I
will state the objectives and outline your reading
of Chapter 1.
TEACHING
AS A PROFESSION
OBJECTIVES
After
reading this chapter, you will be able to:
-
Articulate
the importance of teachers, not only to children but also to parents
and the society at large.
-
Discuss
how students, parents, and the general public view teachers.
-
Develop
a general understanding of the people who become teachers, the conditions
of teaching, and some of the important characteristics of today's
teachers.
-
Illustrate
the different strategies that teachers use to learn more about their
own teaching.
-
Describe
the parts of a portfolio and use their own works as examples.
-
Explain
the concept of political action.
-
Standards
and assessments are critical in quality assurance for professions
such as teaching.
-
Teaching
profession includes at least three stages of quality assurance:
teacher preparation program, state licensing system, and continuing
professional development.Reflection is one of the important characteristics
of successful teachers
-
More than 3.1 million teachers in US.
-
See
figure 1.1 on page 6 - greatest influence on student learning.
-
90%
of Americans believe the best way to life student achievement
is to ensure a qualified teacher in every classroom.
-
See
figure 1.2 on page 7 - professions that provide the most benefit
to society according to survey respondents.
-
To
improve schools, teachers would like to see more parent involvement,
whereas the public see discipline and stricter rules as most important.
-
Profile
of US Teachers: 60% of teachers teach at elementary level, 75%
of teachers are women, however in grades 9-12 46% of the teachers
are male. White teachers - 86% while the number of white students
is 63%. Median age of teachers is 44, 75% of teachers are married.
-
Teacher
supply: nearly half of the teachers hired by the typical school
district are first-time teachers. 17% of the first-time teachers
were substitute teachers in the previous years.
-
See
figure 1.6 on page 14 -demand for classroom teachers through 2009.
-
Professional
knowledge: teachers must know the bubjects that they will be teaching.
-
Teacher
candidates must study theories and research on how students learn
at different ages, and have field experiences to hone their teaching
skills.
-
Standards
are an important part of proessions.
-
Accreditation:
NCATE - see figure 1.10 on page 21. Acreditation provides assurance
to the public that graduates of programs are qualitied and competent
to practice.
-
State
licensure is the second step of a quality assurance system for
professionals
-
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
-
Teachers'
values, commitments, and professional ethics influence interactions
with students, colleagues, and communities.
-
Focus
on student learning!
-
Review
Code of Ethics on page 28.
REFLECTING ON ONE'S PRACTICE
-
Always
strive to teach better.
-
Always
observe what is going on.
-
Write
down your observations.
-
Analyze
practice and reflection
-
Draw
conclusion and formulate hypotheses and test your conclusions
-
Portfolio
development see table 1.2 on page 34.
-
In
order to succeed, you have to work with everyone.
PARTICIPATING IN THE PROFESSION
- Teachers have
the opportunity to become involved in many professional organization.
- National Education
Association (NEA) is the largest teachers' organization with 2.5 million
members. NEA is committed to advancing public education; advocating
for the profession in general.
- American Federation
of Teachers (AFT): labor union -efforts to gain better salaries and
improve fringe benefits from local boards of education.
- Professional
association like Phi Delta Kappa is very important. STAC has a student
chapter.
RESOURCES
CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE JUST
COMPLETED YOUR FIRST CHAPTER!
 E-Mail:
mfitzpat@stac.edu
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