5b 'communicate a love of dance and encourage the art of dance'

After spending considerable time thinking about my own idea of professional ethical guidelines and my desire for an ethical classroom  I  concluded that, although they may well be idealistic, these are the personal standards I am setting myself as I embark on my career. On reflection, the basis of my practice is formed from previous experiences, i.e. my observation of 'best practice' in the dance class and behaviour learned and acquired from my own relationships.

As a self-employed teacher/dancer I decided to consult the codes of conduct that exists within my professional community.  I have been in the past a member of the R.A.D. and respect their standards and their teaching programmes.

The R.A.D. splits its code into four categories - Integrity, Competence, Professionalism and Compliance - and whilst my outlines were not as succinct as those outlined in the R.A.D's code, I felt we covered a similar ground.

R.A.D. Code of Conduct

http://www.rad.org.uk/files/ART255_Code%20of%20Conduct%20English.pd

C.D.E.T. Code of Conduct

fhttp://www.cdet.org.uk/teaching-and-qualifications/code-of-conduct/

I also decided to look at the C.D.E.T Code of Conduct.  I am ashamed to say that whilst I was aware of the document I had never studied its contents in depth.

The C.D.E.T. is the standard that is required to guide teachers on the issues of good practice.  It is reviewed every two years.  It outlines clearly and concisely what is expected of you as a teacher and the key responsibilities you have, setting out the standards required for safe practice, whilst also upholding the reputation of the profession.

I particularly liked the section "Standards of good practice for the relationship between teacher and students" which outlines the importance of having clearly defined aims and objectives. This section includes a sub section headed "communicate a love of dance and encourage the art of dance". How refreshing is it to see this aim explicitly outlined and to strive to deliver it. 

This task has been very thought provoking and educational.  It has helped me discover my own personal and professional ethics, which have been developed throughout my life experiences. Most importantly it has given me a greater understanding of the ethical standards required by, and expected of, me as a Professional.

I have discovered the importance of respecting organisational ethics, and the responsibility I have to my employer to uphold the reputation of the establishment.

I also now have a framework in which to practice and guidelines that I can consult. Morally, I can see that I have a responsibility to consider the code of conduct before committing to an organisation. 

Reading through previous blogs, I came across this blog by Jo Bradley, who posed the very real question: "would you be able to walk away from a job if you had a real conflict with the ethics of the establishment?" (see http://jobradleyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/task-5b-official-codes-of-practice-and.html#comment-form).

In the economic climate, Jo's question poses a moral dilemma, which thankfully I haven’t had to face. It certainly is an interesting question and I wonder what other bloggers felt about this and if others had been in this unfortunate position..?

Betty xx

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