By way of introduction…
Welcome, everyone, to the latest “special” episode of the EnT!
I’ve been thinking a lot about the best way to present this kind of content… that is to say interview-like… but really, I see this more as a discussion than an interview per se… or more of a conversation, even, than a podcast as such…
So… beginning this month, we will be starting an occasional series of Ed non-Tech (EnT) conversations with other educators… “other” in this case meaning besides Doug and/or myself…
And these are to be distinguished from EnT episodes, or EnT lectures…
Got it? Well… if you don’t, you will!
Please click below as per your preferences for our conversation with Dr. Lee Smith, PhD! Lee speaks with us about his recently-defended University of Alberta doctoral thesis Tears at the Heart of Things: Moral Distress Among Principals of Canadian-Accredited Schools in China!
When it rains video, it pours audio… #ednontech
Questions, Comments, & Notes
Question: How did you decide to do this research?
Question: Describe moral fluidity and the role it plays in educational environments you have experienced?
Question: What was the technology usage situation at the research sites and did this have any impact of your research?
Question: Regarding obligations to:
– Context
– Curriculum
– Contract
– Self
How do these 4 perspectives impact educators?
Question: What suggestions do you have for educators who are experiencing morally distressing situations in their professional practice?
Comments and Resources via Dr. Smith
I guess the only things I might add in the notes are a few of the books I mentioned, the actual definition of moral distress (MD) I used in The Thing (because I forgot to do that before I started babbling), and a video for a song I adore because hey, music. You are the Everything by REM actually features in the Acknowledgements section of The Thing.
Dr. Lee Smith, via Google Docs
The Aeneid – Virgil – Seamus Heaney translator
Anything and everything by Madeline Miller (The Song of Achilles, Circe, Galatea)
Finally…
If you are interested in hearing more from Lee about this research, he discussed his work with Corey Haley on the Intersection Education podcast last April!
My definition of MD: For the purposes of my study, I employed Nathaniel’s (2006) definition of moral distress, modified by me to refer to principals instead of nurses: “moral distress is a pain affecting the mind, the body, or relationships that results from a situation in which the [principal] is aware of a moral problem, acknowledges moral responsibility, and makes a moral judgement about the correct action, yet, as a result of real or perceived constraints, participates, either by act or omission, in a manner he or she perceives to be morally wrong” (p. 421).
Lee, via Google Docs
Nathaniel, A. K. (2006). Moral reckoning in nursing. Western Journal of Nursing Research,
28(4), 419-438. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945905284727
Word of the Convo
Heart
Phrase of the Convo
Moral distress
Question of the Convo
Being hindered from doing what one believes to be morally right has psychological, affective, and relational implications. How can educators identify and reduce the impacts of these situations?
Thanks to Lee, and to you, for joining us! We are already looking forward to next time!
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