Topic 1: Teaching as a Profession
standards which guide the works of
Concept of Profession and Professionalism
Meaning of profession:
- A type of job that needs special training or
skill (one that neds a high level of education)
- Example; medical profession, the legal
profession
Concept of profession and professionalism
- Profession; career/occupation
- Professional; the person from the profession
- Professionalism; skills, attitude & personality
- Gordon Marshall (1998); a type of work
orientation
o Includes central regulatory body to
ensure the standard of performance
of indv members is conformed
o Own code of product
o Requires knowledge in relation to the
expertise which part of the basis in
professional activities
o Associated with personal service,
involving confidentiality & full trust
(docs, lawyers, accountants)
- Liebernman (1989); an occupation conducted
by professionals who are trained with special
skill, honest, dedicated, responsible, possess
high moral standards, vested with autonomy
during service, observe and follow faithfully to
the Code of Ethics of the professional
organization.
- A profession describes the standards of
education and training that prepares them
with particular knowledge and skills necessary
to perform their specific role within that
profession.
- Most professionals are subject to strict codes
of conduct, ethical and moral obligations
- Professional standards of practice and ethics
are typically agreed upon and maintained
through widely recognised professional
associations
- What does it mean to be professional?
o A professional person; competent,
skilful, assured: his professional
expertise
o Engaged in a specified activity as
one’s main paid occu
o Possesses knowledge of something
and has a commitment to a particular
set of values
- Professionalism; the conduct, demeanour &
professionals
- Can be described as the level of competency,
efficiency, attitude & conduct that one can
expect from a member of a certain profession
- To qualify as a profession, it must fulfil the
following criteria:
o Renders essential social services
o Possesses specialised knowledge
o Undergoes an extended training
o Has autonomy in decision making
o Involves a code of ethics
o Has its own professional organisation
- Non-professional
o Not providing unique service, training
is not vigorous (short training period),
entrance to the occupation is not
especially competitive, little decision
making power, little accountability
- Teaching is a profession because;
o Possesses academic as well as
professional qualification based on
teacher training course attended.
High level of education qualification
(degree)
o Specialized training (PPISMP-1 year
PISMP-4 years, with SBE, Practicum,
BIG)
o Its service is much needed by the
society (education)
o Has autonomy (ONLY in selecting
approaches, methods, & techniques
when teaching, current policy;CBA)
o Observe an follows the Code of Ethics
outlined by the MOE
o Accountable for his actions
o Represented by a teachers’ org/union
(NUTP/KPPK in Msia)
- Teaching profession in Msia still lacks certain
characteristics for it to be classified as a
profession because:
o Teaching job is NOT restricted to
those trained teachers only
o NOT every teacher is a member of any
teacher association
o 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.
(Just a UNION to take care of the
teachers’ welfare)
 o A teacher has only limited autonomy
because a lot of decisions are usually
made by the school authority or the
MOE
o Teachers possess DIFFERENT
academic qualifications (SPM, STPM,
Uni)
o Teachers do NOT have the autonomy
to decide the payment for their
service
Characteristics of a teacher a Professional
(Individual, Social & Professional)
- Individual Characteristics & Quality
o Kind hearted, humorous, patient,
responsible, confident, leadership
skills, teaching values;considerate,
fair,firm,dedicated
- Social Characteristics & Quality
o Teacher is not only confined to
teaching in the classroom
o Has to interact with colleagues,
parents and community outside
classroom
o Has to cultivate good relationship &
cooperative spirit among teachers,
parents, and community for the
development & progress of the pupils
and school
o Well mannered, friendly, modest,
honest, approachable
- Professional Characteristics & Qualities
o Inquisitive, powerful memory,
competent, efficient, positive attitude
& good conduct
o Competency-
focuses on 3 ideas,
 i)preparation for teaching;
approaches & strategies,
teaching aids and activities,
type of evaluation,
preparation to face the
challenges in a classroom,
classroom management,
language, culture, different
socioeconomic background
 ii) knowledge on the subject
that taught; a professional
teacher would have
knowledge of the subject
content, pedagogy,
curriculum, pedagogy content
knowledge, values,
philosophy & edu history
 iii)knowledge of the pupils; a
professional teacher would
have knowledge of the pupils’
development, ultiple
intelligence, individual
differences, learning styles,
pupils needs, ability to
evaluate, analyse and make
appropriate decisions
o Efficiency
 The ability to teach concept
from the curriculum
effectively
 The ability to make decisions,
solve problems critically and
creatively
 The ability to use ICT
effectively
o Attitude and Conduct
 Ethical;deal honestly woth
others, recognizes
professional biases and bases
attitude and action upon
sound rationale, maintain
confidentiality regarding
professional matters
 Altruistic style; behaves
unselfishly, show respects,
positive attitudes towards co-
workers, pupils, community
 Responsible; promises only
what can be delivered,
delivers on time, is
accountable for own actions
 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
 Committed; spends time
beyond the call of duty
 Intellectual; reads current
journals, keeps abreast of
technical advances, interact
with colleagues to gain new
perspectives, participates in
conferences, strives towards
self- improvement.