Difficult Ethical Choices
Understand that ethical decisions are not always black and white — that sometimes there is no perfect answer and reasonable people can disagree — and practise weighing up competing values when making difficult choices
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
If your child's friend tells them a secret but the secret involves something dangerous, can your child think through the tension between loyalty to their friend and the need to keep someone safe?
Understand that ethical decisions are not always black and white — that sometimes there is no perfect answer and reasonable people can disagree — and practise weighing up competing values when making difficult choices
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4 before · 2 after
Before
This concept
Check understanding
- Describe a moral dilemma where both sides have valid points
- Explain the values in tension (e.g., loyalty vs safety, honesty vs kindness)
- Describe how they would make a decision in such a situation and justify their reasoning
“If your child's friend tells them a secret but the secret involves something dangerous, can your child think through the tension between loyalty to their friend and the need to keep someone safe?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Personal & Social Development
- Domain
- Responsible Decision-Making
- Age range
- Ages 9–11