Educ 113: Participation & Teaching Assistantship (FS2)

THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Lesson 1: The Teacher We Remember

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.― William Arthur Ward

Good teaching must be slow enough so that it is not confusing, and fast enough so
that it is not boring.― Sidney J. Harris
In an effective classroom, students should not only know what they are doing, they
should also know why and how.― Harry Wong
The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught as that every
child should be given the wish to learn.― John Lubbock
The need for imagination, as a sense of truth, and as a feeling of responsibility --
these are the three forces which are the very nerve of education.― Rudolf Steiner
What greater joy can a teacher feel than to witness a child’s success? ― Michelle L.
Graham
The best education is not given to students; it is drawn out of them. ― Gerald Belcher
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and
knowledge.― Albert Einstein
Good teaching is more a giving of right questions than a giving of right answers.―
Josef Albers
The test of a good teacher is not how many questions he can ask his pupils that they
will answer readily, but how many questions he inspires them to ask which he finds it
hard to answer.― Alice Wellington Rollins
It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of
students with facts...it is to teach them to think, if that is possible, and always to
think for themselves.― Robert Hutchins
Effective teaching may be the hardest job there is.― William Glasse
A pro is someone who can do great work when he doesn't feel like it.― Alastair Cook
Education...is a painful, continual, and difficult work to be done in kindness, by
watching, by warning...by praise, but above all, by example. ― John Ruskin
Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition. ― Jacques Barzun
Teaching is the only major occupation for which we have not developed tools that
make an average person capable of competence and performance. In teaching we rely
on the naturals, the ones who somehow know how to teach. ― Peter Drucker
Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle
is that at times they accomplish this impossible task. ― Haim Ginott
We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach all children whose
schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to know in order to
do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact
we haven't so far.― Ron Edmonds
In this, lesson 1 dwells on teaching as profession. It focuses on the personal qualities
of effective teacher and professional competencies expected to a teacher.

LESSON 1: TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

Teaching is considered one of the most noble professions globally and is associated
with social progress. In earlier times, a teacher was the most respected member of society,
and only the very best and most learned of all became teachers. Teachers were the centre of
the education system and were needed to pass on their knowledge, skills, and ethics
optimally to students. With the evolution in the education system and changing role of
teachers, enhancing teacher quality becomes of utmost importance for long-term and
sustainable nation-building. The professional teaching standards highlight the improvements
to be made in the profession of teaching to contribute to the country's progress.

QUALITIES OF EFFECTIVE TEACHERS

James Stronge
The positive and negative behaviors exhibited by teachers determine, to a
great extent, their effectiveness in the classroom and, ultimately, the impact they
have on student achievement.

I. THE TEACHER AS A PERSON

The teacher is the representative of the content and the school. How a teacher
presents himself makes an impression on administrators, colleagues, parents, and
students. Often a student links the preference to a particular subject to a teacher and
the way the subject was taught. A teacher who exudes enthusiasm and competence
for a content area may transfer those feelings to the students. In addition, how the
teacher relates to the pupils has an impact on the students’ experience in the class.
The teacher’s personality is one of the first sets of characteristics to look for in an
effective teacher. Many aspects of effective teaching can be cultivated, but it is
difficult to effect change in an individual’s personality.

A. Positive Qualities
• Assumes ownership for the classroom and the students’ success
• Uses personal experiences as examples in teaching
• Understands feelings of students
• Communicates clearly
• Admits to mistakes and corrects them immediately
• Thinks about and reflects on practice
• Displays a sense of humor
• Dresses appropriately for the position
• Maintains confidential trust and respect
• Is structured, yet flexible and spontaneous
• Is responsive to situations and students’ needs
• Enjoys teaching and expects students to enjoy learning
• Looks for the win-win solution in conflict situations
• Listens attentively to student questions and comments.
• Responds to students with respect, even in difficult situations
• Communicates high expectations consistently
• Conducts one-on-one conversations with students
Treats students equally and fairly
• Has positive dialogue and interactions with students outside the
Classroom
• Invests time with single students or small groups of students
outside the classroom
• Maintains a professional manner at all times
• Addresses students by name
• Speaks in an appropriate tone and volume
• Works actively with students

B. Red Flags of Ineffective Teaching

• Believes that teaching is just a job
• Arrives late to school and class on a regular basis
• Has classroom discipline problems
• Is not sensitive to a student’s culture or heritage
• Expresses bias (positive or negative) with regard to students
• Works on paperwork during class rather than working with
Students
• Has parents complaining about what is going on in the classroom
• Uses inappropriate language
• Demeans or ridicules students
• Exhibits defensive behavior for no apparent reason
• Is confrontational with students
• Lacks conflict resolution skills
• Does not accept responsibility for what occurs in the classroom

Professional Standards
The term 'standards' is used with different meanings in different contexts and
countries. Standards are statements about what is valued in the profession and are
generally used to describe and communicate what is most desirable to achieve in
terms of learning or practice. In the learning context, standards are defined as
learning outcomes, but in a professional or occupational context, standards are
defined as dimensions of competence, i.e., what someone should know and be able to
do in order to be considered competent in a particular professional domain. In other
words, standards are used as a benchmark or a tool of measurement of a
professional's performance to be considered competent and quality performance.
 "Standards are the statements that reflect what is valued in the profession,
what is quality teaching with an underlying assumption of what quality learning is.
The statements themselves formulate what these values imply for what teachers
should know, should believe, and should be able to do."

Professional Teaching Standards

Standards, in general, are considered to define and measure the quality of
teaching in a valid way. They represent "good teaching", as well as identify what
"meeting the standards" means. Professionally, these standards are classified on the
basis of their purpose and coverage. These standards may be generic or specific to the
domains of practice. These can also be defined in a basic manner covering all
teaching professionals together or progressively for teachers at different career
stages, providing a roadmap from entry to advanced practice level.
Importance of Professional Standards Professional Standards
- play a significant role in the Teaching-Learning process. They represent the
knowledge with its impact on educational studies. Over the past several years,
there has been a move towards promoting the professionalism of teachers
through the development of teaching standards the 10 world over. Many
nations have developed and implemented Professional Standards to enhance
the quality of teaching. These are indicators of a teacher's effectiveness and
focus on the skills and strategies facilitating the teaching and learning process.

- It is important to note that these standards do not act alone. Their impact
needs to be considered in the broader context, as they are related to and
interact with other artefacts such as accompanying quality assurance tools and
accreditation frameworks. These Professional Standards have a significant
impact on initial teacher education to enter the profession. In some settings,
professional standards have been used as a regulatory framework over the
teaching profession, mainly due to the fact that teaching accreditation and
licensing rely on the teachers passing the certification process.

- These standards provide a framework that allows teachers to reflect on their

own practice, enabling them to identify areas of their own professional
development during their careers. Professional standards can be used in
examining how the standards are implemented and what nature of change they
exert. The standards impact the way performance and evaluation are
conducted. Historically, evaluation was conducted by the supervisors based
mainly on their views on teaching, which had its limitations including but not
limited to subjectivity, non-measurable aspects, etc.
- Teacher education programs and qualifications must be subject to the
accountable provisions to ensure consistency across the nation. To address the
vast variation among teacher training institutes and across the levels of
qualifications while bringing in accountability, a quality framework such as
professional teacher standards and evaluation framework for teacher education
is essential. These standards become a guiding path for pre-service teachers
and in-service teachers.

STAGES OF THE TEACHING CAREER

(Growth Led by Levels of Teacher Competence)
Initiating Level 1 – Beginner Teacher (A teacher who meets the standards
under 'Beginner Teacher Stage' shall be hired by schools for teaching the learners at a
particular school level.
At this stage, a new teacher will be expected to demonstrate competencies
relating to the level for which he/she is trained in terms of content knowledge,
pedagogical knowledge and pedagogical skills/practices. The new teacher shall be
supported by in-school mentors in developing own practice and strengthening the
knowledge acquired in his/her pre-service education. The new teacher shall be
collecting evidence of his/her practice and reflecting on the learnings in the context
of the competencies learnt in the pre-service education. The school-based mentors
shall evaluate each Beginner Teacher's practice against Beginner Teacher standards
and shall help the Beginner teacher in improving teaching delivery. Once the new
teacher settles in the job role and reaches the optimum level of performance in
implementing their acquired skills, he/she will be guided towards preparing for the
next career stage, i.e., the 'Proficient Teacher Stage'. The teacher will be given
opportunities for professional development for the next stage and will be guided
towards acquiring skills and developing pieces of evidence related to the next career
stage for the same school level. The standards for Proficient Teachers shall be
followed by in-service training institutions while preparing the training content for
proficient teacher preparation. Once the teacher is ready for the next career stage,
he/she will be guided towards applying for their skill evaluation and achieving the
Proficient Teacher Status.

Reaching Level 2 – Proficient Teacher

At this career stage, a teacher is expected to be professionally independent in
the application of skills vital to teaching and learning. The proficient teacher shall be
supported by in-school mentors in strengthening the knowledge they have acquired in
the professional development programs and their practice in the career stage 1. The
school-based mentors shall evaluate proficient teachers against Proficient Teacher
standards and shall help the proficient teachers in improving their teaching practice.
Once the proficient teacher reaches the optimum level of performance in
implementing the acquired skills, he/she will be guided towards preparing for the next
career stage that is the Expert Teacher Stage. The teacher will be given opportunities
for professional development for the next stage and will be guided towards acquiring
skills and developing the evidences related to the next career stage for the same
school level. The standards for Expert teachers shall be followed by in-service training
institutions while preparing training content for expert teacher preparation. Once the
teacher is ready for the next career stage, he/she will be guided towards applying for
their skill evaluation and achieving the Expert Teacher Status.
Career Level 3 – Expert Teacher
At this career stage, a teacher will consistently display a high level of
performance in their teaching practice, work collaboratively with colleagues, and
provide colleagues with support and mentoring to enhance their learning and practice.
In addition, an expert teacher will continually seek to develop his/her professional
knowledge and practice by reflecting on one's own learning needs and those of their
colleagues and students. The expert teachers shall be involved in peer observations
and shall be responsible for their own and others' learning. The lead teacher shall
evaluate expert teachers against Expert Teacher standards and shall mentor them for
advancing to the next career stage. They will be guided towards acquiring skills and
developing evidences related to the next career stage, i.e., the Lead Teacher Stage
for the same school level. The standards for Lead teachers shall be followed by in-
service training institutions while preparing training content for Lead Teacher
preparation. Once the teacher is ready for the next career stage, he/she will be
guided towards applying for their skill evaluation and achieving the Lead Teacher
Status.

Career Level 4 – Lead Teacher

At this career stage, a teacher is expected to embody the highest standards of
teaching grounded in best practices relating to the teaching-learning process. They
will lead the teaching and learning and exhibit an exceptional capacity to improve
their own teaching practice and that of others by developing learning communities in
the schools. The school management or education leaders shall evaluate Lead
Teachers against Lead Teacher standards and shall help the teacher in improving in
their teaching practice. Lead Teachers would be taking on the role of mentor or peer
leader to teachers in the earlier stages of a teaching career and shall lead in-school
professional development programs. The lead teacher shall be observed for their
practice by education leaders and shall be trained by senior leaders for leadership
roles.