Pivotal point in teaching ethics (5)
I believe the answer is:
hinge
'pivotal point' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in teaching ethics' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'HINGE' can be found hidden inside 'teaching ethics'.
(Other definitions for hinge that I've seen before include "Joint between door and frame" , "Fastening for door etc" , "What a door depends upon!" , "Joint on which something swings" , "Circumstance upon which subsequent events depend; door facilitator" .)