Педагогические  науки/ 5.Современные методы преподавания.

Mitina O.M.

Odessa State University of Internal Affairs, Ukraine

Professional ethics and teaching of foreign languages

The article deals with the problem of implementing professional ethics into higher law education while teaching foreign languages.

The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means "character," and from the Latin word mores, which means "customs." Aristotle was one of the first great philosophers to study ethics. To him, ethics was more than a moral, religious, or legal concept. He believed that the most important element in ethical behavior is knowledge that actions are accomplished for the betterment of the common good. Ethics can be defined as “rules for distinguishing between right and wrong”, or “norms for conduct that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable behavior” [Resnik, 2007, 1]. Velasquez et al. (2009) describe ethics as “standards of behaviour that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find themselves, as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals”. Perhaps Flew (1979) offers the most useful definition: “A set of standards by which a particular group or community decides to regulate its behavior—to distinguish what is legitimate or acceptable in pursuit of their aims from what is not” [3;112]. This establishes a goal or purpose to justify ethical standards, and assesses the efficacy of each standard “in terms of the contribution it makes, or possibly fails to make towards this end” [3; 113].

Lawyers, as guardians of the law, play a vital role in the preservation of society. The fulfillment of this role requires an understanding by lawyers of their relationship with and function in our legal system. A consequent obligation of lawyers is to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct.

In professional ethics of lawyers encompasses the codes of morality, ethics, deontology and ethics of major professional issues, providing facts how various professions define, interpret, and enforce ethical behavior. Professional ethics should only be educated in adolescence, in particular, while being a student. Humanity disciplines should be based on the identification of opportunities for education of ethical standards in students. The basic principles of English classes should be the use of individual, pair and group discussions of law students’ about current professional issues, giving students the opportunity to think, to express their own thoughts and ideas and to focus on the content of cultural expression. During practical lessons the lecturer should focus on medical ethics, its relationship with law practice and modern ethics in general. Future lawyers should strictly follow the main principles of law ethics and confidential approach to citizens’ problems, complaints.

Professional education is a core component of the continuing higher legal educational system and represents the integrated hi-tech networking principles and technologies by creating modern attitude to citizens, their relatives, life-style and even health. According to the differences between legal and educational systems the teaching methods of theory and methodology of professional education and professional ethics should be distinguished in the system of care in the process of teaching foreign languages. The major task of higher education is to familiarize law students with general life culture, ethics, morality, perception and to ease their socialization, while further professional legal education aims at narrowing the gaps between education and future job. The increasing orientation of the educational system according to human values justifies moral dominant of responsibility, kindness, restraint, moderation, tolerance, and self-esteem as basic personal characteristics of an educated and cultural lawyer, i.e. to be able to confidential communication and understanding adoption of the other’s opinions.

The subject “foreign language” is taught during the first year. For the second year legal students study the subject “professional foreign language”. First year students have to gain general knowledge in culture, morality, grammar and communicative skills in English. Beginning with the second year, law students learn special legal literature determining the main ethical principles, ethics and deontology.

Thus, the system of higher legal education is aimed at contributing to the professional growth of law students on the basis of their culture, knowledge arrangement, and the development of their skills, practical abilities and modern training technologies. Personal feature characterizes the individual predisposition to behave appropriately in a wide range of life situations.

Professional legal education provides an extensive range of studying options and helps students get a successful start in their future profession. To optimize the process of learning humanities means to improve the quality of learning culture and values of professional communication in modern law students and to promote personal motivation of future lawyers at the English classes. The teaching of ethics to law students has recently become a topic of much importance to all concerned with legal education. However, those most involved, the students themselves, have been consulted very little. Future legal specialists should remember about law ethics as the system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine.

The most ethical teacher is one who can teach many points of view and leave their own bias out of their teaching. We would prefer to define "ethical" as a lecturer who is prepared and skilled in teaching English and doesn't take advantage of their students or the school or group employing them, and submit to you that the "unethical" lecturers are those that have no teaching skills whatever, have no interest in learning the skill or being properly trained to do what they think is a "cake" job, and believe that just because they grew up in an English speaking country, they deserve to paid inordinate amounts of money to "teach" English to non-native speakers.

References

1. Cates, K. (1993). Images and values in foreign language textbooks. Journal of the Faculty of General Education, Tottori, Japan, 27, 325-351.

2. Cummins, J. (2003). Language and the human spirit. TESOL Matters, 13(1). Available online from http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/sec_document.asp

3. Kaufman, Andrew L. 2002. Problems in Professional Responsibility for a Changing Profession. 4th ed. Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press.

4. Pidkasisty I.I. Pedagogics: Manual / I.I. Pidkasisty. – Moscow: The Russian pedagogical agency, 1995 – Page 49-54.

5. Podlasy I.P. Pedagogics: New course / Nominative of Podlasy. – Moscow, 2000. – book 1. – Page 210-212.