy. It will also appeal to academics, undergraduate students and postgraduate students researching the teaching profession and ethics/morality in education more generally.