Ethical Teaching of Multicultural Students:

Abstract

Within the last decade there has been an increased interest in teaching students about social work values and ethical issues in the classroom, as well as in field placements. Since students learn not only from what they are taught, but also through what they observe, the social work educator becomes an important role model for the student in learning about how social work values are operationalized. Just as traditional social work values of autonomy, self-determination, and confidentiality face many challenges in agency practice, the current cultural diversity of social work students calls for a reexamination of these values, if the social work educator hopes to effectively model ethical behavior. Above all, in the classroom and in academic program planning, social work educators must practice anti-discrimination behavior and gaurd against paternalistic attitudes toward students in order to educate ethically culturally diverse students.