"TEACHING TABLES:" Ethical Orientation and Critical Thinking

Abstract

ââ¬ÅEthical Orientation and Critical Thinkingââ¬Â is a teaching table session that examines contrasting ideologies and their relevance to studentsââ¬â¢ emerging ââ¬Åethical selvesââ¬Â. In my synthesis course ââ¬ÅEthics of Film and Videoââ¬Â, students are exposed to Communitarian and Libertarian ideological approaches. Although the class-specific goal of this study is to shape their critical thinking skills in the area of media ethics, this is a useful framework for classes from any academic unit seeking to bolster studentsââ¬â¢ understanding of the relationship between individual and community. To encourage each student to create and share a self-assessment along these lines, leads to improved communication among students and between students and professor. The resulting foundation of critical thinking is then used in the interpretation of existing texts/research and the creation of new student work. This is also an ideal tool for diverse classrooms, because such an investigation of ideological (ethical) identity respects the way in which cultural relativism and other environmental factors affect individualsââ¬â¢ beliefs and practices.