Reflecting on My First Time Teaching Ethics — and What I Want to Do Differently Next Time

This semester was my first time teaching ethics to dental hygiene students, and honestly, it was a good learning experience for all of us. We stuck mostly to lecture, group discussions, and an individual ethics project. The content was meaningful, but as I reflect on how it went, I can see room to improve how I support different learning styles and backgrounds in the classroom.

Next time around, I want to take a more intentional approach to differentiation. Ethical decision-making is a required competency in our curriculum and a major part of the ADHA Code of Ethics (ADHA, 2023). It is also outlined as a professional responsibility by CODA (Commission on Dental Accreditation, 2023). But beyond checking a box, I want students to feel confident applying these concepts in real clinical scenarios; not just writing about them in a paper.

The "ETHIC" flowchart from the ADA's New Dentist Blog provides a step-by-step guide for evaluating ethical dilemmas in dental practice. [Source: American Dental Association, 2018

I’ve been doing some research and found a few tools and strategies I think could make the content more accessible and a little more interactive. I’d like to use a mix of case-based learning and technology next time. Tools like Kahoot and Padlet can help students review vocabulary or reflect on gray-area scenarios in a more collaborative way. These platforms offer flexible ways for students to engage, whether they feel more comfortable posting anonymously or working as a team (Santori & Smith, 2018).

I also want to build in more formative assessment moments like a card sort to match ethical principles to real-world examples, or a short written reflection where students respond to a case study. Group discussions will still have a place, but I plan to include a visual like a flowchart to walk students through an ethical decision-making process. Adding an infographic of the ADHA Code of Ethics could also help visual learners see the connections between abstract principles and practical situations.

For assessment, I’m leaning toward offering options. Students could present their analysis of a case as a small group, write a reflection, or even create a video response. Giving them some choice in how they demonstrate understanding helps accommodate different strengths, and supports what we know about differentiated assessment practices (Kaur, Noman, & Awang-Hashim, 2018).

I’m excited to bring more structure and variety into this lesson next time. Ethics is not just something we want students to understand, it’s something we want them to live out in practice. That means giving them real opportunities to wrestle with tough decisions, talk it out with their peers, and reflect on their values in a safe space. I think with some thoughtful changes, this unit can get a lot closer to that goal.

References:

American Dental Association. (2018, November 30). Navigating ethical dilemmas as a new dentist. New Dentist Blog. https://newdentistblog.ada.org/navigating-ethical-dilemmas-as-a-new-dentist/

American Dental Hygienists’ Association. (2024). Code of ethics for dental hygienists. https://www.adha.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/ADHA-Code-of-Ethics_FY24_10_18.pdf.

Commission on Dental Accreditation. (2025). Accreditation standards for dental hygiene education programs. American Dental Association. https://coda.ada.org/standards.

International Society for Technology in Education. (n.d.). 30 tools to support diverse learners. https://iste.org/blog/30-tools-for-diverse-learners.

Kaur, A., Noman, M., & Awang-Hashim, R. (2018). Exploring and evaluating differentiated assessment practices of in-service teachers for components of differentiation. Teaching Education, 30(2), 160–176. https://doi.org/10.1080/10476210.2018.1455084.

Santori, D., & Smith, C. A. (2018). Teaching and learning with iPads to support dialogic construction of multiliteracies. Middle School Journal, 49(1), 24–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2018.1398944.