ONLINE ASSIGNMENT
Topic: professionalism and social science
teacher
ANIEPRIYA P J
SOCIAL SCIENCE
OPTIONAL
Definition of profession
A profession is something a little more
than a job, it is a career for someone that wants to be part of society, who
becomes competent in their chosen sector through training maintains their
skills through continuing professional development and commits to behaving
ethically, to protect the interests of the public.
According to miller and keune A profession
continuously enlarges its body of knowledge, functions autonomously in
formulation of policy and maintains by force of organization or concerted
opinion high standards of achievement and conduct. Members of a profession are
committed to continuing study, place service above personal gain, and are
committed to providing practical services vital to human and social
welfare.
O’Rourke (1989) broadly defined a
profession by suggesting that there are three dimensions that all groups must
follow. The first is normative dimension that includes values and ethics
supporting the idea of self regulation.
The second is an evaluative dimension that
includes overseeing standards of practice and guiding professional activity
finally there is a cognitive dimension that includes standards for education
and demonstration of mastery of appropriate practice skills and clinical
applications.
Difference with other occupations
Educational researchers frequently
compare teachers work with the kinds of work performed in other occupations.
Teaching is usually seen as a form of professional work that is a type of
complex work requiring a great deal of specialized knowledge. But other
perspectives on the nature of teachers work also exist. Indeed at one time or
another over the past 2 decades teaching has been seen as a form of labor.
Significance of professionalism
A teacher is a highly valued personality in a
society and teaching is considered to be the most sacred and distinctive
profession. History is full of evidence about the nations where education has
distinguished progress. Work and worth of teachers has brought name and fame to
nations. Teachers have brought laureates to nations. The profession of a
teacher has never been so challenging and demanding as it has become now.
Global emphasis on literacy shows the world’s concern for the teacher’s role in
the development of society.
The certificated teacher is the essential
element in the delivery of instruction to students, regardless of the mode of
instruction. A teacher has professional knowledge and skills gained through
formal preparation and experience. Teachers provide personal, caring service to
students by diagnosing their needs and by planning, selecting and using methods
and evaluation procedures designed to promote learning. The processes of
teaching include understanding and adhering to legal and legislated frameworks
and policies; identifying and responding to student learning needs; providing
effective and responsive instruction; assessing and communicating student
learning; developing and maintaining a safe, respectful environment conducive
to student learning; establishing and maintaining professional relationships;
and engaging in reflective professional practice. These processes must be free
of discriminatory practices and should contribute to the holistic development
of students who are actively engaged, responsible and contributing members of a
democratic society. The educational interests of students are best served by
teachers who practice under conditions that enable them to exercise
professional judgment. Teachers have a right to participate in all decisions
that affect them or their work, and have a corresponding responsibility to
provide informed leadership in matters related to their professional practice.
Three Characteristics
of Professions
· Autonomy
· Status
and prestige
· Power
Autonomy
· Professions
tend to be autonomous,
§ A
high degree of control of their own affairs
§ "professionals
are autonomous insofar as they can make independent judgments about their work“
§ This
usually means "the freedom to exercise their professional judgment."
Status and prestige
· High
Social Status
§ Professions
enjoy a high social status, regard and esteem conferred upon them by society.
· Higher
Social Function
§ This
high esteem arises primarily from the higher social function of their work,
which is regarded as vital to society as a whole and thus of having a special
and valuable nature.
· Professional
Expertise
§ All
professions involve technical specialized and highly skilled work often
referred to as "professional expertise.“
· Entry
to the Profession
§ Training
for this work involves obtaining degrees and professional qualifications
without which entry to the profession is barred (occupational closure).
· Training
also requires regular updating of skills
Power
· Power
· All
professions have power.
· This
power is used to control its own members, and also its area of expertise and
interests.
· Tends
to dominate, police and protect its area of expertise Regulates the conduct of
its members
· exercises
a dominating influence over its entire field which means that
· professions
can act monopolist
· A
profession is characterized by the power and high prestige it has in society as
a whole.
· It
is the power, prestige and value that society confers upon a profession that
more clearly defines it.
Improving Professionalism
1.
Workshops
Workshops for teachers are organized to develop the
psychomotor aspects of teachers regarding the practical aspects of new
innovations in area of education. Under this, the participants have to do some
practical work to produce instructional, teaching and testing material.
Commonly workshops are organized only for a group of ten to twenty teams. They
meet together to improve their individual and skill of a subject through
intensive study, research practices and discussion. Most of the workshops for
teachers are organized to solve the problem of teaching profession. Providing
philosophical and sociological background for teaching situation, identifying
educational objectives and training the teacher for using different approaches
to teaching also are the purposes of workshops. Workshops for teachers are
organized by certain institution like NCERT, SCERT’s DIET’s and Departments of
Education of various universities.
2.
Seminars
Seminars have played a very important role for the
development of professionalism among teacher. A seminar involves generating a situation
for a group of teachers to have guided interaction among themselves on a theme
which is generally presented to the group by one or more members. The person
who presents the theme should have studied the theme thoroughly beforehand.
Generally the seminar paper will circulate among the teacher. This will
facilitate in seeking clarification and for further
analysis of the theme. Seminars are conducted by various agencies of local,
national and international level. NCERT organizes seminar at national level, on
educational themes such as Educational technology, population education,
distance education, curricular reforms etc. international seminars are
organized by agencies like UNESCO. A nation can also organize such seminars on
international theme. Participating in these seminars will enhance the
professional competencies of teachers.
3.
Inservice courses
Inservice educational programe is undoubtedly a
significant programme of the continuous development of teachers in the desired
direction. Inservice courses are helpful to provide incentives to the teachers to
function more efficiently and to solve the teaching problem by pooling their
resources and wisdom. It helps to acquaint teachers with modern techniques in
education. Inservice courses are intended to eliminate the deficiencies in teacher’s
preparation. They are assisting those who are new in a school and those who are
undertaking a new level on field of work and promoting continues improvement of
teacher. Summer courses, sand with courses, correspondence courses, orientation
programes, evening courses, educational conferences, professional publication
etc. are some of the service rendered by the various inservice agencies of a
country.
4.
Refresher courses
Through refresher courses, teachers are well acquaint
with the changing demands of new world. The educational commission 1961 has
suggested that every teacher is necessary to attend a 3month refresher courses
in every 5 years of his service. An UGC sponsored body, academic staff colleges
(ASC) are the major agencies of refresher courses in our country. Regional
institutes of education are also doing best in this connection. As the name indicates,
refresher courses ‘refresh’ the idea and knowledge of a teacher. All India
Federation of Education Association in 1957 had presented mobile squared plan
for refresher courses in the country.
5.
Specialized Training
Teachers are dealing with
children of variable needs and capacities. Hence, he should receive some of the
training in the specialized areas of child development. Specialized training
must be given to teachers who are dealing with adolescence. Teachers are to be
well equipped in career information, guidance and counseling, law focused
education, environmental education and energy education, consumer education etc.
There are specialized training agencies to provide training in them. Regional
institutes of education are providing Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counseling.
Some of the career specialists are organizing courses on career information. These
specialized training will enhance to the professional growth of teachers.
6.
Higher Qualifications
Taking additional higher qualification is necessary
for the professional growth of a teacher. A teacher may take additional
Graduate or Post Graduate degrees in various subjects while he is in service.
Correspondence courses are provided by almost all the universities of the
country. At some places arrangements have been made for the evening courses in
M.Ed for the benefit of inservice teachers. The Central Institute of Education,
New Delhi offers a two year evening course for M.Ed. The Punjab University also
offers such facilities, but the duration of the course is one year.
7.
Research Degrees
As the part of higher qualification, teachers must
take research degrees such as M.Phil, Ph.D, etc. These research degrees are
provided in part time basis at all the universities of the country. Publication
of research articles also improves the professionalism of teachers. School
teachers should be encouraged to take small research projects and to report
their findings to others. For the publication of news and views of teachers a
quarterly journal may be started by each extension service departments of the
country.
CONCLUSION
It is well known fact that knowledge is increasing
day-by day rapidly. It is said that knowledge became just doubled after a
decade. It has been fairly established that education is a lifelong process. Lifelong
learning should be the motto of every teacher. The field of technology is going
to be increased day by day. If a teacher stops learning, he degenerates in to a
bad teacher. In the words of wells “teacher is the maker of history. The
history of a nation is written in its schools and the schools cannot be very
different from the quality of their teacher”. Tagor has very rightly remarked
that “a lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame”.
Hence, there is a need of some sort of provision which may make the teacher up
to date with respect to the knowledge of his subject of teaching, methods and
techniques and innovative ideas in each sphere of his academic life.
REFERENCES
Teaching of social studies –
Aggarwal.J.C
A practical approach
Social studies in the classroom – P.K.Sudheesh Kumar
and Noushad.P.P
Trends and methods
Teaching of social studies – Pathak.R.P
