I am very interested in the personal development of our students. A critical point in the evolution of a student is the development of what is known as moral/ethical development. This development is broadly defined as the process by which a young adult matures and evolves his or her moral decision-making processes. It is very pleasing to see our students move from a domain of inflexible rules and black and white outcomes to a set of beliefs where self-reliance gives way to cooperation and other people’s opinions and beliefs are taken into account to recognise that every situation has a gamut of values and possible outcomes.
In this regard teaching Science is very exciting. Students quickly learn that ‘serious’ Science is not possible without a cooperative effort and results are often not clear-cut and generalised answers can sometimes only be reached after long discussions and compromises. They also learn about the transitory nature of Science where theories and concepts can be quickly overturned by new discoveries. Our students are very lucky that our college philosophy encourages them to develop these skills to the fullest, making them responsible for their own learning and organising them in cooperative and study groups.
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