EDU3083

Topic 1
Tues, 2 Jan. 2018
Mdm. Yong Lee Choo
012-6527359
yongleechoo@hotmail.com
 Concept Of Teaching As A
Profession

 Concept of profession and professionalism

 Characteristics of a teacher as a professional
Concept Of Teaching As A
Profession
 Occupation

 Job

 Career

 Trade

 Vocation
 Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Occupation

• Occupation is a broad concept that encompasses the

employment sector.

• It is a wide category of jobs with similar characteristics.


• For example, an occupation as an educator can include
positions like teacher, principal, counselor or the school
librarian.

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Job

• A job is simply work for pay.

• A job is a temporary step you take to build a career.
• In a job, you will acquire a paycheck and valuable
experience that leads to your next job.
• The series of jobs becomes your career.
• E.g., if your ultimate goal is to become an attorney, you
may benefit from working as a legal assistant to gain
knowledge and experience to meet your career goals.

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Job

• A job is something you do in order to achieve some other

goal, such as to have a little money to enjoy yourself on
weekends, to pay for school, to pay for groceries, bills…..

• If you could achieve that same goal in some other way,

you probably wouldn’t have the job, because the job may
not have any interest or appeal to you.

• The same position can be a job for one person, or the first
step to a career for another person.

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Career
• A career is a life long journey that builds on your specific skills,
knowledge and experience.

• Careers generally brings you a sense of achievement or

accomplishment.

• If you see your work as a way to fulfill your lifelong dreams and
ambition, you have a career.

• When you have a career, you take the long-term approach,

seeking to learn new things, expand your skills, build a
professional network, and grow your career for the future.

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Trade

• A job requiring manual skills and special

training
• A craft
• E.g., carpenter, artisan

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession

 Vocation

• A strong inclination to follow a particular

career.

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Concept Of Teaching As A Profession
Which of these can be called a profession?
Why?

 Plumber Librarian Accountant

 Interpreter Lawyer Engineer

 Cleaner Mechanic Nurse

 Teacher Doctor Pharmacist

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 Concept of profession and
professionalism

Profession
• Career or occupation

Professional
• The person from the profession

Professionalism
• Skills, attitude and personality
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Profession :

 - a type of job that needs special training or

skill, especially one that needs a high level of
education
 - is all the people who work in a particular
profession
 Examples: the medical profession, the
legal profession.

 Is teaching a profession?
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What does it mean to be a
professional?
 a professional person; competent, skilful,
or assured: his professional expertise
 engaged in a specified activity as one’s main
paid occupation
 a professional is a person who possesses
knowledge of something and has a
commitment to a particular set of values both
of which are generally well accepted
characteristics of professions.

 Are teachers professionals?

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A profession ...
 Describes the standards of education and training that
prepare members of the profession with the particular
knowledge and skills necessary to perform their specific
role within that profession.
 Most professionals are subject to strict codes of
conduct, enshrining rigorous ethical and moral
obligations.
 Professional standards of practice and ethics for a
particular field are typically agreed upon and
maintained through widely recognized professional
associations.
 Those professions that serve some important aspect of
public interest and the general good of society
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 Professionalism...
 The conduct, demeanor and
standards which guide the work
of professionals.

 It can also be described as the

level of competency, efficiency,
attitude, and conduct that that
one can expect from a member
of a certain profession.
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 Concept of Profession
Gordon Marshall (1998)
 Profession is a type of work orientation.
 It is a form of work organization, includes some central
regulatory body to ensure the standard of performance
of individual members is conformed to the profession.
 Each type of profession has its own code of conduct.
 A professional required careful management of
knowledge in relation to the expertise which constitutes
the basis of the professional activities.
 Associated with personal service, involving
confidentiality and full trust (doctors, lawyers,
accountants)
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 Concept of Profession
Liebernman (1989) summarised
profession as :
 “ … a typical form of occupation
conducted by professionals who are
trained with special skill, and are honest,
dedicated, responsible, and possess high
moral standards, vested with autonomy
during service, observe and follow
faithfully to the Code of Ethics of the
professional organization.”
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Concept of profession and
professionalism
To qualify as a Profession, it must fulfil the
following criteria:

Renders Extended
Specialized
essential social training
knowledge
services

Autonomy in Own
Involves a code
decision professional
of ethics
making organization
What are the differences between a
professional and a non-
professional?
Non Professional
Not a unique service
Training is not rigorous i.e., short period of
training
Entrance to the occupation is not especially
competitive
Little decision making power
Little accountability
 Discussion

To what extent teaching is

considered a professional career?
Give your views.
Why is teaching a
profession?
1. High level of education qualification

2. Specialized training

3. Needed by the society

4. Has autonomy [but ONLY in selecting

approaches, methods and techniques when
teaching].

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Why is teaching a
profession?

5. Code of ethics

6. Accountable for his actions

7. Represented by an organization/union

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A Teacher is a Professional because
he/she
 Possesses academic as well as professional qualification
based on teacher training course attended.

 Possesses autonomy in class management and methods of

teaching in the classroom.

 Member of a teacher union (NUTP/KPPK in Msia)

 Observes and follows the Code of Ethics outlined by the

MOE

 Provides a professional service to the pupils, society and

nation.
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 Recognized as educational specialists.
A teacher is a non-professional
because……

??
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The teaching profession in Malaysia today
still lacks certain professional characteristics
for it to be classified as a profession.
 Teaching job is NOT restricted to those trained
teachers only.
 NOT every teacher is a member of any teacher
association.
 NONE of the teacher organization is vested
with the power to control the number of new
members, nor have the right to expel the
members if they do not observe the Code of
Ethics. It is just a UNION to take care of the
teachers’ welfare. LC YONG 2018
 A teacher has only LIMITED autonomy
because a lot of decisions are usually made
by the school authority or the MoE.

 Teachers possess DIFFERENT academic

qualifications (SPM, STPM, university
degrees….)

 Teachers do NOT have the autonomy to

decide the payment for their service.

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 Discussion
 Look at the MEB (2013 – 2025).

 What are the Govt’s initiatives to

transform the teaching
profession in Malaysia?

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SHIFT 4: TRANSFORM TEACHING INTO
THE PROFESSION OF CHOICE

Why it is needed:

 International research shows that teacher quality is the

most significant school-based factor in determining
student outcomes.
 The quality of a system cannot exceed the quality of its
teachers.
 While there are certainly many excellent teachers in
the Malaysian education system, a 2011 research
study found that only 50% of lessons are being
delivered in an effective manner.
 This means that the lessons did not sufficiently engage
students, and followed a more passive, lecture format
of content delivery.

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.
SHIFT 4: TRANSFORM TEACHING INTO
THE PROFESSION OF CHOICE
What success will look like:
 Teaching will be a prestigious, elite profession that
only recruits from the top 30% of graduates in the
country.
 Teachers will receive the best training possible, from
the time they enter their teacher training programmes,
through to the point of retirement.
 They will have access to exciting career development
opportunities across several distinct pathways, with
progression based on competency and performance,
not tenure.
 There will be a peer-led culture of excellence wherein
teachers mentor one another, develop and share best
practices and hold their peers accountable for meeting
professional standards. LC
(through
YONG 2018PLC)
 Tutorial 1
(to be presented on Wed. 3/1/18 @ 11.30 – 12.30 pm)

1. Discuss the characteristics/qualities of

professional teachers of the 21st
century.

2. How can a teacher achieve

professionalism?

LC YONG 2018
THANK YOU

LC YONG 2018
EDU3083

Topic 1
Wed, 3 Jan. 2018
 Concept Of Teaching As A
Profession

 Concept of profession and professionalism

 Characteristics of a teacher as a professional
 Tutorial 1 ( 1 hour)

1. Discuss the characteristics/qualities

of professional teachers of the 21st
century.

2. How can a teacher achieve

professionalism?

LC YONG 2018
 Characteristics and Qualities of
Professional Teachers
 Characteristics and qualities of
professional teachers are
closely related to the teaching
values which encompass
individual, social, and
professional characteristics and
qualities of teachers.

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 Individual Characteristics and
Qualities
 Kind –hearted
 Humorous
 Patient
 Responsible
 Confidence
 Leadership
 Other teaching values:
 considerate, fairness, adaptable, firm, dedicated,
authoritative and tolerant.

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Social Characteristics and Qualities

• Teacher is not only confined to teaching in

the classroom.
• Has to interact with colleagues, parents
and local community outside classroom.
• Has to cultivate good relationship and
cooperative spirit.
• Among teachers, parents and local
community for the development and
progress of the pupils and school.
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 Social Characteristics and
Qualities

 Well-manner
 Friendly
 Modest
 Dedicated
 Honest

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 Professional Characteristics and Qualities

High professional qualities are important

and necessary for a qualified trained
teacher.
 Inquisitive
 Powerful memory
 Accountable
 High Integrity
 Communicative
 Innovative
Others: dedicated, communicative,
positive spirit, and LCmotivated.
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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

1. Competency
2. Efficiency
3. Attitude & Conduct
 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

1. Competency

 Focused on three important ideas:

 Preparation for teaching
 Knowledge on the subject that is being taught
 Knowledge of the pupils

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

 Teaching preparation
 Approach & strategies
 Teaching aids & activities
 Types of evaluation
 Preparation to face the challenges
 in a classroom:
Classroom management, language,
culture, different socio-economic background…..

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

 Knowledge on the subject that is being taught

 A professional teacher would have knowledge of the

subject:
 Content
 Pedagogy
 Curiculum
 Pedagogy content knowledge
 Values, philosophy and educational history
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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

 Knowledge of the pupils

A professional teacher would have knowledge of the pupils:

 Development
 Multiple intelligence
 Individual differences
 Learning styles
 Pupils’ needs
 Ability to evaluate, analyze and make
 appropriate decisions.

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

2. Efficiency
 The ability to teach concepts from the curriculum
effectively.

 The ability to make decisions, solve problems

critically and creatively.

 The ability to use ICT effectively

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

Ethical Altruistic Responsible

Theoretical Committed Intellectual

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Ethical
 Deals honestly with others
 Recognizes professional biases and bases
attitude and action upon sound rationale
 Maintains confidentiality regarding
professional matters
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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Altruistic Style
 Behaves unselfishly
 Shows respect for others
 Demonstrates motives for professional practice that
are not selfish.
 Shows positive attitude toward co-workers,
children, adults and community members.

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Responsible
 Promises only what can be delivered.
 Follow through on commitments
 Delivers on time
 Is accountable for own actions

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Theoretical
 Practises critical thinking
 Contributes to knowledge base
 Shows appreciation for scholarship, research and
theory
 Evaluates own professional practice in light of new
conditions and knowledge.

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Committed
 Spends time beyond the call of duty
 Belongs to and takes an active part in professional
organization
 Identifies with the profession both when it is praised
and criticized.
 Articulates the profession’s philosophy and practice
to the public

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 Characteristics Of A Teacher As A
Professional

3. Attitude and conduct

 Intellectual
 a) Reads current journals
 Keeps abreast of technical advances
 Reads about own and related professions and specialties

 b) Interact with colleagues to gain new perspectives

 Participates in conferences
 Enrolls in courses regularly

 c) Strives towards self-improvement

 Develops performance skills

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SUMMARY

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Characteristics Of A
Teacher As A Professional
 Knowledgeable
 Competent Content matter
 Conduct Pedagogy

Planning T & L
Cautious Choosing strategy for T
Good &L
characteristics Stimulate T & L
Committed Technological skills
Courteous Counseling skills
Positive
LC YONG 2018Evaluating T & L
Ability to lead
LC YONG 2018
 ISL 1

Answer the following questions:

1. Explain the concept of profession.

2. Compare & contrast the teaching

profession with other professions
(e.g. doctors, engineers, lawyers).

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THANK YOU

LC YONG 2018