An Instructional Guide for Secondary School Science Teachers With Model Lessons for Classroom Use
Michael S. Pritchard, Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University
Theodore Goldfarb, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Stony Brook
Section I: A Guide to Teaching the Ethical Dimensions of Science
- Chapter 1: How Ethics and Values Intersect with Science
- A guide to teaching the ethical dimensions of science
- Chapter 2: What is Ethics?
- Definition of ethics and morality
- Chapter 3: Teaching Ethics
- Determining the place of ethics in higher education
- Chapter 4: Case Studies
- Using illustrative case studies in the teaching of ethics
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Section II: Incorporating Ethics in Classroom Science Lesson Plans
- Part 1
- Creating Your Own Ethics-in-Science Lesson Plans
- Part 2
- Printable taxonomy which characterizes the focus of each lesson and the issues with which each is concerned. This is a very valuable tool. Check it out!
Lesson Plans
- Lesson 1: Alas, All Human. Issues related to credit for discoveries, citing of authority, excessive pride in one's own ideas, overeagerness, and various degrees of manipulation or fraudulent reporting of data.
- Lesson 2: Student and Teacher Behavior in Science Classroom. The cases presented raise questions about the ethics of sharing test and laboratory results, of manipulating data, of receiving credit for work done by others, of a teacher adjusting a student's grade and of a student taking action to prevent another student from cheating.
- Lesson 3: Keeping a Science Journal. Journal assignments that encourage students to connect their science studies with current events, as well as historically significant events that involve science.
- Lesson 4: Honesty in Reporting Research. Importance of laboratory honesty, especially in research that has a direct impact on human health and welfare.
- Lesson 5: What Kind of Research Should Our Government Support? General ethical issues associated with public funding of research include: Does publicly funded research need to promise material social benefits?; How can value be assigned to benefits in order to compare it to costs?; Should research be supported if it does not promise equal benefits to all members of society.
- Lesson 6: Low Birthweight Infants. Social issues including factual information about low birth weight infants, handicapped children, ethical responsibilities of society and the family of such a child.
- Lesson 7: Fraud In Science: Circumstances and Consequences . Effect of dishonesty in interpreting and reporting research results, especially in matters related to health; includes not only the potential effects with respect to the public, but also effects on science, such as: undermining trust within the scientific community, misleading other researchers and damaging the public image of science.
- Lesson 8: Recycling. Discussion of environmental values; relationships between law and ethics; personal responsibility; responsibility for the behavior of others; effective communication; negotiating consensus.
- Lesson 9: Dune Road. Issues related to values in expenditure of public funds; fairness; individual rights; public good.
- Lesson 10: Summer Home. Issues related to environmental responsibility; long vs. short term consequences; ethics and punishment.
- Lesson 11: The Landfill. Teaches students about prioritizing values, such as: risking health vs. lowering property values and role of environmental experts in affecting public policy.
- Lesson 12: Pine Barrens. Discussion of environmental values vs. economic development; public vs. private interest and democratic decision-making.
- Lesson 13: The Automotive Plant. Discussion of the civic responsibilities of scientists and the value implications of scientific consulting/advising.
- Lesson 14: Ethics Issues From Science Fiction. Issues discussed include informed consent as a requirement for research involving human subjects; research on human subjects; secrecy/deception in research and the sanctity of human life.
- Lesson 15: The Envelopes. Responsible use of genetic information, both by researchers and those who learn the information. Basic questions about just how much we want to know about our future health and behavioral prospects.
- Lesson 16: The Human Geonome Project Structured Controversy. Is it ethical for the government to invest such a large fraction of its research budget in the Human Genome Project when the result is denial of funding for other worthy projects.
- Lesson 17: Whose Life Is It? The ethics of cloning human beings as compared to plants or animals; the ethics of a parental agreement that imposes unusual involuntary obligations on a child; the ethics of imposing restrictions on scientific research; the rights of a child to know the details of her/his genetic heritage
- Lesson 18: My Friend Linda. General ethical issues related to modern biotechnology; specific ethical issues related to testing for genetic diseases; the ethical consequences of the disclosure of genetic information.
- Lesson 19: The Race for the Double Helix. Cooperation versus competition in science; attitudes toward the sharing of unpublished data and results; assignment of credit for scientific discoveries; sexual bias in the scientific community.
- Lesson 20: Reporting Data. Responsibilities of scientists in determining and communicating risks to public health and safety; honesty in reporting data; role of scientists in the framing of public policy. Importance of honesty, especially in research that has a direct impact on human health and welfare.
- Lesson 21: Ethics in the Science Laboratory. Alteration of laboratory data - an example of scientific misconduct. Real world consequences of data falsification.
- Lesson 22: The Law of Inertia. Risk assessment, persuading others not to expose themselves to excessive risk.
- Lesson 23: Handling Discrepancies. Honesty in interpreting and reporting data acquired in experimental procedures.
- Part 3: Resources
- List of books, articles, videos, and websites that are useful resources for class preparation.