Teacher as a Professional Test - 1

• Content competency demonstrates knowledge of subject matter content and skills
• Interrelates ideas and information within and across subject matter areas
• Uses instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter

Key Points

Teachers Competencies include:

1. Be responsive towards children
   • Understands and appreciates diversity
   • Forms constructive relationships with students
   • Connects students' prior learning, life experiences, and interests with learning goals

2. Creates an Effective Learning Environment

   • Establishes a climate that promotes fairness and students
   • Establishes a collaborative learning environment
   • Creates a physical environment that engages all students

3. Understands Subject Matter

   • Demonstrates knowledge of subject matter content and skills
   • Interrelates ideas and information within and across subject matter areas
   • Uses instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject matter

4. Plans and Designs Appropriate Learning Experiences

   • Establishes goals for student learning
   • Develops and sequences instructional activities for student learning
   • Modifies instructional plans to meet the needs of all students

5. Uses On-going Assessment to Monitor Student Learning

   • Communicates learning goals to students
   • Collects and uses multiple sources of information to assess learning
   • Assists students in assessing their own learning

6. Develops Professional Practice

   • Reflects on teaching practice to extend knowledge and skills
   • Establishes goals for professional development
   • Meets the responsibilities of a professional educator

Hint

• Adherence to the Code of Professional Conduct includes the only part of the profession, the professional growth of oneself.

Hence, we can conclude that professionalism means being responsive to children.

Teachers are a most important part of the education system. so they must have a deep understanding of the subject matter. knowledge in subject matter gives them great confidence in teaching.

Some benefits of confidence in the teaching profession:-

• confidence is surety about oneself and ones abilities. If teachers will be confident in the classroom which can improve the overall effectiveness of education quality.
• students can spot a lack of confidence in the teacher and this can cause problems in classroom management.
• If the teacher will be confident then students will also be confident about the teacher's teaching. their love for learning increases.

Note: High audible power and acute vision, love, and sympathy towards children are also important but confidence in the teacher is more important than all other factors.

Hence, high confidence is a prime requisite for one who enters teaching profession..

The Principal or headmaster is part or head of a school whose function is to support and assist the schools in meeting the overall objectives of the Division and the needs of individual students. The role of the headmaster is to provide leadership, direction, and coordination within the school. 

Key Points

Role of headmaster:-

• He plans and organizes school activities.
• Allocates duties to staff and non-teaching staff.
• Maintains relationships with parents, community, and Government.
• Develops networking with other schools.
• Acquaints himself with recent trends in technology and information.
• Organizes social activities.
• Procures infrastructure and material resources.
• Mobilizes available resources for the development of the school.
• Visualizes future of the school in the society,
• Coordinates different school activities.
• Appraises performance of the teaching staff, non-teaching staff, and students, and Organizes staff meetings on various aspects for decision-making. 

Important Points

Schools become great, not because of the magnificent buildings but because of the effective and efficient Principals\Headmasters. Headmaster in a school is like a spring in the watch, a wheel in the machine, and an engine in the steamship,

• A Headmaster is an organizer, leader, governor, director, guide, and coordinator of school programs.
• The administrative quality of the headmaster is a skilled administrator. A Headmaster in a school is vital to school administration. He\she is the leader for both administrative and instructional processes.
• The headmaster of a school should be a man of sound moral character, an able administrator, an efficient organizer, a competent manager, and a role model for his students and society. 

Thus, it is clear from the above-mentioned points that the administrative quality of the headmaster is a skilled administrator.

Hint

• Skilled planners, and skilled organizers are not the administrative qualities of the headmaster but these are qualities of a headmaster.

Teaching as a profession has become a huge concern in our society. All parents would want their children to be taught by a professional. Unlike other professions where you make ‘machines’ work, this profession allows one to deal with the most complex phenomena on earth. Ranging from most studious to most mischievous students, the teachers need to maintain a balanced attitude and approach in transforming them to mature individuals”  
Key Points

•  A profession may perhaps be defined as an occupation-based upon specialized intellectual stu4y and training, the purpose of which is to supply skilled service and to advise others for a definite fee or salary." 
• Payment of a fee or a salary is not the only attribute of a profession. This is in fact common to the non-professionals, daily wagers, and casual employees too, who have no identifiable skills.
•  Teachers are no longer being seen as people who simply transport packages of knowledge. Rather, teachers are evolving in a way that they are seen as information-holders and knowledge-makers, possessing much skill, which newcomers to the world of teaching must strive to obtain through experience, study, thought, and reflection. The professionalism of teachers will ensure our students with the finest education yet.
• A professional doesn’t view his or her profession as just a job but rather sees it as a calling that is all about caring for children. 

Important Points

• The teacher whose soul is on fire with her work, the pupil who is willing to learn, these are the essentials of a good school. The teacher, one whose heart is in the work, one who realizes the dignity and the importance of teaching, one who not only knows the subject to be taught and the laws of mental development, but has that innate tact and worth and personal magnetism that draws young people to her, such a teacher is a priceless gem. Such a teacher brings order out of chaos. The pupils feel the magnetism of her presence. She enters into their very lives, lifting them to higher things and leading the way.
• It is the spirit of a teacher that governs a school.
• The spirit of the teacher shows itself in the intellectual attitude of the pupils. The teacher should be a living fountain, not a stagnant pool. The growing mind is alone fit to teach. 

Thus, from the above-mentioned points, it is clear that The most critical factor needed to make teaching a true profession is a better spirit among teachers.

Hint An improved salary scale, a longer period of training, and improve school building are not the factors that need to be considered for making teaching a profession.

Role of a Teacher

• A teacher not only acts as a source of knowledge, but also they act as role models, mentors, caregivers, and adviser.
• Teachers can actively and wisely have a sage effect on their student's lives.
• Primarily, teachers' role in a classroom is to impart knowledge to their students which will help them gain and learn new things about a specific or general subject.
• The teacher's role is not just to impart knowledge, also to find new ways of understanding and supporting their student's learning style, with keeping in mind that young minds are individual on their own so they tend to have different pace and speed.
• The role of the teacher is to inspire, motivate, encourage, and educate learners.
• The teacher's role is always of a facilitator, not a dictator, being the facilitator teacher's role is to assist their student to acquire and re-organize knowledge.

​A teacher has multiple roles in a classroom such as:

• Role as a guide- Teachers are not only concerned with imparting knowledge instead primarily their role is to provide guided experience and opportunities for the children to grow to their maximum potential.
• Being a source of knowledge - for that the teacher is responsible for having accurate and up-to-date knowledge concerning the subject matter he or she is in charge of. Nevertheless, it is also expected from the teachers to be well informed about the current affairs and new-development happening around the world. 
• Watchful of student's progress- teacher's role is not limited to just imparting the knowledge but he or she has to make sure that the students grasp it accurately and remembers it
• Role of Facilitator- The main role of a teacher is to assist children. Considering children are active learners, the teacher has to not only provide knowledge but has to assist the learner to acquire and reorganize the existing and newly acquired knowledge .so that the retrieval of the knowledge is easy.

Therefore, The function of a teacher is primarily that of a guide, helping children progress towards maximum growth.

Teaching is a process in which one individual teaches or instructs another individual. Teaching is considered as the act of imparting instructions to the learners in the classroom situation. a teacher is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue. Informally the role of the teacher may be taken on by anyone.

Teaching, Profession, and Professional

• Teaching is a specialized application of knowledge, skills, and attributes designed to meet the educational need of the individual and society.
• It helps in inculcating values and guide students to develop social relationships.
• A profession is an occupation that needs specialized training and formal qualification before one starts to work.
• A professional is one who has high personal standards and values.

Teaching Profession

• Teaching profession includes care and compassion for learners, ethical values of respect and fair-mindedness, trust, honesty, reliability, integrity, and professional commitments.

Conclusion: teaching as a profession requires knowledge specialization, skill, ethical values to dignify the profession of a teacher. Hence option (3) is correct.

Note: It requires long years of initial professional education and continuing professional development like teaching because teachers must possess a strong academic background and specialized knowledge. It is a process to become professional they have to be prepared. Therefore, Duration of Teacher Training Programme is a professional pre-requisite.

'“What the teacher is, is more important than what he teaches.”- Karl A. Menninger' This very famous quote reflects the importance of being a teacher. The teacher is a pillar in the teaching-learning process. In the present context, a teacher is not merely a disseminator of knowledge, rather plays a variety of roles.

Key Points

It is generally agreed that a teacher should:- 

• maintain professional dignity at all times:- Teachers must act with honesty and integrity in all aspects of their work. The teacher should represent themselves, their professional status, qualifications and experience honestly and work within the framework of relevant legislation and regulations.
• have intelligence and a keen sense of humour:- Teacher must possess intelligence along with a sense of humour. A teacher should teach children in a very joyful mood so that students could enjoy the learning.
• try to make students think they are important:- Each and every studets is important for a teacher so it's the teacher duty to make students think that they are important. It will motivate students to do better.

Important Points

• Values like honesty, truthfulness, loyalty, punctuality, cleanliness, dedication, affection, etc. are imbibed, often through observation of others’ behaviours rather than taught.
• This means that a teacher has to stand as a model for his pupil so as to provide a lasting and inspiring example if they are to have in them these qualities of personality and character.
• Just as a mother pours forth her affection on her child, a teacher should show love and concern for his pupils. In the absence of affection we, as teachers, cannot make our pupils feel wanted and accepted.
• If they feel that they are unwanted and not accepted fully, their minds would be clouded with sad thoughts which will prompt them to be indifferent to activities going on in the classroom.

Thus, it is concluded that it is generally agreed that a teacher should maintain professional dignity at all times, have intelligence and a keen sense of humour and try to make students to think that they are important​.

Professionalization of Teacher Education

• Pre-service is the first step in the ladder of developing professionalism in teachers that is, in turn, dependent on the professional preparation of the teacher.
• significant attempt to bring qualitative improvement and professionalize teacher education curricula was made in 1988. It has significant implications for strengthening and restructuring the curricula of all the stages of teacher education.
• Professionalism is all about the attitude towards work i.e. the dedication, sincerity with which one approaches ones’ work, the work which makes one earn money.

Conclusion: since teacher professionalism is related to prepare teachers to excel in their work and make them competent enough. Hence, Developing teacher code for the transaction of teaching-learning systems has relatively greater promise for the professionalization of teacher education in India.

Note: Making teacher associations will deviate teachers from their core work ethics, while special packages to teachers may act as feedback but will not enhance professionalism.

To be a professional teacher, one needs to be knowledgeable and vigorous about one's materials, he plays diverse roles like a planner, manager, felicitator, content provider, leader, co-createor etc. He is the one who does action research, promotes innovation, and is a reflective practitioner. The following are the key points related to the Professional Teacher.

• Professional teachers maintain the confidence of their students and parents
• They look, act, and interact with respect and the ultimate sense of purpose.
• The professional teacher constantly upholds the honour and dignity of his profession in all his actions.
• Professional teachers make complicated subjects easy.
• They appreciate the diversity created by each student in the class and tap into that knowledge to create an environment of respect and group support.
• They are able to adjust based on their students' needs.

Hence, we conclude that the professional teacher constantly upholds the honour and dignity of his profession in all his actions.

In a classroom, we come across children from different backgrounds, of varying abilities, interests, attitudes, and aptitudes.

•  The classroom is home to children from different regions, cultures, religions, languages, socio-economic backgrounds, and traditions.

Key Points

Roles and responsibilities of a teacher:

• It is the responsibility of a teacher to treat each child equally and to provide them equal opportunities to learn, to ensure that all children in the class, could feel accepted and valued. 
• For this, the teacher should try to know the social and cultural backgrounds of children and encourage them to put their unusual ideas in front of their peers and teacher.
• It is very important for a teacher to lead and guide the children so that they can learn at their own pace and be able to construct their own understanding of the concepts.
• The teacher should find out the children with disadvantaged backgrounds so that they can be provided with adequate learning opportunities.

Hint

• To evaluate the school's administration is not the responsibility of a teacher but it comes under the role of school management and authority.
• The teachers of different classes have to work together. So, they have to maintain a balanced and friendly relationship with each other by cooperating with each other but it is not among the major roles and responsibilities of a teacher.
• Also, the teacher has to transmit the knowledge of subject matter among the children but more than that he has to facilitate, guide, and lead them in developing their own concepts. 

Hence, it is concluded that the major responsibility of the classroom teacher is to lead and guide his class group.