HED4804 ASSIGNMENT 4 2026
DUE AUGUST 2026
Self, Agency, and Ethics in Educational Contexts
Education is not only about teaching facts and skills. It is also about helping people become
who they are and who they want to be (HED4804, LU1, p. 24). An important part of
education is understanding how learners and teachers use their agency, which is their ability
to make choices and take action while staying true to their religious, moral, cultural, or
philosophical beliefs. Two important ideas that help explain this are Foucault's concept of
"care of the self" and the African philosophy of "ubuntu." Foucault's care of the self focuses
on how people develop themselves to become ethical individuals. Ubuntu, which means "a
person is a person through others," reminds us that people are connected to one another
and grow through their relationships with others.
Agency is an important concept in education. Priestley and colleagues (2015, p. 10) explain
agency as something that is influenced by the past, guided by future goals, and expressed
through actions taken in the present.
DUE AUGUST 2026
Self, Agency, and Ethics in Educational Contexts
Education is not only about teaching facts and skills. It is also about helping people become
who they are and who they want to be (HED4804, LU1, p. 24). An important part of
education is understanding how learners and teachers use their agency, which is their ability
to make choices and take action while staying true to their religious, moral, cultural, or
philosophical beliefs. Two important ideas that help explain this are Foucault's concept of
"care of the self" and the African philosophy of "ubuntu." Foucault's care of the self focuses
on how people develop themselves to become ethical individuals. Ubuntu, which means "a
person is a person through others," reminds us that people are connected to one another
and grow through their relationships with others.
Agency is an important concept in education. Priestley and colleagues (2015, p. 10) explain
agency as something that is influenced by the past, guided by future goals, and expressed
through actions taken in the present.
