Professionalism and Teaching Standards
- What is the meaning of the terms professionalism, semi-professionalism, and professionalism?
- A professional is a person who is highly motivated and works on their job every day of the year and never takes breaks from their work. Semi-Professionalism is a person who works hard while they were at work but check out when they are not at work. T professional will always make sure they are representing their profession in a positive light while a Semi-Professional may not worry about this when they are not on the job.
- What does the term ‘professional’ mean for my work as a teacher?
- The term professional means committing yourself to your students and your job without allowing outside factor to affect your performance. This includes making sure you are at your best whenever you are in the classroom. The ability to maintain a professional demeanour is vital when it comes to teaching and managing a classroom.
- How might my educational commitments be influenced by membership in professional bodies such as teacher unions, colleges of teachers and other professional organizations?
- The colleges teach you how they would like you to teach and because of this the college you go to changes your pedagogy and influences how you teach. The other organizations you are involved with can have a similar effect on your teaching shaping who you are as an educator.
- What are teaching standards and why do they exist?
- Teaching standards are guidelines that help teachers figure out where the line is for them in their personal contact. The standards are in place to help protect teachers and guide them in their conduct in the classroom.
- What assumptions about education and teaching are implicit/explicit in the standard(s) (e.g., currently in BC these are represented by the ‘BC Standards for the Teaching’)?
- The implicit standards are that you should be treating all of your students equally and make your assessment equitable for all of your students. The standards outline that you need to have a strong background knowledge in your content and that you should be acting as a role model for your students. Setting a good example for your students is a main component of the standards.
- What alternative perspectives (autobiographical, historical, philosophical, sociological) might you bring to bear on standard(s) for teaching?
- My personal experiences will definitely influence my standards and dictate how I end up teaching. I will definitely focus on touching on all modalities because when I was in school many of the modalities did not work for me as a student. Because of this it has shaped who I am as a teacher.
- How might a particular classroom or school scenario complicate a given standard, illustrating the tensions, difficulties and/or dilemmas that may surround the standard in practice? Give a brief example.
- Being a good role model for the students may be difficult for me when it comes to using English language properly. I have always had poor spelling and grammar and although I have worked on it a lot through my time in school it is very difficult for me to set a good example for my students because it is a weakness of mine.
