What Does Society Expect of Teachers? module 1.4
- Teachers are public servants accountable to the
people.
- Society has high expectations of
teachers.
- Today's teachers are expected to have advanced
knowledge and skills and high academic and ethical standards.
- Teachers are expected to promote student's
academic progress as well as further students' social, emotional, and moral
development and to safeguard students' health and well-being.
- Teachers and schools are expected to address
social problems and risk factors that affect student success.
A little history...
Public trust in education increases and decreases
in response to social and political changes that lead to educational reform. In
the 1970s, teachers were portrayed as incompetent, unintelligent and
unprofessional. In the 1980s, the image of teachers was bad, as negative press
and national reports such as A Nation at Risk declared US
education as a failure. In the 1990s, efforts were made to restore dignity to
the educational profession. TV shows about teachers such as Disney's American
Teacher Awards were aired to highlight the important work of
educators.
What is it really all about...
Teachers are expected to
- be competent and effective
- be proficient in the use if instructional
strategies, curriculum materials, advanced educational technologies, and
classroom management techniques.
- have a thorough understanding of the
developmental levels of their students
- have a solid grasp of the content they
teach
- be informed of exemplary practices and to
demonstrate a desire for professional development
- help all learners succeed
- hold strong beliefs about the potential for all
children, regardless of students' ethnicity, language, gender, socioeconomic
status, family backgrounds and living conditions, abilities, or
disabilities.
- ensure that all students develop to their
fullest potential.
- have a repertoire of instructional strategies
and resources to create meaningful learning experiences that promote students'
growth and development.
Vocabulary
A Nation at Risk-a 1983 national
report critical of American education.
Teacher accountability-society's
expectations that teachers will adhere to high professional and moral standards
and create effective learning environments for all students.
Activity I
Society and teachers
Choose one of the topics below and write a
paragraph about it.
a. Describe how teachers' attitude is related to their effectiveness.
b.
Explain the knowledge level an excellent teacher must demonstrate.
c.
Enumerate some of the ways that teaching is different from other
professions.
Would you like to see A
Nation at Risk?
Other cool websites:
http://ed.gov/
http://edweek.com/
http://ericsp.org/ |