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PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN TEACHING PROFESSION
Mercy Siwach
Assistant Professor M.K.J.K. College, Rohtak (India)
ABSTRACT
The present paper explores the concepts professional ethics in the teaching profession. The researchers further examine the importance of professionalism and professional ethics in the teaching profession. It argues that education in ethics should be incorporated into curricula. Teacher indiscipline as a result of lack of professionalism is explored and common forms of misconduct by teachers in schools are unearthed through examination of related studies. The researchers conclude by restating the significance of professionalism and professional ethics in the teaching profession, against the realisation that teachers deal with the moulding of future citizens, which should be done with utmost care and concern. As we redesign our educational leadership preparation programs, the specific teaching of educational professional ethics must be considered as important to the curriculum as the focus on educational leadership to improve student outcomes. Like other professional school curricula (medicine, business, law and engineering) the professional schools charged with educating educational leaders must ensure that these candidates have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to resolve difficult ethical decisions while providing the network of support for building and reinforcing ethical resiliency to serve the best interest of students in our schools. These data demonstrate that such a purposeful pedagogy can make a difference in the ethical behavior of tomorrow’s educational leaders.
Key words: Education, curricula, teacher, teaching profession, ethics,
I. INTRODUCTION
Anyone who has ever been a teacher knows that teaching is a complex, challenging, and often uncertain process. There are no absolute answers for how best to teach young children. However, research has shown that students of teaching tend to believe there is some set of “right answers” to the problems of teaching, and they hold fast to the image of teachers as consumers and disseminators of information (e.g., Stremmel et al. 1995). If there is one thing confirmed by both the professional literature on teaching and the anecdotal experiences of many teacher educators, it is the assertion that teaching is more than technique (Schon 1983; Ayers 1993;
Cochran-Smith & Lytle 1999). Teaching is a process involving continual inquiry and renewal, and a teacher, among other things, is first and foremost a questioner (Ayers 1993).
Defining effective teaching is of course problematic. Ideally, we might define effective teaching as that which leads to high achievement by students in valued outcomes, other things being equal. We acknowledge that available assessments – and particularly those that have been used for high-stakes accountability or in existing
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research studies – may not fully capture the range of the outcomes that we might specify as desirable aims for education (Popham and Ryan, 2012; Muijs et al., 2014).
It is already known that the education involves an axiological component and the moral values represent the spinal column of an individual personality. Mainly for an educator, the moral and morality are important from both perspectives - human and professional. The moral obligation of the teachers and the agreement with the community demand a professional competence coherent with both the teachers and the community. It is obvious that the teacher‟s practice, like any other profession, needs a specific field of abilities, techniques and, generally, resources for the didactic activity, but in the same way, those aspects of culture must be aknowledged in order to create the background of the knowledge is being taught. It is obvious, again, that the professional competence advances the purely technical meaning of the didactic competence. It is more likely to speak about complex professional competences, which combine abilities, principles and the awareness of the meaning and consequences of the educational practices. It is very hard to assume a moral obligation or an agreement with the social meaning and social consequences of education, if this complex competence is not mastered (Wynne, 1995).
Hamre and Pianta (2001) state that teacher-student relationships characterised by conflict have serious negative effects of student learning. According to Clark (2004), ethics are more than just a code of ethics which codify a set of principles and rules which serve inspirational and/or disciplinary purposes for teachers. Teachers, as professionals, are engaged in one of the most ethically demanding jobs, the education of young people need to constantly reflect on the ethics of their activities to ensure that they exhibit the best ethical example possible to those they are morally educating. Teacher conduct has the greatest impact in the classroom, so the teacher has to be ethical in his or her conduct. The teacher thus should have the care and well-being of children at heart.
Strahlendorf (2005) describes professional ethics as the system of honorable standards which one uses in the line of work or one‟s career. This relates to rules governing the conduct, transactions and relationship within a profession and among its members. Thus, professional ethics involve the idea of knowing what is right and wrong in your professional life. This involves taking correct action and still following what you believe.
Strahlendorf (2005) states that part of professional ethics has to do with the fairness with which issues are handled and cases decided. Thus, procedural fairness is part of ethics. As a result there must be adequate warnings, notice, a hearing of all sides, even-handedness and consistency in the sanctions applied. This ensures effective operation within the teaching profession. Adeeb et al. (2008) concur and state that teachers are expected to operate with and uphold certain ethical professional standards. This implies that professional ethics enhance the teaching and learning process through good interactions of the member of the profession. Kelly (2014) states that the main task of the teacher in the classroom is planning, developing, organising instruction, housekeeping, record keeping and managing tasks, presenting subject material and assessments and also to gain and maintain the cooperation of students.
II. ETHICS IN TEACHING
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Ethics basically is a science of discrimination between the right and the wrong. Conduct and character development should be an integral part of Teaching profession since Teachers are the makers of History and it is these Teachers who prepare the future responsible citizens of our country. The Teachers of India should resolve to adopt the professional ethics of day to day dealing with those entire concerned. To make the human relationship sacred, worthy, fruitful and productive, professional ethics is a must.
Professional Ethics
Professional ethics has become more important over the years. As we become more specialized in our occupation, the issues become that much more complex – and hard. Professional bodies have increasingly been at work developing, revising and refining professional codes of ethics. Professionals themselves ask for more detailed codes so as to have greater guidance. There is no longer a deference to the authority of experts on the part of the public or of the client group. The standards for professional conduct keep drifting higher. Where safety and health are at issue, the regulators are under more pressure to act when professional groups do not act.
Frankly, it is a sign of maturity, and of professional pride, when a professional group is operating under a code of ethics.
Ethics Standards in Teaching Profession
The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession represent a vision of professional practice. At the heart of a strong and effective teaching profession is a commitment to students and their learning. Members of the Ontario College of Teachers, in their position of trust, demonstrate responsibility in their relationships with students, parents, guardians, colleagues, educational partners, other professionals, the environment and the public.
The Purposes of the Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession are:
to inspire members to reflect and uphold the honour and dignity of the teaching profession
to identify the ethical responsibilities and commitments in the teaching profession
to guide ethical decisions and actions in the teaching profession
to promote public trust and confidence in the teaching profession.
The Ethical Standards for the Teaching Profession are:
Care
The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and insight for developing students‟
potential. Members express their commitment to students‟ well-being and learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice.
Trust
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The ethical standard of Trust embodies fairness, openness and honesty. Members‟ professional relationships with students, colleagues, parents, guardians and the public are based on trust.
Respect
Intrinsic to the ethical standard of Respect are trust and fair-mindedness. Members honour human dignity, emotional wellness and cognitive development. In their professional practice, they model respect for spiritual and cultural values, social justice, confidentiality, freedom, democracy and the environment.
Integrity
Honesty, reliability and moral action are embodied in the ethical standard of Integrity. Continual reflection assists members in exercising integrity in their professional commitments and responsibilities.
1. Professional Values and Relationships Teachers should:
1.1.
be caring, fair and committed to the best interests of the pupils/students entrusted to their care, and seek to motivate, inspire and celebrate effort and success1.2. acknowledge and respect the uniqueness, individuality and specific needs of pupils/ students and promote their holistic development
1.3. be committed to equality and inclusion and to respecting and accommodating diversity including those differences arising from gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, ethnicity, membership of the Traveller community and socio-economic status, and any further grounds as may be referenced in equality legislation in the future.
1.4. seek to develop positive relationships with pupils/students, colleagues, parents, school management and others in the school community, that are characterised by professional integrity and judgement
1.5. work to establish and maintain a culture of mutual trust and respect in their schools.
2. Professional Integrity Teachers should:
2.1. act with honesty and integrity in all aspects of their work
2.2. respect the privacy of others and the confidentiality of information gained in the course of professional practice, unless a legal imperative requires disclosure or there is a legitimate concern for the wellbeing of an individual
2.3. represent themselves, their professional status, qualifications and experience honestly
2.4. use their name/names as set out in the Register of Teachers, in the course of their professional duties
2.5. avoid conflict between their professional work and private interests which could reasonably be deemed to impact negatively on pupils/students.
CONCLUSION
Ethical principles deal a lot in producing better and perfect personalities. Whether it is a developed country or a developing country, ethics are indispensible and ethical education serves as a mainstream in the harmonious development of human personality as a deriving factor in character formation. It is a global concern since major
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parts of world communities are witnessing racial discrimination, terrorism, Regional hatred, value deterioration and hence, it is every ones responsibility to highlight the importance of ethical standards of Teachers in particular because Education along with ethics brings out vital changes in personalities, communities and in the whole universe promoting world peace and universal brotherhood.
As we redesign our educational leadership preparation programs, the specific teaching of educational professional ethics must be considered as important to the curriculum as the focus on educational leadership to improve student outcomes. Like other professional school curricula (medicine, business, law and engineering) the professional schools charged with educating educational leaders must ensure that these candidates have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to resolve difficult ethical decisions while providing the network of support for building and reinforcing ethical resiliency to serve the best interest of students in our schools. These data demonstrate that such a purposeful pedagogy can make a difference in the ethical behavior of tomorrow„s educational leaders.
REFERENCES
[1] Adeeb, M.A., Hussain, I., and Rahmani, S.H. (2008). Teaching as a Profession Module 1: Professional Competency Enhancement Programme for Teachers. From (Retrieved on 12 March 2016).
[2] Ayers, W. (1993). To teach: The journey of a teacher. New York: Teachers College Press. Bell, G.H. 1985.
Can schools develop knowledge of their practice? School Organization, 5 (2), 175–84.
[3] Clark, J. (2004). The ethics of teaching and the teaching of ethics. New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, 1(2): 80-84.
[4] Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S.L. (1999). The teacher research movement: A decade later. Educational Researcher 28 (7), 15–25.
[5] Hamre, B,K, and Pianta, R,C. (2001). Early teacher–child relationships and the trajectory of children‟s school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72(2): 625–638.
[6] Kelly, M. (2014). Top 6 Teacher Tasks: What Teachers Do. From (Retrieved on 10 March 2016).
[7] Muijs, D, Kyriakides L, van der Werf G, Creemers B, Timperley H & Earl L (2014) State of the art – teacher effectiveness and professional learning, School Effectiveness and School Improvement: An International Journal of Research, Policy and Practice, 25 (2), 231-256.
[8] Popham, WJ and Ryan JM (2012) Determining a high-stakes test‟s instructional sensitivity. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Educational Measurement, April 12-16, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
[9] Schon, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner. New York: Basic Books.
[10] Strahlendorf, P. (2005). Professional Ethics: Session No. 714. Ryerson University School of Occupational and Public Health, From (Retrieved on 18 September 2013)
[11] Stremmel, A.J, Fu, V.R., Patet, P. & Shah, H. (1995). Images of teaching: Prospective early childhood teachers‟ constructions of the teaching-learning process of young children. In Advances in early education and day care: Vol. 7. Social contexts of early development and education, series ed. S. Reifel, 253–70. Greenwich, CT: JAI.\
[12] Wynne, E.A. (1995). The Moral Dimension of Teaching, in A.C. Ornstein (Ed), Teaching: Theory into practice (pp.190-202), Boston: Alyn and Bacon.
