MISMATCH ON TEACHER’S SPECIALIZATION AND SUBJECT TAUGHT

Transformation in education ensures progressive development and avoids stagnation.

Educational transformation to provide quality and equity in education requires suitably trained
teachers assigned to appropriate grade levels and subjects (Ingersoll, 2001:1). However,
transformation in education may create new changes resulting to the mismatch on teacher’s
specialization and subject taught. This issue has been more intertwined in our educational
management as we embraced the K-12 curriculum. This breakthrough jeopardises the structural
formation resulting to teachers’ shortage. When there is a shortage of certain teachers, it is
typical to replace those teachers with ‘out-of-field’ teachers (Hill & Willie, 2003:6). The
phenomenon of out-of-field teaching, where teachers are placed in teaching positions in which
they have to teach subjects outside their field of expertise, occurs mostly in public schools,
either as a result of managerial decisions taken from the principal and the school management
team or through recruitment procedures. Unsuitably assigned teachers are often a ‘quick-fix’
solution to teacher shortages and indicate a poor needs analysis by school management (Cohen-
Vogel, 2005:17).
In the past years, out-of-field teaching issue became a trend in the adaptation of our
new curriculum. Growth in learner enrolment and implementation of new courses in Senior
High School (SHS) causes hiring ‘non-fit’ teachers in the field. This could mean a gap between
fit in the policy and practice. The ‘fit’ between policy (what effective teachers should be doing)
and practice (what effective teachers are actually) determines teacher’s quality (Harley, et al,
1999:173). Furthermore, the fit between policy and practice controls the quality of teaching
because teachers play a crucial part in the learning process. Teachers assume the responsibility
to deliver quality and effective teaching once deployed in the battlefield. Clearly then, a ‘non-
fit’ teachers or an ‘out-of-field’ teachers will develop a poor level of confidence in their work
and further affects their effectiveness as teachers.
A study on the implications of the out-of-field phenomenon for effective teaching by
Mrs. E Du Plessis had come up with the findings that reveal serious significance of teachers
handling out of field subjects and their effectiveness. A number of participants cautiously
confessed problems in emotional and physical stability. According to them, “Self-control is a
very sensitive point for teachers in the out of field phenomenon. Despite all our hard work,
dedication and the long hours we spent on these subjects, we still feel unsatisfied and
disappointed with our competence and effectiveness”. Some interviews conducted by the
researcher had revealed a range of disturbing emotions to teachers such as feeling of
inadequacy and stress. The desire to maintain high level of effectiveness causes pressure on
teachers. These teachers usually have successful and effective teaching experiences and
suddenly placed in the out of field teaching and now find themselves worthless, out of place
and frustrated. Teachers’ critical evaluation of their own teaching left them dissatisfied with
their situation and often also influenced their relations with colleagues, parents and learners.
Another finding points on the relationship with role players in the school management team.
One teacher declared. “School management does not support teachers who are caught up in the
out-of-field phenomenon. Teachers take responsibility for their own training and lean heavily
on successful colleagues”. Even experienced teacher felt unappreciated and mismanaged
because of misalignment in the curriculum. Teachers want to feel part in the team and to be
recognised as professional, thus in order to gain respect from other role players, they resort to
various coping mechanisms. They tried to hide the fact that they are battling and that there is a
lack of discipline on the classroom, hoping that no one else will see the dilemma they find
themselves in. As curriculum transform to make it better, out-of-field teachers are trying to
manage an unfamiliar subjects making it worthwhile for the students. They are faced in a huge
task adjusting to their new teaching situation, as teacher explained: “When any teacher is newly
appointed, there is a period of time in which he or she is ineffective. When a teacher is
appointed in an out-of-field position, the period of ineffectiveness may be longer”. Moreover
the school management and other staff fail to understand what these teachers are going through.
Another teacher added, “School management does placements and then leaves teachers to
themselves. Everyone is for himself. You are left on your own and you have to carry on”. In
the same manner, various role players in the school are affected by the mismatch on teacher’s
specialization and subject taught. Say for example on the part of the learner, considering their
excellent academic record, would feel insecure with an out-of-field teacher in the classroom.
A teacher said, “They see that you struggle and this prevents them from believing in you and
in what you tell them. They will discuss your incompetence with their friends and at home”. If
by chance these learners will have poor academic results, they can easily blame the teacher,
even though there is a possibility that at some point, they themselves may not have been
working effectively towards the subject. Another affected role player are the parents. They are
so much concerned on the discipline and the creation on the wholesome learning environment.
As a participant stated, “Parents are already watching us with a negative eye. If they know that
we are not qualified for the subjects we teach, it will be so disgusting. They will look over our
shoulders all the time, trying to tell us what to do.” All of these experiences became so torturing
on the part of a displaced teacher and if not handled properly could trigger for something even
worse to happen.
But on the other side of the coin, teaching outside the comfort zone, is said to be an
overstated problem. This has been a stand of Laura Vang Rasmussen who viewed that teachers
can broaden one’s horizon when asked to teach outside his or her specialization. This issue
could be converted from challenges into opportunities. The researcher herself was faced in a
situation of teaching unfamiliar topics where she resorted to have a pedagogical experiment
rather than turning it a lecture based teaching. The activities were planned in collaboration of
her academic and pedagogical advisors, and the aim was to increase the student-teacher
interaction. The planned activities included think-pair-share activities, role play exercises and
classroom discussions. Transforming passive lecture classes into more student-centered,
inquiry based experiences is one alternative from being hooked in the traditional approach. In
addition, the researcher noted that the activities were designed to disburden the teaching
process for the reason that students were encouraged to discuss and verbally articulate a given
topic and the role of the teacher was to work from their base understanding and extend concepts
if necessary. The initiatives performed by the researcher had been assessed and it was proven
that the teacher was engaged, well qualified and well prepared to teach the unspecialized
subject. As teaching outside the comfort zone is highlighted as a common dilemma for faculty
members at all stages of their careers, not only newly hired or graduated PhDs (Houston, 2009),
it thus important for academics in general to break away from the perception that lecture-based
teaching is more comfortable.
 High quality teaching should be the aim of all in-service programmes where the
individual teacher not only attends to subject knowledge but also to time management, class
discipline and class management. This issue cannot be solve on finding who’s to be blamed in
the misalignment but rather see situations with a silver lining. Teachers are placed in this
situation because of some purposes that has been approved by the maker of the universe. So
instead of being hooked on the consequences, let us look for opportunities that have been set
for us. It is important that teachers should be part in planning the plotting of subjects rather
doing it solely by the school management team to take correct decisions in order to improve
learning and teaching. This predicament in education sounds like a burden to teachers handling
out-of-field subjects but this could also be an avenue for teachers to push beyond limits in other
array. The mismatch is hashtag real yet we could still uplift the morale of teachers who are
struggling in this situation by providing them LAC (Learning Action Cell) sessions in subjects
that appears new to them. By this, teachers will be more competent front liners in delivering
instructions to all learners.
 Wilma Lumusad Laurente is a graduate of Bachelor in Secondary Education major in
English from Philippine Normal University- Agusan Campus. She is pursuing her post
Baccalaureate Education in the same institution with specialization in English Language
Education. After graduating college she landed other jobs but the call of her profession keeps
abreast with her passion.
At present, she is currently a Secondary School Teacher I at Prosperidad National High
School, Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur. She has attended various training in English in the K-12
curriculum necessary in the changing needs in Philippine Education.
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