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Sunday, December 20, 2015

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES & VALUES FOR THE TEACHER



Prof. Deepak Sharma


 Teachers are the cornerstone of quality education. Teachers: Creating hope for tomorrow. Each day, over 60 million teachers care for 1 billion children, cultivating their souls and minds. Any process that attempts to improve the quality of education promote peace and harmony and eliminate discrimination requires teachers. Teachers work with children who will be the leaders of tomorrow. But for teachers to be effective, they must be well-trained, motivated, have a decent work environment, good pay and an attractive career path, professional, social, ethical and material concerns. Teacher Educators often find themselves trying to capture high professional ethics in words. In-services teacher education programs and other training venues contain a lot of talk about ethical services; dedicated good occupational perception but often very few of examples. This article explains the professional ethics of a teacher required in the field of new pedagogy for the global world with the context sensitivity. Basically four paradigm are listed here to make a child learning in a democracy. I think so gradual release continuum approaches the early stages of learning with a vision building and have a teaching competency commitment provide a platform for an establishment of globalised teacher's council.

WHAT IS ETHICS
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The term comes from the Greek word ethos, which means "character". Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act. According to Tomas Paul and Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, "most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law", and don't treat ethics as a stand-alone concept.
"A set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures". The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is "commonly used interchangeably with 'morality' ... and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual."- Paul and Elder

WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Professional people and those working in acknowledged professions exercise specialist knowledge and skill. How the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public can be considered a moral issue and is termed professional ethics.
Professionals are capable of making judgments, applying their skills and reaching informed decisions in situations that the general public cannot, because they have not received the relevant training. Professional ethics is a set of standards adopted by a professional community. Professional ethics are regulated by standards, which are often referred to as codes of ethics.
The code of ethics is very important because it gives us boundaries that we have to stay within in our professional careers. The one problem with the code of ethics is that we can't always have the answers in black and white. Sometimes there are grey areas where the answers aren't so simple. Professional ethics are also known as Ethical Business Practices.
Components: A number of professional organizations define their ethical approach as a number of discrete components. Typically these include:


  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Transparency
  • Accountability
  • Confidentiality
  • Objectivity
  • Respectfulness and
  • Obedience to the law


A professional ethics course is not about disseminate virtue to raise morality among immoral and amoral students, it also the ability to concern the respective citizens to first recognize and then responsibly confront moral issues.
Four Norms to Govern Teaching
  1. Honesty
  2. Promise-Keeping: Promise-keeping requires the instructor to fulfill the "promises" made at the beginning of the semester. Syllabi, assignments, grading principles, and class and office hour schedules involve promises made to students.
  3. Respect for Persons: Teachers ought to encourage mutual respect among students. Additionally, instructors ought to show respect and common courtesy for students both during interpersonal interactions and in responding promptly to students' need for guidance and feedback.
  4. Fairness: Recognizing the inherent subjectivity involved in grading, instructors ought to ensure that their grading practices are as objective as possible by creating and adhering to unambiguous criteria.

                     The teaching profession is based on the concept of teachers as experts who have been assigned specialized tasks by society, which has also prepared them for such tasks by providing them with the necessary high level of education. The profession then demands that the representatives selected to perform these tasks should demonstrate high ethical standards in all situations, even though the tasks may frequently be difficult to define precisely or call for rapid decisions. It is essential for society to be able to rely on persons of this kind to exercise a high level of professional skill.
                The sense of responsibility attached to the practicing of a profession is based on knowledge and vocational skills on the one hand and on the values and norms that form the foundation of the work on the other. Both are essential, and neither can replace the other. Good ethical principles cannot compensate for poor professional skills, and good professional skills cannot make up for a lack of ethical principles. Thus teachers should feel obliged by their sense of responsibility to pay constant attention to the maintaining of their professional skills, and also to show particular sensitivity in the perception of ethical problems and readiness to observe the highest standards of professional ethics when resolving such situations.
            Any consideration of the ethics of the teaching profession calls for a distinction to be made between legal and ethical matters. The basic duties and responsibilities of teachers are defined in the relevant legislation and norms, while the content of the teaching is laid down in the curriculum. By contrast, however, the ethics of the profession are not based on compulsion or external supervision but on an internalized concept of the moral obligations attached to the work. One major point of departure for the ethical principles set out here has been the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
                  The results of a teacher's work are often visible only after a considerable time lag, in that good Learning experiences tend to promote lifelong learning. Teachers can play a significant role in both the generation of positive Learning experiences and the reinforcement of learners' self-esteem. Thus a teacher's work is a matter of providing opportunities for upbringing, instruction and Learning for the ultimate benefit of individual learners. In addition, a teacher is expected to meet up to society's requirements concerning the implementation of the goals of teaching, which means that, on account of changes taking place in society, many teachers are obliged in the course of their work to take care of things for which they cannot bear sole responsibility.
                The change in the role of teachers has brought them closer to the learners, but it has also increased their responsibility for the learners' development and has frequently led them into closer cooperation with others who are also responsible for this development. Teachers have a great deal of  power and responsibility in matters concerned with the evaluation of learners, for instance, and it is only by fully internalizing the ethical principles involved that they can avoid abusing their position in this respect.
                A high standard of professional ethics is one of the most important resources available to teachers, guiding their work and their interactive relations at the professional level. The work of teaching should include consideration and evaluation of the ethics of one's own goals and motives. In this sense the purpose of the present account of a teacher's professional ethics is to codify and promote the sense of what is ethically right that has always been a part of educational work.

The Values of Teacher’s Professional Ethics
HUMAN WORTH
         The basis underlying the ethical principles laid down here is the treatment of every person as a being of inherent worth. This implies that every child, pupil or student should be approached as a person capable of thinking and learning. The worth of a human being should be respected regardless of sex, sexual orientation, outward appearance, age, religion, social status, origins, opinions, skills or achievements.
TRUTHFULNESS
        Truthfulness is a central value in teaching, in which the teacher is engaged in guiding learners in their encounters with their surroundings and with life itself. An inquiry-based approach to these things calls for frank discussion and a search for the truth. Honesty to oneself and to others and mutual respect in all interactions with other people form part of the foundation of a teacher's work.
FAIRNESS
         It is essential that fairness should prevail in all dealings with learners, as individuals   or in groups, and in all activities within the working community. Particular attention should be paid to the promotion of equality and impartiality and the avoidance of discrimination and favouritism. Fairness should also be exercised in the distribution of favours and burdens, in the handling of offences and conflicts and in the evaluation of learners.
RIGHTS AIID RESPONSIBILITIES
         Teachers are entitled to their own values and opinions, but they are bound in their teaching by the responsibilities of this undertaking and the norms that apply to it, e.g. the relevant legislation and the curriculum.
A Teachers Ethical Principle
        A TEACHER'S RELATIONSHIP TO HIS OR HER WORK
              Teachers commit themselves to the norms that define their work and to the ethics of their profession. They undertake to perform their tasks in a responsible manner, to develop their work and professional skills and to evaluate their own activities. Teachers must realize that their own personality plays an important part in their work and that they have both a right and a duty to develop that personality. Teachers are also entitled to be treated fairly in the exercise of their duties.
        TEACHER AND LEARNER
                Teachers should accept the learners as unique individuals, respecting their rights and treating them fairly and humanely. Teachers should try to understand the learners' points of departure, ways of thinking and opinions and should exercise discretion in matters connected with a learner's personality and private life. Teachers should pay particular attention to learners who need care and protection and should not condone any form of teasing or exploitation of others.
              Teachers should train the learners to be good members of society and to work in collaboration with others. They should also work to promote trust and to build up good personal relations.
             The younger the learners are, the greater the responsibility that the teacher has for them. Teachers should work in conjunction with the adults responsible for the children and young people who they teach.
        THE WORKING COMMUNITY
              Teachers should value the work they are doing and show respect for their colleagues. They should seek to achieve a constructive pooling of resources and a proper balance between their own autonomy and the interests of the working community. The acceptance and understanding of one's colleagues as individuals and the importance of mutual assistance and support should be guiding principles in the working community.
        
TEACHERS AND INTEREST GROUPS OTHER
              Teachers should work in collaboration with learners' parents and guardians and others who are responsible for their education, upbringing and welfare. These may be taken to include specialist advisers in the fields of health care and social work, the authorities and numerous other instances. The purpose of this
collaboration is to support learning and development and to extend the opportunities for learning.
        TEACHERS AND SOCIETY
               The education of its members is one of society's principal functions. The opportunities that teachers have to carry out their work and attend to their own professional development are dependent not only on their own commitment but also on the resources allocated to teaching and education. Teachers are expected to promote the growth and upbringing of their learners and to defend their rights and interests, in a critical manner lf necessary. In this way they can train them to become responsible and able members of a democratic society.
         TEACHERS IN A PLURALISTIC WORLD
                 Teachers should see that all their learners have equal rights and responsibilities as members of the community, and that the culture and world view that they and their parents or guardians espouse are respected in an unprejudiced manner, so that no one is subjected to discrimination on such grounds. If some form of compromise has to be sought between the demands of society and a learner's cultural background, this should be done in collaboration with a parent or guardian
ROLE OF TEACHER IN A SCHOOL
Among the greatest of all services that can be rendered by men to Almighty God, is the education and training of children, so that they can foster by grace in the way of salvation, growing like pearls of divine bounty in the shell of education and will be one day the jewel in the crown of abiding glory.
Henry Von Dyke has said about teachers and teaching Ah! There you have the worst paid and the best rewarded of vocations. Do not enter it unless you love it. For the vast majority of men and women it has no promise of wealth and fame, but they to whom it is dear for its own sake are among the nobility of mankind. I sing the praise of the unknown teacher, king of himself and leader of the mankind, this, we may say is the philosophical meaning of teaching, but is very relevant and meaning also.
            The teacher is the yardstick that measures the achievements and aspirations of the nation. The worth and potentialities of a country get evaluated in and through the work of the teacher, the people of a country are the enlarged replica of their teacher. They are the real nation builders.
            It needs no description that the teacher is the pivot of any educational system of the younger students. On him rests the failure or the success of the system. If the teachers are well educated and if they are intellectually alive and take keen interest in their job, then only, success is ensured. But, if on the other hand, they lack training in education and if they cannot give their heart to their profession, the system is destined to fail. Hence, the teacher is another vital component of the school.
 The teacher is a dynamic force of the school. A school without teacher is just like a body without the soul, a skeleton without flesh and blood, a shadow without substance. There is no greater need for the cause of education today than the need for strong manly men and motherly women as teachers for the young. As social engineers, the teachers can socialize and humanize the young by their man-like qualities

TEACHER’S PRAYER
Help us, O Lord to penetrate into the secret of the child, so that we may know him, love him and serve him according to your laws of justice and following your divine will -- Maria Montessori
Definitions 
·         A Teacher is the image of Brahma -- Manu 
·         The teacher is a Brahma, the creator, he is God Vishnu, he is God Maheshwar. He is entire universe, salutations to him.-- Indian Prayer  
·         The true teacher is he who can immediately come down to the level of the student, transfer his soul to the student’s soul and see through and understand through his mind. Such a teacher can really teach and none else -- Swami Vivekanand 
·         The teacher’s place in society is of vital importance. He acts as the pivot for the transmission of intellectual traditions and technical skills from generation to generation and helps to keep the lamp of civilization burning -- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan 
·         A teacher can never truly teach unless he is still learning himself. A lamp can never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame. The teacher who has come to the end of his subject, who has no living traffic with his knowledge, but merely repeats his lessons to his students, can only load their minds. He can not quicken them -- Tagore 
·         Every teacher and educationist of experience knows that even the best curriculum and the most perfect syllabus remains dead unless quickened in to life by the right method of teaching and the right kind of teachers. -- Secondary Education Commission
·         The Teacher is the real maker of history. -- H.G. Wells 
·         The teacher is the maker of man. -- Sir John Adams
 You need to work for : 
·         Excellence coupled with equity and social justice 
You need to achieve the objective of excellence coupled with equity and social justice by way of imparting quality education to all students without any discrimination between cast, creed, sex, religion and race so that they become physically fit, mentally alert, emotionally balanced and spiritually sound. Teachers are required to understand the need of every child for material education, education for becoming good human being and for divine education so that they can face the realities of life in the new millennium. 
·         National Integration 
Today, promotion of patriotism and education for national integration has become the need of the hour. Our foremost duty is to provide education in such a way so that the students can live and learn together and develop their full potentials. 
·         International Understanding 
We need to apprise the students that India needs a new race of man, a just world, a united world and a peaceful world. The present circumstances at international level compell us for proper international understanding by fostering the principle of Live & Let Live.
·         Good Quality Modern Education 
Teachers need to work for good quality education to transform the students into self reliance and self assured citizen of the world. This can be achieved by successful curriculum transaction with modern mathetics and educational technology together with strong component of culture, inculcation of values, awareness of the environment, adventure activities and physical education.  

·         Reasonable level of competence in three languages
Knowledge and skill in languages fosters intelligence in the learners. As such, we should make an effort to attain a reasonable level of competence in minimum three languages as envisaged in the Three Language Formula. 
·         Vidyalaya as a focal point for improvement in quality of school education 
Every teacher should strive with heart and soul to raise children upto highest perfections of mankind to such a degree so that every one of them will be trained in the use of mind in acquiring knowledge, in humility and lowliness, in dignity and in ardour and love.  
The Paradoxical Commandments: 
1)            People are logical, unreasonable and self centered. Love them any way. 
2)            If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Do good any way. 
3)            If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. 
4)            The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. 
5)            Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. 
6)            The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and    
                women with the smallest minds. Think big anyway. 
7)            People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs always. 
8)            What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. 
9)            People really need help but may attack you if you do. Help then. Help people anyway.
 10)        Give the world the best you have or you’ll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best  
               you have anyway.

Essential Qualities of a Teacher
1)                  Teacher as a Role Model: 
Role Models are people who set good examples by the words they speak and by the actions they take. Role Models can be the people you know personally or people you have learned about in the news at school or on television. 
Students tend to copy the behaviour and mannerism of the teachers. The teacher’s entire personality is a reflection on the minds of the students. If the teacher is honest, leads a balanced and disciplined life, the children adopt these virtues as a ideal conduct unconsciously. The ideal teacher s one who through his thoughts, words and deeds, gives and an impression of an honest upright life which can serve as a model for the students to copy, follow and emulate.
2)                  Teacher’s Character 
A flower in bloom is loved by all and in this lies its glory. Similarly, man may be viewed as having achieved everything in life when he becomes perfect in character. If the best flowers among mankind take to teaching, society is abundantly enriched, their fragrance and beauty are then made the best use of. If the teacher becomes an embodiment of right conduct in thought, word and deed, the students by their association will learn virtue and develop manly qualities. They can be humanized and can live and act like normal human beings. They can become thoughtful, concerned and courageous. 
3)                  Teacher’s Personality 
Every teacher must have a good personality. Radiant, pleasing and impressive personal appearance, refinement, pleasant manners, industry, enthusiasm, drive, initiative, open mindedness etc., are some of the essential traits of an ideal teacher. External appearance has a psychological effect upon the students. By attractive appearance, he/she can win the love and affection of his students and can command respect. He/she should be frank, tolerant, kind, fair and straight-forward so that he/she can stimulate learning.
3.1       Personality Traits


Self confidence and self respect
Excellent Appearance
Healthy and Energetic
Good Intellect
High character
Sense of Humour
Optimistic
Democratic
Fair and Just
Sympathy and Empathy
Punctuality
Enthusiasm
Industriousness
Sociability       


3.2       Personal Values
                     Love
                   Non Violence
                    Dialogue
                   Dutifulness
                    Brotherhood
                   Patience
                    Forgiveness
                   Courtesy
                    Repentance
                   Thrift
                    Sharing
                   Magnanimity
                    Service
                   Sports manliness
                    Team Spirit
                   Loyalty
                    Responsibility
                   Gratitude
                    Accountability
                   Tolerance
                    Sympathy
                   Freedom
                    Justice
                   Determination
                    Hospitality
                   Coordination
4)                  Teacher’s Mental Health 
We speak of education as a lamp lighting another lamp, one life making another life and a spirit speaking to another spirit. We can achieve this objective, if the teachers have good mental health. Students develop interest in those subjects, which are taught by pleasing and genial teachers. The teacher makes the emotional atmosphere in the classroom. A neurotic teacher may spread fear, nervousness and worry in the classroom. A fanatic-teacher may spread hatred, prejudice and hostile feelings among the students. If he has a good mental health, he can create love, interest and enthusiasm for learning and a taste in the subject he teaches. 
5)         Teacher’s Physical Health 
A teacher should possess a sound body alongwith a sound mind. He should have a sound physical health, physical energy, vitality and he should be free from physical defects. This will make him alert, cheerful, happy, dynamic and enthusiastic. He can maintain emotional stability. 
6)         Teacher’s Social Adjustment 
Sociability is another important quality of a teacher. He should have a sound social philosophy and he should make his best contribution to the society. He should know how to adjust himself to the social surroundings in which he lives. He should not be quiet, retreating and introverted. He should be free from worry, anxiety and thinking and feeling about himself. He should mix well in society to have a large body of friends and to take a helpful interest in his neighbours. Normal social life outside the school will go a long way to give him happy social adjustments. 
Social Values
 Discipline
Punctuality
Respect for elders
Ambition
Faithfulness
Confidence
Responsibility
Cleanliness
Dedication
Good Manners
Devotion
Creativity
Sense of Competition
Patience
Knowledge
Positive Approach
Fortitude
Innovative
Self Reliance
Courage
Sincerity
Intelligence
Affection
Truthfulness
Obedience
Regularity
Patriotism
Self Evaluation
Honesty
Hopefulness
 7)        Teacher’s Professional Efficiency 
The teacher must possess a strong sense of vocation and true devotion towards teaching. He should have a genuine love for his calling. For his professional efficiency, he should have knowledge of psychology, educational philosophy, aims, contents, methods and materials of instruction, skill and interest in teaching. He must possess a fair knowledge of current affairs about his own country and other countries of the world.
 8)        Teacher’s Academic Achievements
            A teacher should possess knowledge of the fundamentals of the subjects he teaches. He should have a sound academic and cultural background.
 10)      Teacher’s Professional Training
            The teacher must have the required professional training; without which he will commit serious pedagogical blunders. Prof. Monteque in his book, Education and Human Relations. Asserts that, No one should ever be permitted to become a teacher of the young unless by temperament, attitudes and training, he is fitted to do so.
11)       Teacher’s Accountability
            Lessinger advocates that each child has a right to be educated in order to become a productive citizen of a country. The parents and the citizen have a right to know the progress of education of their children. Teachers, being the educational or human engineers are accountable for the progress of the children they teach. Because of this, the National Policy on Education 1986, in India, has made this concept very popular.
Mass education in India appears to be in a degrading condition. Education imparted by some teachers is far from satisfactory. Majority of the students lack fundamental knowledge in different areas of education. Such teachers do not feel it to be their responsibility. They are involved in private tuition and coaching centres to get some remuneration. Since a teacher’s accountability is very important in modern teaching-learning process, the accountability of the teachers should be evaluated at frequent intervals. There must be proper supervision of their work. The supervisor should see how far the teachers are accountable in respect of teaching, research, co-curricular activities, use of aids and equipments in the classroom, utilization of local resources for the benefit of the students and development of students’ moral and ethical values. Thus, the degrading condition of education in our country can be checked.  

References:
  1. NCTE (2010); Draft Code of Professional Ethics for School Teachers, New Delhi
  2. NCTE (2009); National curriculum framework for teacher education, New Delhi
  3. Cupino C.P. (2006); ‘Ethics and Responsibilities in the Teaching Profession’ at Retrieved Nov. 25, 2012 from
  4. http://www.charter-humanresponsibilities. net/spip.php?article1002
  5. Smith D. & Patricia Goldblatt (2007); Ethics and the Teaching profession, Retrieved Nov. 20, 2012 from
  6. http://www.isatt.org/ISATT-papers/ISATT papers/DSmith_ EthicsandtheTeachingProfession.pdf
  7. Retrieved Nov. 30, 2012 from http://news.in.msn.com/national/ article.aspx?cp-documentid=4972303 RetrievedNov. 20, 2012 from http:/ /www.gradsch.psu.edu/facstaff/tethics.html
  8. http://www.oaj.fi/cs/oaj/A%20Teachers%20Ethical%20Principles
  9. https://www.utdanningsforbundet.no/upload/1/L%C3%A6rerprof_etiske_plattform_a4_engelsk_31.10.12.pdf
  10. http://www.aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics

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