Active learning ideas
Ethics is the study of how we should live and how we treat others. This topic introduces 1st Year students to the idea that 'right' and 'wrong' are not just feelings, but can be explored through different logical frameworks. This aligns with the NCCA Junior Cycle Philosophy specifications, focusing on identifying ethical issues in everyday life and articulating moral dilemmas.
Activity 01
Students are given a scenario where a lifeboat is overcrowded. They are assigned different ethical roles (e.g., 'The Utilitarian' who wants to save the most people, or 'The Deontologist' who believes in strict fairness) and must reach a consensus on what to do.
How do we decide what is good?
Activity 02
Students write down a situation where they told a lie to be kind. In pairs, they discuss: 'Was it still wrong?' and 'What would happen if everyone lied for kindness?' They then share their conclusions on whether rules should ever be broken.
Are some actions always wrong?
Activity 03
Place three posters around the room: 'Results Matter Most,' 'Rules Matter Most,' and 'Character Matters Most.' Students move in groups to read a dilemma and write how a person following that specific framework would react.
Does the outcome justify the action?
A few notes on teaching this unit
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Ethics is just about following the law.
Students often think if something is legal, it's right. Active discussion of historical examples (like laws during the Great Famine or the Civil Rights movement) helps them see that ethics is a higher standard we use to judge whether laws themselves are fair.
Right and wrong is just a matter of personal opinion.
This is 'moral subjectivism.' By using structured debates, students realize that we expect people to have *reasons* for their moral choices, and that some reasons are more consistent and fair than others, moving beyond 'just a feeling.'
Methods used in this brief