LANTITE Professional Ethics in Education 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student confides to their teacher that they are being emotionally abused at home. What is the teacher's primary ethical and legal obligation?
- Keep the information confidential to protect the student's trust
- Report the concern to the appropriate child protection authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the parents directly to resolve the situation
- Discuss the matter with colleagues before taking any action
Correct answer: Report the concern to the appropriate child protection authority
Teachers are mandatory reporters and must report suspected child abuse to the appropriate authority regardless of confidentiality concerns.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'duty of care' for teachers?
- Ensuring students achieve high academic results
- Taking reasonable steps to protect students from foreseeable harm (Correct answer)
- Supervising students at all times both inside and outside school
- Following every instruction given by school administrators
Correct answer: Taking reasonable steps to protect students from foreseeable harm
Duty of care requires teachers to take reasonable and prudent steps to prevent foreseeable harm to students in their charge.
Question 3: A teacher discovers a colleague is falsifying student attendance records. What is the most ethically appropriate first step?
- Ignore it as it is not their responsibility
- Immediately report it to the media
- Raise the concern with the principal or appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly in front of students
Correct answer: Raise the concern with the principal or appropriate authority
Teachers have a professional obligation to report unethical conduct by colleagues through appropriate internal channels.
Question 4: Under what circumstance is it ethically permissible for a teacher to share a student's personal information with a third party?
- When a parent or guardian requests it via email
- When it is necessary to protect the student's safety or wellbeing (Correct answer)
- When it could benefit the student's academic performance
- When a fellow teacher asks out of concern for the student
Correct answer: When it is necessary to protect the student's safety or wellbeing
Student information may be shared without consent only when there is a legitimate safety or legal reason to do so.
Question 5: A teacher receives a gift of significant monetary value from a student's family after helping the student pass an exam. What should the teacher do?
- Accept it as a sign of appreciation and gratitude
- Decline or return the gift to avoid a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- Accept it privately but not report it to the school
- Donate it to a school charity fund
Correct answer: Decline or return the gift to avoid a conflict of interest
Accepting gifts of significant value can compromise professional integrity and create actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
Question 6: Which principle underpins the ethical requirement for teachers to maintain accurate and honest assessment records?
- Accountability (Correct answer)
- Inclusivity
- Collaboration
- Creativity
Correct answer: Accountability
Accountability requires teachers to be answerable for their professional decisions, including the accuracy of assessment and reporting.
Question 7: A student with a disability requests an accommodation that is not listed in their formal support plan. What should the teacher do?
- Deny the request since it is not in the official plan
- Consult with the student, parents, and relevant support staff to assess the need (Correct answer)
- Provide the accommodation immediately without consultation
- Refer the student to a different teacher
Correct answer: Consult with the student, parents, and relevant support staff to assess the need
Ethical practice requires collaboration with stakeholders to determine appropriate adjustments that meet the student's genuine needs.
LANTITE Professional Ethics in Education 2
A student confides to their teacher that they are being emotionally abused at home.
What is the teacher's primary ethical and legal obligation?