Newcastle was among the first regions to roll out the Primary Ethics program in 2011. What have we learned since then?
In the next public forum hosted by local think-tank the Newcastle Institute we’ll be discussing the growth of philosophical ethics in the classroom and the challenges and rewards of implementing the Primary Ethics program.
Speakers include John Beach, recently retired principal of Newcastle East Public School. With a philosophy background, Mr Beach was quick to see the benefits of ethics education for students and was instrumental in implementing one of Newcastle’s first and most comprehensive Primary Ethics programs. We will also welcome two former ethics students, now both in year 10, who will reflect on their introduction to philosophical ethics.
Leonie Johnson was appointed CEO of Primary Ethics in March this year after having become involved in the not for profit organisation soon after it was established by the St James Ethics Centre (now simply known as The Ethics Centre) in 2010. Ms Johnson will discuss how ethics is taught, the process of ethical reasoning, examples from ethics lessons and the importance of individuals developing evidence based ethical reasoning skills. She will explain how parents, carers and volunteers from the broader community are involved in delivering the program to school students.
34 schools in the Newcastle/ Lake Macquarie region currently have Primary Ethics available for their students. Approximately 3000 students, aged between 4 and 12, attend ethics classes each week during the school term. More information about the program is available at primaryethics.com.au.
The evening is open to the general public, and will include a panel-discussion and audience Q & A. Anyone who has an interested in ethics education or the implementation of the program in schools is welcome to attend. No RSVP is necessary.
What? Public Forum: Ethics in the classroom – lessons from the first five years.
When? 6.00 – 7.30pm, Wednesday 12st October 2016
Where? Souths Leagues Club, Merewether
Who? Open to the general public. Admission $5 donation
I give an experiment;
A very Good medium is driven within 10 kilometres of where a person has died. The medium is given a photo of the person who has died. On most occasions the medium will locate the death spot as well as give information about the person.
In a possible circle of some 20 kilometres diameter the medium will locate a spot. The medium does this by getting correct information via inspired thought. The inspired thought comes from an unseen source. The phenomena has been in the world from ancient times.
Now in arguing a case religious education should be replaced by Ethics classes, it needs to be considered that it can be proven that an unseen source can give correct information to people as was the case of prophets of the Bible did.
It is noted that should the person who died in the experiment died a good number of years ago most times the experiment still works due to the unseen having a memory of the past.
Please do not think religious belief is delusional thinking for it can be shown that correct information is available through inspired thought and that information is given by the unseen. Look no further for extra-terrestrial life than the unseen. A God perhaps.
Like SRE Lessons, SEE lessons provide students with the opportunity to practice one brand of ethics. Unlike SRE, families in NSW only have one choice of the school of ethics their children can engage with public schools because Primary Ethics has a monopoly of the provision of teachers and curriculum. Which is like offering sport as long as it is soccer.
When it comes to religious education in public schools families have choice of over
100 providers from different faiths and denominations. When will this choice be offered to NSW families ?