Name of Student: Michael Naughton

Article/Reading: Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers (The Teaching Council, 2016)

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

There are three key aspects to the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers.
1. It serves as a guide to teachers on how to conduct their career in a reputable manner
2. It allows the public to understand what the teaching profession entails
3. It serves as a legal document to settle disputes among the profession
Only complaints of a serious nature against teachers will be investigated. The code of conduct will be
referred to, to determine if there is a basis for investigation.
The core values of the Code are Respect, Care, Integrity and Trust. It is the responsibility of teachers
to instil these values as they teach. Six expectations of teachers include values and relationships;
integrity; conduct; practice; professional development; collegiality and collaboration.
According to the document, the purpose of a teacher is to educate, but to also engage in reflective
practice. The code is also vigilant to the rights and wellbeing of both students and their parents.
Teacher/parent relationships are developed and aim to benefit student learning.
The code of conduct believes that educators should work alongside and support the local community.
However, there are numerous factors which effect their work, such as parental interaction,
engagement of students, resources available, opportunities for CPD, continuous change in education,
the pace of change in legislation, and economic factors. Ultimately, the Code of Conduct portrays the
ethics/standards that inform the work of teachers. The core values are expressed concisely so the
public can easily understand them. Thus, greater trust will be placed on teachers, with the adoption
of the Professional Code of Conduct.
The role of the teacher is to educate. Nonetheless, the four ethical values which they must abide by
are: Respect Teachers must be dignified, equal and demonstrate professional practice. Everyone
must be treated equal and fair. Integrity Teachers must be honest in their work, they must be
committed to their work, be responsible and dedicated. Trust Building student teacher
relationships is central. Having trust in a teacher means that they can be honest and open with them.
Care Teachers must have a caring relationship with their students, they must bring positivity to the
classroom, and show that they are there for their students.
The standards that apply to all teachers fall under six headings: Professional Values and
Relationships be caring, respectful, equal, develop positive relationships, and maintain mutual
respect with students. Professional Integrity be honest, respect others privacy, represent
themselves well, and keep their professional and private lives separate. Professional Conduct
protect students welfare, work within legislation, report necessary matters, engage in dialogue with
students, parents, colleagues etc. Dont access inappropriate or illegal material or misuse any
substance. Professional Practice Teachers should maintain a high standard of teaching, plan clear
and exciting lessons, create a positive working environment, develop unique teaching strategies and
act in the students best interests. Professional Development Be constantly improving their
professional career, reflect and evaluate on their teaching and engage in CPD. Professional
Collegiality and Collaboration Teachers should work with colleagues, share resources, promote
collaborative learning in the classroom, cooperate with the department of Education and engage with
the implementation of the curriculum in the classroom.
Complaints against teachers should try to be resolved at a school level. However, those of a serious
nature can be made to the Teaching Council. Grounds for complaint include, poor professional
practice, poor behaviour, fraudulent declarations at registration, if they are unfit to teach, or that they
have been convicted of an offence.

To conclude, the Professional Code of Conduct for Teachers sets out guidelines for teachers as to what
is expected of them. It lays out the standards that they must adhere to and the ethical values which
they must respect. The code also lays out the basis for complaints and the relevant authority to
approach.
2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

The Professional Code of Conduct for Teaches is very clear and concise in laying out the
expectations for teachers.

The main piece of information that I took from the article is the conveying of four core
ethical values which teachers must adhere to. The values of integrity, care, respect and
trust should be central to every teachers career. Basic human values such as these are
key to a successful class in my view. An ethical classroom, like a good home, is ideally a
place of learning, sharing, trust, nurturing, personal and spiritual growth, and peace
(Pittella, 2017). For good learning to take place in a classroom, a good relationship needs
to be established between a teacher and their pupils. I believe that a positive, relaxed
atmosphere works best, as the students will feel that they can approach the teacher and
discuss whatever problems they may have. Building these relationships can take time,
for example on SP3, it was only towards the end of the 8 weeks that most barriers were
broken down between myself and my students, and the more caring, open relationship
began to shine through. A classroom can be a very cold, dull place if relationships remain
rigid. I feel that the four ethical values diagram, as displayed on the Code of Conduct
should be displayed in every classroom in a school. Every teacher should demonstrate
care for the students wellbeing, and keeping an eye out for them, respect for both the
teacher and fellow pupils, integrity through being honest and loyal, and trust by being
open with the class. It is important to abide by these values and not diverge from
them. Its important to carefully monitor one's behaviour and policies to ensure that
they are not only, in fact, fair but are perceived as fair by students. (Perkins, 2000).

A second aspect from the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers that struck me was
the area of complaints. It can be said that there are unprofessional and unsuited people
in the teaching career, as is the case with every profession. I agree with the sentiment
that arising issues should be dealt with on a local level first. If there is an issue with a
teacher, every effort should be made to resolve it within the school, in a professional
manner. Only recently complaints about a teachers incompetence have been taken
more seriously with former Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn stating that these new
powers to investigate allegations of misconduct and underperformance will mean that
parents have a method of having genuine complaints about teaching standards
investigated (Quinn, 2014). With the introduction of set procedures, complaints can be
dealt with swiftly and equally. There is a small number of unfit teachers in the workforce.
I feel that these teachers practice should be fully investigated (following reasonable
evidence provided). Underperforming teachers have the opportunity to make
improvements to their work practice before being removed from the post. There are
thousands of excellent teachers unemployed, desperately searching for jobs. A positive
that can be taken from this is that if everyone is aware of the complaints procedure,
teachers who are slacking off will be urged to put in extra effort in their job. The teachers
job is to educate, The very least students in our education system are entitled to is to
be taught by a skilled, qualified teacher with a detailed knowledge of the curriculum
(The Irish Times, 2017).

A final aspect of the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers that I found interesting
was highlighting the need for teachers to engage in Continuous Professional
Development. They refer to CPD a few times throughout the document, Professional
Development features as one of the standards professional teachers must adhere to.
In my view, every teacher, especially those qualified for years should be attending
courses, classes etc. to refresh their memory. In the technical subjects, methods are
constantly changing, new technology is always being implemented. Not engaging in
CPD ultimately effects the students, the class teacher is denying the opportunity to
refresh their skills in their subject area. While on SP3 I took note of the fact that a large
quantity of teachers were discussing the various courses that they were attending,
across different subject departments.
Continuing professional development is important because it ensures you continue to
be competent in your profession. It is an ongoing process and continues throughout a
professionals career (Kloosterman, 2013). Highlighting the need for CPD throughout
the Code of Professional of Conduct denotes its importance. Schools often receive
information of ongoing development courses. I would be a strong believer that every
teacher should be constantly refreshing their skills. Teaching is a career whereby you
are always learning something new.

In summary, the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers gives specific guidelines for
best practice. Three key areas that I felt were important include the four values which
every teacher must acknowledge, dealing with unfit teachers, and the need for
Continuous Professional Development throughout a teaches career.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Bibliography

Kloosterman, V. (2013, November). The importance of continuing professional

development. Retrieved from CPD:
http://continuingprofessionaldevelopment.org/why-is-cpd-important/
Perkins, D. (2000, July). How to be fair and ethical in the classroom. Retrieved from
Graduate Connections: http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/news/how-be-
fair-and-ethical-classroom
Pittella, R. (2017). Creating an Ethical Classroom. Retrieved from Teaching
Community: http://teaching.monster.com/benefits/articles/3522-creating-an-
ethical-classroom#comment_form
Quinn, R. (2014, January 3). Minister Quinn increases powers of Teaching Council to
deal with underperforming teachers. Retrieved from Department of Education
and Skills: https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2014-Press-
Releases/PR14-01-03.html
The Irish Times. (2017, June 19). Teaching shortages: students deserve better. Retrieved
from The Irish Times: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/editorial/teaching-
shortages-students-deserve-better-1.3122703
The Teaching Council. (2016, July). The Teaching Council. Retrieved from
www.teachingcouncil.ie:
https://learnonline.gmit.ie/pluginfile.php/88818/mod_resource/content/1/Code-
of-Professional-Conduct-for-Teachers%202016.pdf