Description of Activity and Directions

Title: AGREE, DISAGREE or UNSURE?

Training Topic: Ethical Dilemmas

Description of Activity and Directions:

This exercise is designed for tutors to consider their own ethical reasoning when they encounter challenging situations during their work with students. Have tutors stand for this exercise. Stress that there are no right or wrong answers within these scenarios and statements. They should make a decision based on their own opinions and beliefs and should try not to be influenced by the decisions of the other participants during this exercise. Read aloud each individual statement to the group and have them move to the sign that corresponds with how they feel about the statement (AGREE, DISAGREE or UNSURE). Debrief with each group based on their feeling about the statement and see why they are taking that stance; then move to the next statement and repeat the process.

Prep for Exercise:

·  Place individual statement/scenario on separate PowerPoint slides

·  Hang three signs (sign 1: AGREE, sign 2: DISAGREE, sign 3: UNSURE) on separate walls in the room

Possible Tutoring Ethics Statements / Scenarios:

1.  Your tutee is clearly trying hard to learn the material, but it just isn’t happening, so at the end of your session she asks to borrow your old notes. During your next individual appointment with her, you should bring in your notes for her to borrow.

2.  A tutee gets a “C” on the midterm and a “D” on the next test. Knowing that the tutee is falling behind, you suggest that she withdraw from the class rather than risk making an “F” and ruining her GPA.

3.  Your tutee talks a lot about how the professor teaches and interacts in the class. It sounds like the professor’s behavior and personal comments are way out of line and inappropriate. There is nothing a tutor should do in this situation.

4.  Your regularly schedule appointment is a good student. During one session, the tutee asks whether you know if a certain topic is going to be on the exam because they know you just took this class last semester, with the same professor. It is OK to give the tutee some insight about the professor’s style of testing and give them some sample questions, like the ones that you remember, without giving any exact questions.

5.  Your tutee asked a lot of good questions during your sessions this morning. But now, thinking back, you realize that you may have given the tutee some misinformation. You do nothing in this situation.

6.  You notice that another tutor is behaving rudely toward a tutee. It is your responsibility to step in.

7.  You persuade your tutee to meet with you more often because you would like to work more hours. You feel that it is ok to build the hours into your schedule yourself because many of these students could, in fact, benefit from additional tutoring.

8.  Your tutee asks you how you think she’ll do on a test; it’s ok to assure her she will do just fine.

*Additional ethics can be found on the CRLA website: http://www.crla.net/ittpc/code_of_ethics.htm

Debrief: Debrief with each group based on their stance separately, some questions may include:

·  Why did you take that stance?

·  What dilemmas can occur in this situation?

·  Has anyone ever had a similar situation? Please share…..

Reference: Staley, C. (2003). 50 Ways to Leave Your Lectern. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.