The Teaching Profession Chapter 5

Is Teaching a Profession? Defining a profession: Strong intellectual skills Provides an essential service Requires extensive specialized training Allows autonomy in decision making Emphasizes service to its clients Identifies professional standards of behavior Assumes individuals are responsible for their own actions and decisions Engages in self-governance

Arguments for teaching as a profession The need for strong intellectual skills created a steady rise in academic requirements for entering and exiting teacher education Extensive specialized training Professional standards

Arguments against teaching as a profession Moderate specialized training Minimal competition entering teacher preparation and the teaching ranks Only recent adoption of standardized testing for entrance and exit of training Limited autonomy of decision making Minimal self governance Relatively low salaries and status

Professional organizations American Federation of Teachers National Education Association Each has two major purposes: to serve as a strong teacher union, with collective bargaining; and to assist in continuing professional development of all teachers There are also many specialty organizations: age group, subject matter, specialty area

How is teacher professionalism changing? Educational reform efforts: beginning with A Nation at Risk (1983) Higher standard for students: core curriculum, standards for core subjects, standardized testing More rigorous teacher certification

Teachers’ professional responsibilities Conducts self ethically Works productively Displays initiative by using a variety of resources Initiates personal growth in subject area(s), learning theories, and/or instructional practices; establishes goals for professional improvement Utilizes knowledge of families and community resources to enhance support for children and families, including those from diverse groups