Educator's Ethics

The educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of the democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal educational opportunity for all. The educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards.

The educator recognizes the magnitude of the responsibility inherent in the teaching process. The desire for the respect and confidence of one's colleagues, of students, of parents, and of the members of the community provides the incentive to attain and maintain the highest possible degree of ethical conduct.

The educator strives to help each student realize his or her potential as a worthy and effective member of society. The educator therefore works to stimulate the spirit of inquiry, the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, and the thoughtful formulation of worthy goals.

In fulfillment of the obligation to the student, the educator--

1. Shall not unreasonably restrain the student from independent action in the pursuit of learning.

2. Shall not unreasonably deny the student's access to varying points of view.

3. Shall not deliberately suppress or distort subject matter relevant to the student's progress.

4. Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning or to health and safety.

5. Shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement.

6. Shall not on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, marital status, political or religious beliefs, family, social or cultural background, or sexual orientation, unfairly--

a.        Exclude any student from participation in any program

b.        Deny benefits to any student

c.         Grant any advantage to any student

7. Shall not use professional relationships with students for private advantage.

8. Shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.

Concept of Teacher Education

Education renders a significant contribution in leading to effective growth and development of the individuals and teachers have an important role to play in imparting education to the students. The major significance of teacher education is focused upon the impartment of training to the teachers, with the main purpose of achieving the desired academic outcomes. Teachers have an important role to play in leading to effective growth and development of the students. Therefore, to perform their job duties up to the required standard, it is vital for them to enhance their skills and abilities. The teachers have an important role to play in not only achieving the desired goals and objectives of the educational institutions, but also in promoting welfare of the community. Within the course of implementation of their job duties, they are required to cope with many challenges.

Educational institutions render a significant contribution in making provision of knowledge and information to the students to lead them towards light from darkness. The key personnel within the educational institutions, who play an important part in the implementation of this task and in bringing about transformation within the lives of the individuals are the teachers. The teacher is regarded as the most important element within the educational program. It is the teacher, who is responsible for putting into practice the educational programs at any stage. It is vital to make an investment in leading to preparation of the teachers in an appropriate manner, so that the individuals, community as well as the entire nation can move forward towards progression. The teachers are required to be well-prepared and possess the essential skills and abilities with the purpose of performing their tasks and functions in an appropriate manner.

The teachers are required to be effectively trained not just to perform their job duties of educating the students, but they also lead to progress of the community and secure the future of the nation. The significance of competent and proficient teachers cannot in any way be overemphasized. The National Curriculum Framework 2005 places demands and expectations on the teacher, which are required to be addressed by both initial and continuing teacher education. The concept of teacher education primarily states that the quality and extent of the achievement of the learners are determined primarily by teacher competence, sensitivity and teacher motivation. Teacher education comprises of all formal and non-formal activities and experiences that would help to improve the aptitude and qualify a person to assume the responsibilities of the members of the education profession or to carry out his or her job duties more appropriately.

Scope of Teacher Education

The scope of teacher education has been highlighted in the following factors:

Teacher Education at Different Levels of Education

Teacher education is regarded as an indispensable concept for the teachers at all levels of education. These are, pre-primary, primary, elementary, secondary, higher secondary and tertiary. The system of education is different at all levels. The main focus of teacher education is based upon the levels of education. On the other hand, the needs and requirements of the students also vary at each level. The teacher education need to take into consideration the needs and requirements of the students. Therefore, level and stage-specific teacher preparation is essential. Teacher education renders a significant contribution in the development of teaching skills among the students. The teachers, employed in professional institutions are informative in terms of practical and theoretical knowledge regarding their respective subjects. It is essential for them to make use of specialized teacher training inputs with the purpose of training the students, who are making an entry into their professions. In the area of teacher education, special education and physical education are also emphasised upon. The knowledge base is adequately specialized and diversified across different levels of education. It has the main objective of preparing the teachers to perform their job duties in an appropriate manner. 

Triangular Basis of Teacher Education

Formation of the appropriate knowledge base for each stage of education requires a high degree of academic and intellectual understanding of the information that is related to teacher education. This involves the selection of the theoretical knowledge from the disciplines cognate to education, namely psychology, sociology and philosophy and converting into the forms that are suitable for teacher education. These disciplines provide the basis for better understanding and application of teacher education. The philosophical basis provides the insights to the student teachers in terms of philosophy, ancient and modern philosophical thoughts of the philosophical thinkers of education and various aspects, such as, curriculum instruction and discipline. The sociological basis helps the student teachers to understand the role of the society and its dynamics in the educational system of the nation and the world at large. It takes into account the ideals that have an influence upon the national and international scenes. The psychological basis helps the student teachers to develop insights into the psychological well-being of the students. This enables them to understand their self and the learning situations. In this manner, they are able to provide meaningful and relevant learning experiences to their students. In this manner, the students are able to benefit from learning.

Aspects of Teacher Education

The aspects of teacher education are, who (teacher educator), whom (student teacher), what (content), and how (teaching strategy). Teacher education is dependent upon the quality of teacher educators. The quality of the pedagogical inputs within the teacher education programs and their operative utilization for the purpose of preparing prospective teachers depend to a large extent on the professional competence of teacher educators and the ways in which it has been utilized for the reinforcement of the teacher education programs. Teacher education programs, thus have the main objective of adequately preparing teacher educators. The student teachers are the ones, who obtain knowledge and information in order to achieve their professional as well as personal goals. It serves to equip the teachers with the conceptual and theoretical framework, within which they can acquire an understanding of the intricacies of the profession. It aims at the formation of the attitude among the individuals, so they are able to cope up with challenges and problems in a positive manner. The individuals get empowered with the skills and abilities, so they are able to perform all the relevant tasks and functions in an operative and efficient manner. The primary focus of teacher education is upon the content matter.

 Changing Context of Teacher Education

The well-established tradition of teaching and learning retained its strength even under adversarial circumstances. The post-independence period was characterised by the major efforts being made to nurture and bring about transformations in teacher education. The system of teacher preparation has come under considerable pressure, as a result of the expansion and growth of school education, through the efforts to universalize elementary education. There have been implementation of efforts to adapt and update the teacher education curriculum to the local needs, to make it more context-based, responsive and dynamic, particularly in terms of the needs and requirements of the overall system of education. The present system of teacher education is supported by a network of national, provincial and district level resource institutions, working in integration to improve the eminence and efficiency of the teacher preparation programs at the pre-service level and also through in-service programs for serving the teachers throughout the country. The main factors that highlight the changing context of teacher education scenario have been stated as follows:

Impact of National Policies

This is with regards to the overall literacy, infrastructure, universal access and enrolment in schools. The major developments that have taken place in recent years form the background to the present reform in teacher education. These are the political recognition of the Universalization of Elementary Education that led to the Right to Education Bill, 2008 and the National Curriculum Framework for school education, 2005. The Bill has been passed by the Parliament and the Right to Education Act, came into being, making it compulsory to make provision of education to the children, belonging to the age group of six to fourteen years. The Act mandates the functioning of the schools, which includes the teacher-student ratio of 1:30 till a student population of 200 students at the primary stage.

Developments in School Education

It has been estimated that 82 percent of 20 crore children, within the age group of six to fourteen years were enrolled in schools. This is a fact that 50 percent of these children dropped out, even before reaching class eight. Regional, economic, social and gender disparities are leading to new challenges and problems. The continued fragmentation of the school system poses a challenge to the national declaration of meeting the basic needs and requirements of the children within the age group of six to fourteen years. However, increasing privatization and differentiation of the schooling system have recognized the Right to Education for all children, irrespective of their categories and backgrounds.

Changing Role of the Teacher

Within the course of time, the teachers are bringing about changes and transformations within their roles and job duties. The teachers are required to focus upon rendering their job duties in a manner that would not only lead to enhancement of academic knowledge among the students, but also in leading to development of morality and ethics among them. The students get enrolled in educational institutions, not just to hone their academic skills and abilities, but also to acquire the knowledge of principles, standards, values and norms, so that they can contribute effectually towards promoting well-being of the community and nation. Hence, for this purpose, it is vital for the teachers to put into practice modern and innovative strategies and methods that would lead to overall growth and development of the students.

Challenges in Teacher Education

Teaching is a hard job. Within the course of teacher education, the teachers are required to undergo number of problems and challenges. These are primarily in concern with the environmental conditions of the educational institutions, performance of job duties, management of the classroom, coping with the needs and requirements of the students, getting along with the colleagues, principals and other staff members of the educational institutions and so forth. In order to cope up with these challenges, it is necessary to possess the essential skills, abilities and knowledge. One needs to be aware that one should possess effective communication skills and not depict the feelings of anger and frustration upon anybody. Within the teaching jobs, the teachers are required to augment their professionalism.

Research and Innovation

Research and innovation are regarded as the aspects that enable the individuals to bring about advancements and improvements in their tasks and functions. Research is primarily carried out in three ways. First is through the use of books, articles, reports and other documents, second is through the use of the internet and third is through field research. The teachers make visits to other educational institutions and observe and generate awareness in terms of the approaches and strategies implemented by them. Therefore, research is regarded as one of the imperative aspects that helps in augmentation of one’s knowledge. Innovation is regarded as bringing about modernization and creativity in one’s tasks and functions. In the system of education, research and innovation renders a significant contribution in bringing about improvements. 

Inclusive Education

There are two types of exclusion prevalent in schools. One is exclusion of the child with disabilities and another is exclusion of children, who belong to deprived and marginalized sections of the community. The need to equip the teachers to promote inclusive education and not discriminate against any student on the basis of caste, creed, race, religion, gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background is of utmost significance. Any types of biases need to be overcome and one needs to handle the challenges in a positive manner.

 Perspectives of Equitable and Sustainable Development

The perspectives of equitable and sustainable development of the community and nation are influenced to a major extent through acquisition of education. Attaining education helps in the development of skills and abilities among the individuals to promote equitable and sustainable development. It is necessary for the individuals to implement all types of tasks and functions within their daily lives in an appropriate manner. These are, management of household responsibilities, carrying out job duties within the employment setting satisfactorily, forming effective terms and relationships with the individuals within as well as outside the home and so forth. On the other hand, one also need to be educated to preserve the environmental conditions, alleviating their conditions of poverty and backwardness and meeting the livelihoods requirements.

Role of Community Knowledge in Education

The main purpose of community knowledge in education is primarily focused upon training the students in such a manner that they are able to implement the tasks and functions in such a manner that are geared towards promoting well-being of the community. The teachers need to train the students in a manner that they learn to apply the academic knowledge within their daily lives. On the other hand, adult learners bring their daily life experiences in order to enrich the academic knowledge that they are acquiring within the classroom setting. For instance, when the students are learning in terms of morality and ethics or effective communication skills and communication processes, then it is vital for them to ensure that they implement these traits within their daily lives. The NCF 2005 promotes the inclusion of locally relevant content within the curriculum and the instructional systems as well as pedagogy.

 ICT in Schools and E-Learning

With the onset of the creation of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), there is an increasing demand that it will be included in school education. The use of ICT in school education primarily involves the use of technology within the teaching-learning methods. In the present existence, in educational institutions at all levels, there has been implementation of technology. In making provision of teaching and learning processes within the classrooms, mostly computers are made use of. In higher educational institutions, the professors conduct classes and provide lectures to the students, but they are required to prepare their assignments and projects through the use of technology. Teacher education has been used to equip the teachers to differentiate between developmentally appropriate and detrimental uses of ICT. The teachers are required to be competent enough to lead to their own professional development.

Teacher Education Programs

The teacher education programs are comprehensive. In the present existence, there have been initiation of teacher education programs that are primarily focused towards promoting the skills and abilities among the individuals in such a manner that they are able to perform their job duties within the educational institutions in accordance to the established standards. The teachers have number of job duties to carry out within the educational institutions. These are, imparting academic knowledge and skills to the students, putting into practice effective teaching-learning methods and instructional strategies, maintaining good terms and relationships with the other members, and possessing leadership skills. Furthermore, they are also equipped to carry out the managerial functions of planning, organising, directing, controlling and co-ordinating. These functions are mostly applied in the case of teaching methods, organization of competitions, workshops, seminars and so forth. The teachers are required to put into operation their job duties with diligence and enthusiasm. The teacher education programs enables them to acquire the essential knowledge that are needed to develop their skills and abilities.

Challenges of Teacher Education

The expansion that has taken place in the teacher education scenario during the last decade has reflected the teacher education scenario of the present. There have been developments taking place in the system of education and there has been an increase in the enrolment of students. The demands of the teachers have increased due to the programs. The major challenges encountered in teacher education have been stated as follows:

Insufficient Research – Implementing research is regarded as one of the aspects that helps in conducting an analysis of the areas that are needed to get improved. In the area of teacher education, there has been insufficient research, particularly with regards to classroom practices. Additionally, there have not been much developments made in educational research regarding the studies, and others areas in the system of education. There is a need to bring about collaborative design and development of the teacher education programs. The trainers, who perform the job duties of training the teachers need to develop as researchers on teacher education. They are required to conduct research in terms of all areas and fields that are necessary to enhance teacher education programs.

Lack of Quality Teachers – Teacher quality is regarded as one of the most important determinants in leading to improvements in the quality of education. One of the most important factors determining student achievement is teacher quality. In the system of education, lack of quality among the teachers signify that they merely lack the skills and abilities that are needed to perform the job duties in an appropriate manner. The teachers either do not possess the essential educational qualifications, or they do not perform their job duties with interest and enthusiasm. Hence, lack of quality teachers is a major hindrance in the achievement of the desired goals and objectives.

Lack of Motivation of Teachers – Motivation is regarded as an important aspect that enables the individuals to develop interest and enthusiasm towards their work. When the aspect of motivation among teachers is emphasised upon, then the terms such as, commitment, satisfaction, morale and attitudes are taken into consideration. On the other hand, factors such as, absenteeism, misconduct and attrition are the reflections of low motivation. It has caused an increase in the rate of absenteeism and there is shortage of teachers in schools, primarily within rural communities. 

Inadequate Infrastructure – School infrastructure is regarded as the key aspect for teaching and learning in schools. The main objective of the infrastructure is to lead to an increase in enrolment of students, improve motivation among the students and improve the academic achievement of students. There is lack of proper infrastructure and equipment in schools in various regions throughout the country. This has had a negative influence upon the learning of students and they even get compelled to drop out, before their educational skills are honed. Inadequate infrastructure is a major challenge as well as an impediment within the course of increase in enrolment and retention of students.

Lack of Skills – The teachers are required to possess certain skills and abilities among them, which are imperative to perform their job duties well. The important skills are communication skills, problem solving abilities, soft skills, decision making skills, and leadership skills. These skills render an indispensable contribution in enabling the teachers to achieve the goals and objectives. Lack of any of these skills may have a negative influence upon the job performance of the teachers. Lecture technique is the one that is most commonly used in teaching, hence, it is necessary for the teachers to work towards honing their skills on a continuous basis.

Lack of Subject Knowledge – In some cases, the programs that focus upon the teachers training such as, B.Ed. does not put emphasis upon the subject knowledge. Subject knowledge has an important role to play. The good-quality teaching rests upon the teachers having an efficient understanding of the subjects and the concepts that they are teaching. 

Problem of Selection – When recruitment and selection of teachers takes place, it is necessary to take into consideration number of factors. These are their educational qualifications, skills, abilities and personality traits. Not all schools have equitable access to good quality teachers. This fact can be attributed to the recruitment challenges that are experienced by the school administrators, school districts and the provincial school departments, not only in India, but throughout the world. With experiencing problems and challenges in the recruitment and selection of the teachers, there is an emerging need to examine the processes of teacher recruitment and selection.

Incomplete Competency Development of Teachers – There are teachers within schools as well as in training centres, who do not possess the competency traits. As a result, their job performance suffers and they even experience problems in retaining their job duties for long. The commitment and competency of the teachers are associated with the feelings of interest and enthusiasm towards one’s job, development of the feeling of job satisfaction and attitude towards the working environmental conditions. In some cases, the teachers do not feel satisfied with their jobs, as they do not take interest and enthusiasm in the performance of job duties, hence, incomplete or lack of competency development of teachers is one of the major challenges.

Improper Practice Teaching – The teachers at all levels of education are required to obtain adequate practice in terms of teaching. Teaching is regarded as an art and teachers are required to generate awareness in terms of particular strategies and methods. Improper teaching practices are regarded as challenges that hinder the abilities of the teachers to impart adequate knowledge and information to the students. Teaching is regarded much as an art form as it is a technique. The teachers are required to master this technique appropriately and be well-prepared before they initiate their class lectures or other training methods.

Inappropriate Teaching Methods – The teaching methods are implemented by the teachers in accordance to the level of education and the needs and requirements of the students. Making use of improper teaching methods are regarded as one of the major challenges that would impede the learning of students. For instance, if students are able to learn well through verbal explanation and dictation of notes, then the teachers should explain them the concepts as well as give notes. The other methods and tools that are used in most cases by the teachers include, demonstrations, discussions, role plays, laboratories, contests, practices, projects, assignments, fieldwork, and supervised experience.

Redefining the Role of the Teacher: It's a Multifaceted Profession

Imagine a school where teaching is considered to be a profession rather than a trade. The role of teachers in a child's education -- and in American culture -- has fundamentally changed. Teaching differs from the old "show-and-tell" practices as much as modern medical techniques differ from practices such as applying leeches and bloodletting.

Instruction doesn't consist primarily of lecturing to students who sit in rows at desks, dutifully listening and recording what they hear, but, rather, offers every child a rich, rewarding, and unique learning experience. The educational environment isn't confined to the classroom but, instead, extends into the home and the community and around the world. Information isn't bound primarily in books; it's available everywhere in bits and bytes.

Students aren't consumers of facts. They are active creators of knowledge. Schools aren't just brick-and-mortar structures -- they're centers of lifelong learning. And, most important, teaching is recognized as one of the most challenging and respected career choices, absolutely vital to the social, cultural, and economic health of our nation.

Today, the seeds of such a dramatic transformation in education are being planted. Prompted by massive revolutions in knowledge, information technology, and public demand for better learning, schools nationwide are slowly but surely restructuring themselves.

Leading the way are thousands of teachers who are rethinking every part of their jobs -- their relationship with students, colleagues, and the community; the tools and techniques they employ; their rights and responsibilities; the form and content of curriculum; what standards to set and how to assess whether they are being met; their preparation as teachers and their ongoing professional development; and the very structure of the schools in which they work. In short, teachers are reinventing themselves and their occupation to better serve schools and students.

New Relationships and Practices

Traditionally, teaching was a combination of information-dispensing, custodial child care and sorting out academically inclined students from others. The underlying model for schools was an education factory in which adults, paid hourly or daily wages, kept like-aged youngsters sitting still for standardized lessons and tests.

Teachers were told what, when, and how to teach. They were required to educate every student in exactly the same way and were not held responsible when many failed to learn. They were expected to teach using the same methods as past generations, and any deviation from traditional practices was discouraged by supervisors or prohibited by myriad education laws and regulations. Thus, many teachers simply stood in front of the class and delivered the same lessons year after year, growing gray and weary of not being allowed to change what they were doing.

Many teachers today, however, are encouraged to adapt and adopt new practices that acknowledge both the art and science of learning. They understand that the essence of education is a close relationship between a knowledgeable, caring adult and a secure, motivated child. They grasp that their most important role is to get to know each student as an individual in order to comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and abilities.

This attention to personal qualities is all the more important as America continues to become the most pluralistic nation on Earth. Teachers have to be committed to relating to youngsters of many cultures, including those young people who, with traditional teaching, might have dropped out -- or have been forced out -- of the education system.

Their job is to counsel students as they grow and mature -- helping them integrate their social, emotional, and intellectual growth -- so the union of these sometimes separate dimensions yields the abilities to seek, understand, and use knowledge; to make better decisions in their personal lives; and to value contributing to society.

They must be prepared and permitted to intervene at any time and in any way to make sure learning occurs. Rather than see themselves solely as masters of subject matter such as history, math, or science, teachers increasingly understand that they must also inspire a love of learning.

In practice, this new relationship between teachers and students takes the form of a different concept of instruction. Tuning in to how students really learn prompts many teachers to reject teaching that is primarily lecture based in favor of instruction that challenges students to take an active role in learning.

They no longer see their primary role as being the king or queen of the classroom, a benevolent dictator deciding what's best for the powerless underlings in their care. They've found they accomplish more if they adopt the role of educational guides, facilitators, and co-learners.

The most respected teachers have discovered how to make students passionate participants in the instructional process by providing project-based, participatory, educational adventures. They know that in order to get students to truly take responsibility for their own education, the curriculum must relate to their lives, learning activities must engage their natural curiosity, and assessments must measure real accomplishments and be an integral part of learning.

Students work harder when teachers give them a role in determining the form and content of their schooling -- helping them create their own learning plans and deciding the ways in which they will demonstrate that they have, in fact, learned what they agreed to learn.

The day-to-day job of a teacher, rather than broadcasting content, is becoming one of designing and guiding students through engaging learning opportunities. An educator's most important responsibility is to search out and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve real-world problems and show they have learned the big ideas, powerful skills, and habits of mind and heart that meet agreed-on educational standards. The result is that the abstract, inert knowledge that students used to memorize from dusty textbooks comes alive as they participate in the creation and extension of new knowledge.

 New Tools and Environments

One of the most powerful forces changing teachers' and students' roles in education is new technology. The old model of instruction was predicated on information scarcity. Teachers and their books were information oracles, spreading knowledge to a population with few other ways to get it.

But today's world is awash in information from a multitude of print and electronic sources. The fundamental job of teaching is no longer to distribute facts but to help children learn how to use them by developing their abilities to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgments, and create knowledge that benefits both the students and society. Freed from the responsibility of being primary information providers, teachers have more time to spend working one-on-one or with small groups of students.

Recasting the relationship between students and teachers demands that the structure of school changes as well. Though it is still the norm in many places to isolate teachers in cinderblock rooms with age-graded pupils who rotate through classes every hour throughout a semester -- or every year, in the case of elementary school -- this paradigm is being abandoned in more and more schools that want to give teachers the time, space, and support to do their jobs.

Extended instructional periods and school days, as well as reorganized yearly schedules, are all being tried as ways to avoid chopping learning into often arbitrary chunks based on limited time. Also, rather than inflexibly group students in grades by age, many schools feature mixed-aged classes in which students spend two or more years with the same teachers.

In addition, ability groups, from which those judged less talented can rarely break free, are being challenged by a recognition that current standardized tests do not measure many abilities or take into account the different ways people learn best.

One of the most important innovations in instructional organization is team teaching, in which two or more educators share responsibility for a group of students. This means that an individual teacher no longer has to be all things to all students. This approach allows teachers to apply their strengths, interests, skills, and abilities to the greatest effect, knowing that children won't suffer from their weaknesses, because there's someone with a different set of abilities to back them up.

To truly professionalize teaching, in fact, we need to further differentiate the roles a teacher might fill. Just as a good law firm has a mix of associates, junior partners, and senior partners, schools should have a greater mix of teachers who have appropriate levels of responsibility based on their abilities and experience levels. Also, just as much of a lawyer's work occurs outside the courtroom, so, too, should we recognize that much of a teacher's work is done outside the classroom?

New Professional Responsibilities

Aside from rethinking their primary responsibility as directors of student learning, teachers are also taking on other roles in schools and in their profession. They are working with colleagues, family members, politicians, academics, community members, employers, and others to set clear and obtainable standards for the knowledge, skills, and values we should expect America's children to acquire. They are participating in day-to-day decision making in schools, working side-by-side to set priorities, and dealing with organizational problems that affect their students' learning.

Many teachers also spend time researching various questions of educational effectiveness that expand the understanding of the dynamics of learning. And more teachers are spending time mentoring new members of their profession, making sure that education school graduates are truly ready for the complex challenges of today's classrooms.

Reinventing the role of teachers inside and outside the classroom can result in significantly better schools and better-educated students. But though the roots of such improvement are taking hold in today's schools, they need continued nurturing to grow and truly transform America's learning landscape. The rest of us -- politicians and parents, superintendents and school board members, employers and education school faculty -- must also be willing to rethink our roles in education to give teachers the support, freedom, and trust they need to do the essential job of educating our children.