Name of Student: Conor Jennings

Article/Reading: The Teaching Council. 2016. Code of Professional Conduct for

Teachers.(Online) Retrieved at
https://learnonline.gmit.ie/pluginfile.php/88818/mod_resource/content/1/Code-of-
Professional-Conduct-for-Teachers%202016.pdf on 22/9/17

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

The purpose of the code of conduct is to act as a guide for teachers for them to
act in a most ethical and respectful manner through their career in teaching and
to uphold the honour and dignity of the teaching profession. It is also used by the
wider public and the education community to get an understanding of what the
expectations of the teacher is. Most importantly, the council use this code of
conduct as a reference point in the case of an inquiry against a teacher. The
council believe by using this as a reference point, in most cases, it is the best
way to resolve any issues as they arise in the day to day running of the school.
The code explains, while it is the main role of the teacher to educate, the teacher
must uphold the core ethical values of respect, care, integrity and trust. The code
explains how these ethical values underpin the standards of teaching,
knowledge, skill, competence and conduct. The teacher must be caring, and their
actions must be for the best interest of the student at all times.
In the code, the Teaching Council lays out the standards that are expected from
all teachers regardless of their position. The Code states that the teacher must
hold professional values and professional relationships with the students. They
must be caring and must aim to inspire, motivate and celebrate the students
effort and success. They should acknowledge and respect uniqueness whilst
showing equality to any diverse backgrounds, gender, age etc. It is also an aim
of the Teaching Council to create a culture of mutual trust between the teachers
and the wider community by building professional relationships with parents,
school management, the community and other schools.
Professional integrity is another standard that the code states teachers should
uphold. The teacher should act with honesty and integrity in all aspects of their
work. They should represent themselves and their status with utmost integrity
whilst also respecting the privacy of all students and colleagues and any
confidential information gained through their job.
The code also speaks how teachers have to always act as a professional. It is
essential that teachers always stick to the relevant legislations, policies or
regulations when the students welfare is questioned. They must also abide by
the regulations when contacting students and they mustnt have any illicit
material in their possession to uphold their trust with the community.
The code also explains how the teacher should uphold the highest standards of
teaching for their students. They should focus on both the subject and the
holistic development of the student. The teacher is also fully responsible for
themselves to constantly progress and develop in their profession. Reflecting on
and critically evaluating their performances is very necessary as well as
upskilling with courses whenever available. The code also explains how teachers
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should work in a collaborative manner with colleagues and students to improve
the whole educational quality of the school.
To conclude, the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers encapsulates the
fundamental ethics that inform the work of teachers. The core values and
professional standards that are expected are accessible to both educators and
other personnel. For the reason that education relates to every person in the
country in some way, it is essential that the teaching professions value system
and professional standards are clear and readily understandable. The Teaching
Council believes by having this Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers will
enhance and deepen the confidence and trust that society places in teachers.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

Personally, I feel having a code of conduct for teachers is absolutely essential. It

clarifies an organization's mission, values and principles, linking them with
standards of professional conduct. The code articulates the values the
organisation wishes to foster in leaders and employees and, in doing so, defines
desired behaviour (Ethics and Compliance Initiative, c.2016). By having the
Professional Code of Conduct for teachers in place, it aids the teacher greatly
when dealing with ethical dilemmas which they may encounter day to day. I also
feel this code is excellent for teachers to use as a reference point for any
mishaps to protect themselves in any legal standings.
I believe the author provides some excellent information in relation to the values
which are important to uphold as a teacher. Richard Barrett (2010) explains when
teaching, we will have to make hundreds and hundreds of decisions every day.
When making decisions, the decisions we make portray our beliefs and values.
When we use our values to make decisions, we make a deliberate choice and
focus on what is important to us in making the decision. As a teacher we must
uphold and portray the values of care, integrity, respect and trust in our
decisions. I found this very interesting because when you are in the job you must
leave your previous beliefs behind you and uphold your values according to the
code. This will most definitely enhance my ethical decision making when on
teaching practice.
As a student teacher, I feel the code is an excellent way to set the benchmarks
and expectations that you must adhere to. We are constantly learning as
teachers and by giving guidelines on how to be inclusive, how to hold
professional relationships and to establish a culture of mutual trust really are
helpful. As I will be doing my teaching placement in a very diverse school this
appeals greatly to me. The population of students from the travelling community
is high in the school I will be teaching in. This means I must devise a plan to
accommodate diversity in my room to create an inclusive classroom. Ambrose
explains,

even though some of us might like to conceptualize our classrooms

as culturally neutral or might choose to ignore the cultural
dimensions, students cannot check their sociocultural identities at
the door, nor can they instantly transcend their current level of
development Therefore, it is important that the pedagogical
strategies we employ in the classroom reflect an understanding of
social identity development so that we can anticipate the tensions
that might occur in the classroom and be proactive about them

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 (Ambrose et. al., 2010, p. 169-170).

I fully agree with Ambrose because we all come from different

backgrounds and if our backgrounds conflict with each other there will be
a very disruptive classroom which nobody wants.
Another aspect of the code which I found very interesting is where it says
teachers should seek to develop positive relationships with students and
colleagues that is characterised by professional integrity and judgement
(Teaching Council, 2016, p7). This appeals to me very much because from
my previous reading, Daniel Mujis and David Reynolds (2001) explain how
important it is to have professional and integrate relationships with your
students. They explain how by having supportive and caring relationships
for your students enhances their self-esteem. Coopersmith (1967) also
agrees that a supportive and caring relationship can greatly enhance a
students self-esteem, but the relationship must be strictly professional,
and the teacher must be able to discipline the student orderly and in a
professional manner.
This also relates to another point in the code where it says Teachers
should; apply their knowledge and experience in facilitating
pupils/students holistic development. I feel it is just as important to
teach the student holistically as well as on the subject as it develops the
student much more. This is something in which I aim to incorporate into
my teaching practice.
Something in which I wasnt aware of is that it is fully up to the teacher
themselves to constantly upskill and develop their skills throughout their
career. This can be done by critically reflecting and evaluating their
teaching as well as attending courses. Previous to this, I would have
thought that it was mandatory to attend courses to upskill and the school
would oblige the teacher to go.
The only critique I may have about this article is that a code is there to
set the standards but when laying out the could it constantly say
Teachers should (Teaching Council, 2016). The word should makes the
code very vague in my opinion and it is hard to know how strict it really is.
Overall, I feel this article is very relevant to student teachers. There is
standards and benchmarks set out which teachers must work to. For my
own development, I find it very helpful to use the code as a reference
point to deal with any future ethical dilemmas. This gives me great
confidence going into the job as well because if you stay to the guidelines
on the code and stick to your values, you will appear much more
professional and the job will become easier.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Barrett, R., 2010. Barrett Value Centre. [Online] Available at:

https://www.valuescentre.com/sites/default/files/uploads/2010-07-06/The
%20Importance%20of%20Values.pdf [Accessed 25 September 2017].
Ethics and Compliance Initiative, c.2016. Why have a Code of Conduct.
[Online] Available at: https://www.ethics.org/resources/free-toolkit/code-of-
conduct[Accessed 25 September 2017].
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M. & Lovett, M.C. (2010). How
learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass

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 The Teaching Council. 2016. Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers.
(Online) Retrieved at
https://learnonline.gmit.ie/pluginfile.php/88818/mod_resource/content/1/C
ode-of-Professional-Conduct-for-Teachers%202016.pdf on 22/9/17.
Coopersmith, S. (1967). Educating for Citizenship. Portland, OR: Northwest
Regional Education Laboratory.
Mujis, D., and Reynolds, D. Effective Teaching-Evidence and Practice.
London. Paul Chapman Publishing.

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