Course: Professionalism in Teaching (8612)

Semester: Spring, 2019

Level: B. Ed (1.5 Years)
ASSIGNMENT No. 2

Q. 1 Explain the relationship of ethics and education. What are the responsibilities of
a teacher in this regard.

Answer:

The increasing cross-national mobility of people and the transnational communication of

ideas that took place cause the educators around the world are faced with new challenges of
balancing local, national, and global norms and moral as well asethical values in the process

of educating children (Gluchmanova, 2014). However, educators are always unwilling to

devote time and effort to ethics education which is viewed as a soft course at the expense of

what they view as more important courses(Power, 1991). Many scandals related to business
and professional fields took place allover the world such as Enron and WorldCom which result

to a widespread call to implement corporate code of ethics (Schwartz, 2013). So there is a

need to discuss on the relationship between education and ethics.

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy is defined as “…generally used interchangeably with
morality” and “…the moral principles of a particular tradition, group or individual” (Audi, 1999,

p. 284). Different fields of professional have giving different definition to ethics. In business
ethics, it is define as “an area requires reasoning and judgment based on individuals’

principles and beliefs in making choices that balance self-interest against social welfare or
claims and responsibilities” (Weiss, 1994, p.7).

However, there are three recurring themes appear in the definition - principles, decision
making process and conduct. Different people who have different principles will make

different decision while the decision made may be result to an ethical and unethical conduct.
Education is focus on teaching humans with ethics and morality besides development in

knowledge and physical acquisition. In the philosophy of Imam Ghazali, education is a

process of teaching and used to shape an individual character (Nofal, 1993).He states that
religion education enables an individual to distinguish between the true and false, the good
and bad, the right conduct and the evil doing. Education is related to rational. A variety of

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education approach and programs are aimed to improve individual thinking skills in order to

produce good thinkers (Moshman, 1990). This shows a relationship between education and
ethics. Chambliss (1987) believes that there are relationship among ethics, education and the

formation of a just community and have been central of the Western philosophical tradition
classic statement development. He argues that educational theory is a theory of conduct

rather than an applied science. It is theory of conduct, not about conduct (Giarelli,1987)

Is Ethics Necessary For Education?

There are some positive and negative arguments about the necessary of ethics education in
different professional and area. Milton Friedman (1970) explains that the ethical duty of

businessman is to maximize profits not to study ethics. The argument is supported by David
Hume who argues that the way to encourage ethical behavior is by installing financial and

legal incentives but not ethics lectures. However, Francis Hutcheson held that human actions
are best explained as motivated by sympathy, not self-interest. There is also an argument

explains that ethics education is meaningless, since it is a feeling, not thinking (Hooker, 2004).

In addition, Green (1971) indicates that “professional ethics” is an excess brought forth by the

inability to take the purpose of professional practice which developed in response to some
foundation of human need whose advancement is already a moral aim(Giarelli, 1987). It

shows unnecessary of ethics education in the professional study. However, Volnei Garrafa
agrees that ethics can be a vehicle for teaching and learning processes in undergraduate and
postgraduate programs within different academic fields. He believes that ethics should be
educated in school and universities; and the real concrete problem should be experienced by

students and family themselves (Garrafa,2015).

Does Education Lead To Ethical Behavior?

In other words to say this issue is more focus on the way that educator teach ethics may lead
to ethical behaviour of an individual most effectively? Since there are some researchers found

that ethics education improves ethical behaviour and some do not. In fact, university
education is not the only factors in influencing behaviour but also family education and

friends’ behaviour. Hill, Udayasankar and Wee (2014) argued that

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Confucianism and Confucian ethics influence behaviour and shape culture in parts ofAsia. It is

a kind of thinking which is educated in family. Religious, intellectual, aesthetic, physical and
cultural educations are responsible for the formation of moral behavirn students (Manea,

2014).

Education is an important factor in the ethical decision-making process which will impact

society. The more education individuals have, the better they are at making ethical decisions.
However, the type of education has little effect or no effect on ethics. An educated individual

is in a position of power, trust, respectability, and responsibility commits an illegal act in

relation to the employment, and abuses the trust and authority normally associated with the

position for personal or organizational gains (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2015). It shows that
the influence of education lead to ethical behaviour is remained unclear. For an example,

those such as Joseph Goebbels, Wilhelm Frick, Hans Frank and others who are highly
educated was helping While Hitler who did not have a high education to implement the Third

Reich’s regime. They were no more moral for it. While the uneducated soldiers were more
often objecting to the horrific orders handed down to them (Glenn, 2010). A research showed

that there are no different in behaviour after 10 weeks of ethical courses being lectured
(Ponemon, 1993)

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Q. 2 Describe expectations and challenges of teaching profession in new millennium.

Answer:

It cannot be denied that teaching is a rewarding yet challenging career. It demands broad

knowledge of subject matter, curriculum, and standards; enthusiasm, a caring attitude, and a
love of learning; knowledge of discipline and classroom management techniques; and a

desire to make a difference in the lives of young people.

At Trinity, our teachers are passionate, engaging and committed to their profession. As

parents we don’t often get an insight into the vast and varied tasks that teachers undertake
behind the scenes. It is easy to forget that the fun and engaging activities that our children

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enjoy in the classroom are the result of planning, lifelong learning, and experience that is

juggled with many administrative tasks.

So, what are the main challenges facing teachers today?

1. Integrating curriculum with 21st century learning skills

It may be the 21st Century but many schools have yet to make the shift to the new

millennium’s styles of teaching and learning. An overloaded curriculum can leave teachers
overwhelmed when trying to develop critical thinking, problem solving skills, curiosity,

entrepreneurship and digital analysis.

2. Development and growth in Information Communications Technology (ICT)

The students in our classrooms are true digital natives, spending most of their personal time
using digital devices for entertainment and communication purposes. Often, they are more

knowledgeable than the adults in their lives of various social media apps, electronic games
and multimedia entertainment; and all this from an extraordinarily young age.

3. Collaboration with peers

The very nature of a teacher’s job can be isolating, with many teachers struggling to find time

in the school day to confer with colleagues and engage in pedagogical professional
conversations.

4. Identifying effective ideas

So many ideas are available on the internet, but identifying which ones are effective is a

common problem for many teachers who can be overwhelmed by an almost infinite amount
of ideas, resources and tools available online.

5. Curriculum overload

Schools have become the ‘go-to place’ for many social ills and issues, with continuous

demands from government to implement new programmes. Adding this to a primary

curriculum of 12 subject areas, it’s natural and understandable for teachers to feel
overwhelmed and overloaded.

6. There are more children needing support with fewer resources

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Diagnosis of learning needs is more prevalent now than it ever was, with more and more

children with specific special educational needs integrated in our classes.

7. Time is a scarce resource

Any analysis of a school’s strengths and challenges will identify time as the biggest challenge
facing a school and its staff, who often don’t have time to converse, plan and research.

At Trinity, we know that the quality of your son’s education hinges largely on the teachers
who provide it, a responsibility we take very seriously. It is well documented that highly

effective teaching improves student outcomes. More than this, teachers have a marked
impact on a child’s enthusiasm for learning and life in general.

Our Practice of Teaching at Trinity (POTT) ensures teachers are supported, empowered,
prepared and constantly learning and exchanging ideas to provide the best learning

environments for our students. Our pastoral care extends to nurturing and supporting all staff
and families – not just students. Our educators’ length of tenure is a testament to their

commitment and dedication – with many teachers serving for 10 years or more.

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Q. 3 How social and culture context influence upon teaching profession. Comment
keeping your own context in mind.

Answer:

Many years ago, a cold-hearted scientist placed 100 babies on an uninhabited but fertile island,
half of them boys, half girls. He provided only the minimum requirements to keep them alive.

He left them food and water, being careful not to be seen. He kept them from harm, when
possible. For years, the children received none of the trappings of a normal upbringing: no

language, no education, no culture. Later, he slowly began feeding and watering them less and
less, until eventually he gave them nothing at all.

After 20 years on the island, who are these people? Have they retained the thinking and sentient
qualities that make them undeniably human or are they merely hairless apes? Myriad possible
scenarios unfold — war, camaraderie, invention and language. Within a few hundred years, the
islanders might have even cultivated traditions and cultures.

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Most likely, however, within that 20 years the only proof of the experiment would be the finding

of a few small bones on the now deserted coastline. The islanders would be dead.

— Excerpt from New Scientist “Island of wild children: Would they learn to be human?” by

Christopher Kemp.

CULTURE AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

When humans grow up without culture, do they ultimately invent it? What role does culture
play in defining the individual? How does culture impact learning?

Paleoanthropologist Ian Tattersall says “You cannot think of human beings as independent of
culture and their society. This goes back a long, long way before we were human. It goes back

millions and millions of years, back into our primate and mammal past. Even the most basic
aspects of our cognitive development depend on being raised by linguistic, articulate parents,

embedded within a rich and historical culture.”

According to her article, “Reflections on the Impact of Culture in the Classroom,” Giselle

Mora-Bourgeois says culture refers to the ways in which different groups of people organize
their daily lives within national or ethnic groups, urban neighborhoods, companies and

professions, and other settings. Culture includes what people actually do and what they
believe. Culture influences greatly how we see the world, how we try to understand it and

how we communicate with each other. Therefore, culture determines, to a great extent,
learning and teaching styles.

IMPACT OF CULTURE ON WORLDVIEW

In his Huff Post Education article “Examining the Impact of Culture on Academic

Performance,” Matthew Lynch. EdD says a person’s culture and upbringing has a profound
effect on how they see the world and how they process information. “The Geography of

Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently,” by Richard Nisbett, showed how the
Asian holistic view of the world differed from their American counterparts, who tended to

view the world in parts or distinct classes of objects defined by a set of rules.

In other words, the Asian children see the world in terms of the relationship between things,

whereas the American children see the world in terms of the objects as distinct entities. This
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information is helpful when we consider how cultural background might influence approach

to learning and school performance.

Theories exist to help explain differences in school performance among different racial and

ethnic groups.

CULTURE: PARENTS AND EDUCATORS

Parents and educators are aware of the disparities that exist under their own school house
roofs. Disparities exist in achievement, funding and readiness. But we cannot be expected to

sufficiently address any of these gaps without acknowledging the cultural gaps that continue
to exist between students and teachers.

Culture is often perceived as celebrated holidays and recipes, or religious traditions. But at the
root of it, culture is a unique experience. Cultural tendencies impact the way children

participate in education. To engage students effectively in the learning process, teachers must
know their students and their academic abilities individually, rather than relying on racial or

ethnic stereotypes or prior experience with other students of similar backgrounds.

The definition of normal school behavior can be based upon individualist and collectivist

cultures. Teachers who lack knowledge about a culture might misinterpret the behavior of a
child and inaccurately judge students as poorly behaved or disrespectful.

M.S. Rosenberg, D.L. Westling and J. McLeskey in “Special Education for Today’s Teachers: An
Introduction,” say that the influence of culture on the importance of education and
participation styles cannot be overestimated. Many Asian students, for example, tend to be
quiet in class, and making eye contact with teachers is considered inappropriate. In contrast,

most European American children are taught to value active classroom discussion and to look
teachers directly in the eye to show respect, while their teachers view students’ participation

as a sign of engagement and competence.

Parents from some Hispanic cultures tend to regard teachers as experts and will often defer

educational decision making to them, whereas European American parents are often more
actively involved in their children’s classrooms, are visible in the classrooms, or volunteer and

assist teachers These cultural differences in value and belief may cause educators to make

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inaccurate judgments regarding the value that non–European American families place on

education.

IMPACT ON EDUCATION

Educators understand that learners are not all the same. Pat Guild of the Johns Hopkins
School of Education says that too often, educators continue to treat all learners alike despite

the obvious cultural diversity within. Mora-Bourgeois adds that addressing cultural
differences in the teaching-learning process is both important and controversial. It is

important because we are confronted with an increasingly diverse population of students and
the wide achievement gap between minority and non-minority students. It is controversial

because we may fall into the trap of cultural stereotyping and making naive attempts to
explain achievement differences among our students.

Teachers remain the ultimate advocates for learning, yet many are not necessarily aware of
what their students deal with once the dismissal bell has rung. The Southern Poverty Law

Center’s Teaching Tolerance says that many teachers are white, middle class English speaking
individuals. While teachers typically are color blind — they teach with equity and without

discrimination — this practice does not always address cultural diversity. Teachers cannot
escape the fact that their communication “styles” reflect their cultural background. Much of

what they say, the way they say it, and their relationship with students, parents and colleagues
are deeply influenced by the way they have been socialized. Race and ethnicity often play
integral roles in children’s identities, and contribute to their behavior and their beliefs.
Recognizing this can help students succeed in a school culture where expectations and

communication are unfamiliar.

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Q. 4 Examine the situation of professionalism in teacher education institutions of

Pakistan. Comment with reference to your experiences?

Answer:

Teachers are the most important educational resource for students and a critical determinant
of education quality. However, in Pakistan, teacher performance remains a concern to many

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education stakeholders. The key issues include: i) inability of the system to attract and/or

retain quality human resource to teaching; ii) the system does not recognize either the
teacher or the teacher educator as professionals; iii) although there is general

acknowledgement of the weak educational background of teachers and lack of motivation

and commitment among them, not enough is done at the policy and particularly at the

implementation level to address the situation and establish teaching as a profession of real
status; and iv) scaling up and sustainability of quality teacher education programs in Pakistan

poses a challenge. Teacher education programs, which focus on quality, are either short lived
or small scale. Longer term and large-scale programs, on the other hand, do not address

quality.

It is important to focus on teachers’ professional development and policy changes to improve

teachers’ performance. Teachers’ performance can be seen as a combination of three

fundamentals: (i) competence; (ii) motivation; and (iii) opportunity. Competence, motivation

and opportunity are affected by factors from both within and external to the teacher. It is
important to identify four levels: teachers, schools, local management, and policy.

Teachers: Pedagogical skills, subject knowledge and professional attitudes are most
important for quality teachers. Professional attitudes refers to the teachers’ knowledge of how

to be an effective teacher. Subject knowledge is the major constraint to low quality teachers.
Unless teachers have sufficient subject knowledge, they are unlikely to use improved teaching

skills.

Schools: One single factor which can make a difference to the quality of teaching in a school

is a good head teacher. School development processes not only provide additional resources
for the school, but also provide an atmosphere of progression and improvement.

Local Management: The interface between the teacher/school and the government is critical
to motivation and opportunity. Teachers need to know that their actions will be recognized

and rewarded/sanctioned by their employer. Schools need to be confident that attempts to

improve will be supported. Local management includes, advisory support, inspection of
facilities, teaching and management and delivery of teaching and learning resources.

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Policy: Ultimately the procedures adopted for recruitment, posting and transfer and

promotion exert the most influence over teachers motivation to perform. Transparent and
merit based procedures in this area send a strong signal that other aspects of professional

development are taken seriously. Policymakers need to pay closer attention to teacher
management policy including the following:

- Career Progression

- Actions to promote the status of teachers

- Assessment/exam policy

- Non-salary expenditure

- Curriculum/instructional approach

Following points are also important as recommendations for policy actions:

• Value teachers as stakeholders in the education process: Involve teachers in

planning, designing and decision-making stages in order to ensure successful delivery

and implementation of Education policy/reforms.

• Provide teachers with effective support structures, especially leadership and

management: Strengthen the relationship between schools and the district education
office by conducting more school visits by district staff (followed by feedback to

schools) and instituting a faster and more transparent system for dealing with
transfers, promotions and postings.

• Enabling conditions for Quality Education: Teacher can only be strong if she/he is
enabled to teach well; Quality is only possible with regular monitoring, continuous

professional development and support.

· Make teaching a respected and attractive profession for teachers: Address the

transportation difficulties faced by teachers in certain areas. The district office could make
provisions for a school bus or provide a transport subsidy to teachers. In order to boost
morale and to return to the days when teaching was a well-respected profession, find
innovative ways to publicly value teachers. For example, provide ‘best teacher’ awards and

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announce these on the radio; organize annual events, which get teachers and education

policy makers from federal, provincial and district levels together, such as World Teachers’
Day.

Overall, to improve education quality, teachers remain the single most important factor. This
has to be supplemented by provision of other determinants of quality (textbooks, teaching

material etc.). Measures need to be taken to attract more able and qualified people to join
teaching profession. It is important to strengthen the relationship between schools and the

district education office by conducting more school visits by district staff (followed by
feedback to schools) and instituting a faster and more transparent system for dealing with

transfers, promotions and postings. Improve teachers’ problem-solving skills and their
capacity for critical reflection.

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Q. 5 Discuss ethical issues pertaining to the role of a teacher?

Answer:

Teachers and students share a very unique relationship. They spend the majority of their time

interacting with each other, yet there always seem to be a feeling of conflict between each
other. In a sense, there always seems to be battle occurring between the two groups with the

school itself acting as the battlefield. It often appears that the major goal of the school system
is to outwit and scheme against the students. This rifted relationship does not occur at all

times nor with all people, there are some instances of qualitative emotional sharing between
the teachers and the students. It takes a lot of courage to be either a teacher or a student in

the school system today. Courage, because that everyday bears witness to another battle.
One of the major components of these everyday battles is the notion of discipline or

misbehavior. Teachers use discipline as means of creating an optimum learning environment

for their students. There has been a vast amount of research dealing with the use of

disciplinary procedures in the school system. The evidence suggests that rather than focusing
on disciplining the child, teachers should focus on affecting the childs life in a positive
manner.

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Written Authorization: Teachers are guaranteed protection legally for performing activities

and duties that are within their written scope of employment. The term scope of employment
is a term that basically means we have job-related legal protection for activities we have been

contracted or directed to do and that have been approved by some authority. Teachers who
do things that are outside of officially sanctioned activities may be placing themselves in a

position of great vulnerability. Examples include: teachers who take students on field trips
without approval from or sanction by school authorities which includes parental permission as

well; or teachers who discipline students outside of approved school procedures.

Liability Insurance: Teachers who transport students for school related activities may be

putting themselves at great risk legally. Carefully following the school district's policies for
student transport is imperative. When permission is granted from school authorities to

transport students and district policies are followed, teachers who transport students even in
the teacher's own vehicle are commonly covered by the school district's liability policies in

excess of the teacher's own liability covered within the teacher's auto insurance policy.
However, the risk occurs when a claim must be paid by the teacher's insurance company, the

teacher runs substantial risk of having the company cancel their auto insurance policy.
Protection for teachers comes from ensuring that all activities are approved within the

contract, or at least through written authorization of a school administrator as well as making

sure that all other variables (e.g. insurance coverage) are well considered.

Educational Malpractice: Malpractice involved the lack of skill in performing professional

duties, no matter what the profession. Because teachers are certified, the presumption is that
they have at least a minimal level of competency. Those who fail, and, some cases,
organizations that hire them, can face serious consequences.

Lack of Skill: Certified teachers are presumed to have acquired sufficient skills to maintain an
environment conducive to learning and to convey knowledge and/or skills to their students.

This is often summarized by the phrase "duty to supervise and instruct." When this cannot be
accomplished, the accusation of "lack of skill" can be made.

Repeating Ineffective Procedures: When students are repeatedly subjected to ineffective

procedures or strategies, a case may be made for educational malpractice. There are a
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number of activities, used in education from time immemorial, that, given the tenor of today's

society, could be cause for concern. Some examples are abusing detentions, homework as
punishment, sarcasm or ridicule or any other verbally abusive tactic. As parents become more

legally savvy and focus on calling schools to task, teachers may want to give considerable
thought before continuing some practices simply because they worked in the past.

Learning as Punishment: Using learning, extra work or homework as punishment is a

practice that only serves to antagonize students and their parents, and has little, if any,

remedial justification.

Using Grades to Control Behavior: Teachers would be well advised to reconsider using

grades for anything except reflecting actual skill or content mastery, rather than effort,
improvement, or other behavior. To be judicious, all grades should be equally accessible to

every student.

Grading on a Curve: This is another practice to avoid. This practice does not allow for equal

accessibility to every student (criterion-referenced), and only indicates mastery relative to

others in the grading pool (norm-referenced). It does not give an accurate indication of what

skills and/or content the student does or does not have.

Ignoring Students' Individual Capacities: With the advent of special education and "504

Legislation" (referring to the section of the civil rights legislation that went into effect in 1973,
which basically states that individuals cannot be discriminated against because of being
handicapped), the courts are now increasingly involved in determining a definition for
"appropriate instruction." This individualization may include modifying materials, giving

additional time to complete tasks, and developing teaching strategies to address different
ways of learning.

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