Professional Teaching: Ethics & Responsibilities, Essay Example

Teaching is one of the most noble career fields as well as one of the most demanding. In years past the theory of the classroom was one of full responsibility of the teacher regarding a student’s grades, progress and success. Much research and classroom experience has led the theory to change and move toward a shared responsibility between teachers, parents and students themselves. What has been discovered is the fact that it takes each and every part of the equation to ensure that a student succeeds throughout their educational experience. In order for all to work together and improve the classroom experience there are several factors that must be addressed. A clear and decisive plan must be in place addressing the teachers, students and parent’s responsibility. Along with that responsibility the teacher must be held to professional ethics to ensure that they are best able to facilitate the overall educational experience. The purpose of this paper is to examine articles relating to the varying responsibilities, professional ethics and how each will be incorporated into my personal teaching experience.

Parents Role In Education

While the classroom is left to the care of teachers, parents have a vital role as well. According to Henderson, research has shown that parental involvement is essential in the classroom (2011). Henderson’s article notes that Title I dictates a compact or an agreement between educators, parents and students which will allow the best possible educational opportunity. Also discussed is the primary concern for each and every classroom and how parents involve parents in the learning process. Parents must certainly be receptive to educator’s requests; however it is important that the teacher reaches out appropriately to parents for help, guidance and mutual agreements. The article details the different aspects of a parent and how their participation or responsibility can become lessened. Parents are oftentimes busy with full time employment and other children. The article notes that teachers and educators can reach out to parents by free flowing communication. Free flowing meaning that communication meaning an ongoing source of contact between the teacher and parent, which provides information about behavior, grades, needs and areas of improvement (Henderson, 2011). Good communication helps reduce gaps between home and school for students. This can be completed through engaging the parents help in behavior plans, lessons and even specifically detailing what types of learning should be transpiring at home. Henderson points out that one of the most important aspects of communication and involving parents can be completed through reading strategies at home (2011). Hands on activities that involve the parent could be reading logs or some type of document that requires the parent to have daily or weekly interaction with the educator. This not only opens up the line of communication, but also increases cohesion between the teacher and parent for the student. This becomes especially important when students are in middle school and the information flow naturally declines. It is not uncommon for middle school students to forget notes, logs or information, thereby leaving the parent without important details. Henderson also notes that students can benefit from incorporating a compact between home and school (2011). That compact, however should also encompass the student as well. The student has a responsibility to their learning, which becomes more apparent as they age.

Motivating Students To Succeed

Teachers are expected to motivate students through their education, attitudes and overall creativity. Students must also engage and take the opportunity that they are afforded in the classroom. In an article written by Boon, he addresses this motivating process through the teacher’s knowledge and good ethical boundaries (2011). Boon notes that many initiatives have been enacted to raise the bar on quality educators. He suggests that a good educator is one that is one that is constantly evolving and contestable (2011). This is important because the field of education is frequently changing with new theories, curriculum, and discoveries about human behavior. The theory is that by using creativity and newly found information, teachers can keep students engaged. Along with knowledge and boundaries, the article also notes that there is a need for compassionate and caring in the classroom. Boon goes on to discuss how students are able to pick up on the attitudes, motivation and overall professionalism of the teacher (2011). If the classroom atmosphere is not one of motivations and good ethics, it can cause the student to have a poor appraisal of education, their own experience and potentially even affect their performance negatively. The teacher and student relationship is important and while it is a joint effort between the educator, parent and student the educator must facilitate the overall process. This comes from an educator that is committed to providing a solid education through their educational teaching and professionalism, not their own set of values or personal beliefs (Boon, 2011).

Teachers have an obligation to sustain education and technology through training. Skills develop through training and assists teachers in dealing with much adversity as well as differences in the classroom. Because there are a number of different issues to content with in any classroom it is important that teachers constant assess their own attitudes, beliefs and professional standing. Developing a good understanding of the differences and problems that are commonly encountered in the classroom, assists teachers in “scanning their professional environment for emerging issues” (Curtis, 2010). In many respects this is determining and uncovering issues before they become difficult to control.

Responsible Students In The Classroom

Robin Conway is the Director of Humanities at a high school and has a view of student’s engagement, through non-traditional methods. Conway’s article details how students can learn to become more responsible for their own learning. The amount of education that is obtained from lessons, according to Conway depends on how much they are involved in the planning process (2011). While seemingly difficult, Conway allowed students to engage in the planning of a lesson, explore potential questions and hand on activities. These students named objectives, targets and critiqued the overall learning process. In order to allow the students to have a more hands on approach on a lesson on the Holocaust, Conway had the student’s research and build the lesson accordingly. The outcome of the lesson was better than average and was attributed to the students having such an active role in the process. Rather than cramming for an exam or reading an assignment that was required, these students were actually researching history themselves.   While this manner of teaching could be time consuming, it is a process that could engage students and make the lessons more interesting. By sparking their interests it actually motivates the students and leaves them feeling more confident. When an educator places a responsibility on the students, they are more likely to work harder to succeed. Research has shown over the years that people in general typically live up to the expectations of others (Conway, 2011).

In this form of teaching the educator becomes more of a facilitator that is there for encouragement, guidance and acting as a source of information. The teacher is still active in the process and would likely have difficulty in the facilitation of various forms of creativity from a number of students; it would empower students to take a more active role in their own education. Allowing more student involvement appears to be a good way to teach, as well as reflect on the progress of the students. Assisting the students in the ability to learn for themselves through additional responsibility will actually help prepare them for the future and increased self-direction.

Professional Ethics In Teaching

According to Ozturk, teachers are responsible for ensuring the growth of their students, which make professional ethics for the teaching field an extremely important topic (2010). Ethics is a term that has been defined in a multifaceted method because of the many considerations. While Ozturk discusses the potential differences in the definition of ethics for various professions, he identifies ethics as a “science of moral duty” (2010). The science of moral duties encompasses a great deal of topics; however for teachers one of the most important is the obligation and responsibility to support student’s welfare. Teachers can make a great difference in students’ lives and if they are not fulfilling their duty, those children can suffer academically. While the student will pass to another grade and is not a concern of that teacher the next year, they still have the obligation to ensure that the student is prepared for the future. Based on the information it seems that every teacher should strive to ensure that their classroom is one of great integrity. On a personal level that means that every student and their needs are addressed. Striving to ensure that a solid education is given can be done through professionalism, hard work and dedication.

Ozturk also notes in the past several years the code of ethics for education has greatly improved due to a greater emphasis on teaching and continuing education (2010). This has been completed through a clearly defined direction for education, objectives, goals and a basis for cultural understanding. It is also heavily addressed in the article that part of ethics in teaching is also the teacher’s ability to flourish in his/her respective career. This is important because teaching, like most other professions can create stagnation and even burnout over time. The fear of stagnation in a classroom setting is that the students will not receive the most appropriate education possible. In order to prevent this from happening, Ozturk suggests that teachers constantly reflect on their own professional conduct and ensure that all moral standards, responsibilities and obligations are met (2010). Through this teachers commit to the children, society and to the profession as a whole which facilitates improved professionalism.

References

Boon, H. (2011). Raising the Bar: Ethics Education for Quality Teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(7), 76-93.

Conway, R. (2011). Owning Their Learning: Using “Assessment for Learning” to Help Students Responsibility for Planning, (Some) Teaching and Evaluation. Teaching History, (144), 51-57.

Curtis, E. (2010). Embedding philosophy in the classroom in pre-service teacher education. In R. Toomey, T. Lovat, N. Clement, & K. Dally (Eds), Teacher education and values pedagogy, A student wellbeing approach (pp.108-120). Terrigal, NSW: David Barlow Publishing

Henderson, A. T., Carson, J., Avallone, Pl, & Whipple, M. (2011). Making the Most of School- Family Compacts. Educational Leadership, 68(8), 48-53.

Ozturk, S. (2010). The Opinions of Preschool Teachers about Ethical Principles. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 10(1), 393-418