THE DEMANDS OF SOCIETY FROM THE TEACHER AS A PROFESSIONAL AND AS A PERSON 

THE DEMANDS FROM THE TEACHER AS A PROFESSIONAL

        The Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers spells out the demands of the state, community, higher authorities and school officials and parents from teachers. You will discuss them in detail in the Chapter solely devoted to the Code of Ethics. In this lesson, we shall focus on society's demand of good teaching from the professional teacher. In the first place, the word "teacher" suggests that the main responsibility of the professional teachers is to teach. The teacher's primary customer is the learner. So let us concentrate on effective teaching, the professional teacher's primary responsibility.

MODELS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

Let us take a look at models of effective teaching which also serve as bases for evaluation of teaching.

A. ROBERT MARZANO'S CAUSAL TEACHER EVALUATION MODEL OF FOUR DOMAINS:

1. Classroom strategies and behaviors -

• involve routine events such as communicating learning goals and feedback and establishing rules and procedures

• involve addressing content by helping studentsBinteract with new knowledge, practice and deepen new knowledge:

• helping students generate and test hypotheses 

• involve events enacted on the spot such as engaging students, recognizing adherence to rules and procedures, establishing and maintaining effective relationships with students and communicating high expectations for all students

2. Planning and Preparing-

• planning and preparing for lessons

• for use of technology 

• for needs of students receiving Special education

• for needs of students who lack support for schooling

3. Reflection on Teaching

• evaluating personal performance such as identifying areas of pedagogical strengths and weaknesses

• developing, Implementing and monitoring a professional growth plan

    4. Collegiality and Professionalism

•  promoting positive interactions with colleagues, students and parents

• seeking mentorship for areas of need/interes

•  mentoring other teachers and sharing ideas and srategies

• adhering to school rules and procedures - participating in school initiatives 

B. CHARLOTTE DANIELSON FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING

1. Planning and Preparation 

2. The Classroom Environment

3. Instruction

4. Professional Responsibilities

• reflecting on teaching

•  maintaining accurate records

• communicating with families

• participating in the professional community

• growing professionally 

• showing professionalism 

C. JAMES STRONGE - TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM (TEPES) SYSTEM: SEVEN PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:

1. Professional Knowledge

2. Instructional Planning

3. Instructional Delivery

4. Assessment of/for Learning

5. The Learning Environment 

6. Professionalism maintains a commitment to professional ethics, communicates effectively and takes responsibility for and participates in professional growth that results in enhanced learning 

7. Student Progress the work of the teacher results in acceptable, measurable and appropriate student academic progress. 

TEACHER EVALUATION STANDARDS - THE MCREL MODEL (MID- CONTINENT RESEARCH FOR EDUCATION AND LEARNING

1. Teachers demonstrate leadership. 

• lead in their classrooms

• demonstrate leadership in the school

• lead the teaching profession

• advocate for schools and students demonstrate high ethical standards

2. Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. 

3. Teachers know the content they teach.

4. Teachers facilitate learning for their students.

5. Teachers reflect on their practices.

THE PHILIPPINE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR TEACHERS (PPST)

  The PPST, the revised National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS), give the teacher professional competencies in seven domains, 37 strands and 148 performance indicators for four career stages. According to the PPST, quality teachers in the Philippines need to possess the following characteristics:

• recognize the importance of mastery of content knowledge and its interconnectedness within and across curriculum areas, coupled with a sound and critical understanding of the application of theories and principles of teaching and learning. They apply developmentally appropriate and meaningful pedagogy grounded on content knowledge and current research. They display proficiency in Mother Tongue, Filipino and English to facilitate the teaching and learning process, as well as exhibit the needed skills in the use of communication strategies, teaching strategies and technologies to promote high-quality learning outcomes.

•  provide learning environments that are safe, secure, fair and supportive in order to promote learner responsibility and achievement. They create an environment that is learning- focused and they efficiently manage learner behavior in a physical and virtual space. They utilize a range of resources and provide intellectually challenging and stimulating activities to encourage constructive classroom interactions geared towards the attainment of high standards of learning.

•  establish learning environments that are responsive to learner diversity. They respect learners' diverse characteristics and experiences as inputs to the planning and design of learning opportunities. They encourage the celebration of diversity in the classroom and the need for teaching practices that are differentiated to encourage all learners to be successful citizens in a changing local and global environment.

•  interact with the national and local curriculum requirements. They translate curriculum content into learning activities that are relevant to learners and based on the principles of effective teaching and learning. They apply their professional knowledge to plan and design, individually or in collaboration with colleagues, well-structured and sequenced lessons that are contextually relevant, responsive to learners' needs and incorporate a range of teaching and learning resources. They communicate learning goals to support learner participation, understanding and achievement.

• apply a variety of assessment tools and strategies in monitoring, evaluating, documenting and reporting learners needs, progress and achievement. They use assessment data in a variety of ways to inform and enhance the teaching and learning process and programs. They provide learners with the necessary feedback about learning outcomes that inform the reporting cycle and enables teachers to select, organize and use sound assessment processes.

• establish school-community partnerships aimed at enriching the learning environment, as well as the community's engagement in the educative process. They identify and respond to opportunities that link teaching and learning in the classroom to the experiences, interests and aspirations of the wider school community and other key stakeholders. They understand and fulfill their obligations in upholding professional ethics, accountability and transparency to promote professional and harmonious relationships with learners, parents, schools and the wider community.

•  value personal growth and professional development and exhibit high personal regard for the profession by maintaining qualities that uphold the dignity of teaching such as caring attitude, respect and integrity. They value personal and professional reflection and learning to improve their practice. They assume responsibility for personal growth and professional development for lifelong learning.

PROFESSIONALISM: THE HALLMARK OF A PROFESSIONAL

  No doubt, society expects the teacher as a professional to demonstrate professionalism in all that he/she does. Professionalism is both a professional and a personal trait. It behooves every teacher to assume and maintain professional attitude to his work and in dealing with his associates in the profession. It should be his self-imposed duty to constantly improve himself professionally.

The qualities of your favorite teachers may not be very far from one another. Let's compare them with the twelve (12) characteristics of an effective teacher gathered from a fifteen-year longitudinal, qualitative study on more than one thousand essays of teacher education students. (Walker, Robert, J. Twelve Characteristics of an Effective Teacher: A Longitudinal, Qualitative, Quasi-Research Study of In-Service and Pre-Service Teachers":

1. Prepared- Positive come to class each day ready to teach

2. Positive-  have optimistic attitudes about teaching and about students 

3. Hold high expectations - set no limits on students and believe everyone can be successful 

4. Creative - are resourceful and inventive in how they teach their classes

5. Fair - handle students and grading fairly 

6. Display a personal touch - approachable

7. Cultivate a sense of belonging - have a way to make students feel welcome and comfortable in their classrooms 

8. Compassionate are concerned about students' personal problems and can relate to them and their problems

 9. Have a sense of humor - make learning fun and do not take everything seriously

10. Respect students - do not deliberately embarrass students; teachers who give the highest respect get the highestrespect

11. Forgiving-do not hold grudges

12. Admit mistakes- quick to admit being wrong

     These twelve traits of good teachers are the same traits given by the students of these writers every time they asked various classes to list down traits of effective teachers. The most common word given is caring. A caring teacher is fair. He/She displays a personal touch and so is approachable. He/she makes every learner belong and feel welcome. He/she feels with his/her students and so is compassionate. He/she is forgiving, does not keep grudges against learners. He/she is humble enough to admit mistakes because he/she cares, goes to class prepared. He/she believes in his/her students and so sets high expectations. He/she cares that students learn and so makes learning fun by injecting humor. His/ her genuine care for learners is grounded on his/her great respect for every learner.

PROFESSIONALISM

  Professionalism is something demanded of teachers both as professionals and as persons. Professionalism is succinctly described in Article XI of the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers, to wit:

Section 1. A teacher shall live with dignity at all times.

Section 2. A teacher shall place premium upon self-respect and self-discipline as the principle of personal behavior in all relationships with others and in all situations.

Section 3. A teacher shall maintain at all times a dignified personality which could serve as model worthy of emulation by learners, peers, and others.

    Section 4. A teacher shall always recognize the Almighty God or being as guide of his own destiny and of the destinies of men and nations.

The Code of Ethics for public school teachers adopted in Section 7 of Republic Act 4670 cites integrity as one essential trait of a professional teacher. This is given below:

INTEGRITY: Since the teacher's work is not confined merely to the development of certain fundamental skills and abilities encompassed by the teaching of the 3R's but also includes the development of desirable habits and attitudes that go into the formation of character, his manner of living should provide a worthy example for his pupils and students to emulate for his fellow teachers to be proud of, and for the community to feel as being enriched by it.

  The personal traits cited above as attributes expected of teachers as persons are all included in the big words - "live with dignity," "premium on self-respect and self-discipline," "model, worthy of emulation" found in the Code of Ethics of Professional Teachers. They are not only personal traits, they are also professional traits expected of a teacher. In one word, these are all manifestations of professionalism, the hallmark of a professional.