Ethics and Professionalism in Professional Experience

1. Facilitating Learning in Professional Experience: Mentoring for Success Module 6 - Ethics and Professional Experience

2. an introduction This is the final module in the series Facilitating Learning in Professional Experience- Mentoring for Success and therefore an appropriate time to discuss the importance of working within a professional and ethical framework when working with PST’s. This module : • Defines professionalism and it’s relevance in today’s educational climate • Identifies the values necessary to act in professional/ ethical ways • Explores what supports ethical behaviour in schools/sites • Considers the responsibility of all those involved in the professional experience placement to work within a pre-determined ethical framework to ensure success

3. what constitutes a profession? ‘A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to ethical standards and who uphold themselves to, and are accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research, education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to exercise this knowledge and these skills in the interests of others’ http://www.professions.com.au/definitionprofession.html In one of the recommended readings for this module George Beaton (2010pp) provides the following definition: ‘It is how professionals balance their power with their knowledge for the public good that, in the long run, builds and characterises professionalism.’ For your consideration: • Do you agree with the definitions? • In what ways do the definitions relate to teaching? • Do you think teaching should be considered a profession? Use the Module 6 blogfor your comments.

4. activity 1 • In one of the texts used in PST courses at UniSA, Colin Marsh (2004) cites three perspectives of the characteristics of a profession. (Handout 1) • Consider each of the perspectives cited and discuss those with which you agree using the Module 6 forum. • Develop a short argument for teaching to be considered a profession based in the 3 perceptions to convince those who would have it deemed not so. • Present this using the Module 6 blog.

5. some definitions of teaching as a profession ‘It has been agued that it is essentially the capacity to practice with respect to ethical standards and apply appropriate judgment that allows teachers to claim the status of professionals.’ Teaching and Communicating Rethinking ...... The words ‘professional’ and ‘ethical’ are synonymous when determining the manner in which staff members and PSTs themselves conduct themselves during the professional experience placement period it would seem. ‘Ethics is the discipline that examines values and offers principles that can be used to decide whether or not acts are right or wrong.’ Kauchak and Egan (2005) Often when working with PSTs just as when working with students dilemmas can arise when our values are challenged. It is important therefore for mentor teachers to be clear about their own values and how they influence how they behave. Some of the following provide examples......

6. the preservice teacher Your Preservice teacher: • arrives wearing what you consider to be an inappropriate T shirt as it exposes too much skin and has a motive which you consider could appear provocative to some of the students in your class • constantly arrives late for school with the excuse that he had to drop his children at school and as a single dad has no-one else to rely on • is an International PST and does not seem to be able to make herself understood by your students Sometimes mentor teachers find such situations difficult to deal with because they are unsure of what they should do. They are afraid that their values may influence their response. The following provides a guide.

7. teacher professionalism How could the ‘Professional Action Guide’ support you when confronted by difficult situations (as described in the previous slide) as a mentor teacher? (Handout 2).Write comments in the Module 6 blog. Image sourced from: http://scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/12/15833/14074

8. ethics and teacher professionalism Kauckak and Eggen (2005) describe ethical standards as ‘A set of moral standards for acceptable professional behaviour.’ The following diagram positions ethical standards for conduct within the framework of teacher professionalism.

9. fish game The ethical standards we live and work by will be influenced by our own values. In order to understand more fully why we act and behave in the ways we do it is important to identify the values that drive us. The following exercise will assist you to identify the values most important to you. • If you were only allowed to have 6 values to guide you in life what would they be? Write them in the Module 6blog. • Now consider the following story. You are sitting by the river. It is a lovely day and you are fishing. You mange to catch six fish. Let each fish represent a value. As you are admiring your fish a very dear friend comes by and admires your fish. You hand over 2 of your fish. Decide which 2 values they represent. Remember you will no longer have them. • You realise that 2 more fish are undersized so throw them back into the river. (Remove 2 more values.) • As you are doing this a cat comes along and takes another of your fish/values. • You now only have one value left. Hopefully it is the one most important to you!

10. values • What is your most important value? • Think about how you put this into practice in your work with Preservice Teachers. Discussion points: • What are it’s disadvantages in that context? • What are it’s advantages? You may like to use the Module 6 forum to discuss further.

11. activity 3 Nanette van Ruiten talks about her commitment to working with International Preservice Teachers • Nanette talks about ‘mirroring what we say, how we act and what we do.’ • Use the Module 6 forum to comment on how Nanette’s actions are ‘mirrored’ in the Professional Action Components diagram (Handout 2)to exemplify her ‘professional action.’ • with PSTs? • with staff? • From what she says what values does she consider important? (Click on the video to view)

12. code of ethics for teaching in south australia A Code of Ethics has been developed for teachers teaching in schools in South Australia. It articulates 3 core values: • Integrity • Respect • Responsibility It is intended as a framework to assist teachers to reflect on decision making and ethical issues.

13. activity 2 Choose one of the two scenarios presented in Handout 3 or Handout 4. Spend a couple of minutes reading yours. Using the core values from the Code of Ethics for the Teaching Profession in SA from the TRB decide on how the respective teachers incorporated the core values of: • Respect • Integrity • Responsibility In their professional practice in regard to their PST’s. Do you think the PST’s acted ethically? If not what would assist them to do so in future? Present your scenario and findings in the Module 6 blog.

14. video Jenny Barnett, lecturer in Education at UniSA discusses working with International Preservice Teachers • What most resonated with you in what Jenny said? • Have you ever been ‘too kind’ when working with PSTs? • Do you believe that at times we can all be ’racist?” • How might your school’s values or the Code of Ethics mentioned before assist you when faced with such dilemmas? Record your comments in the Module 6 blog. (Click on the video to view)

15. placemat activity Use the placemat activity below to further explore your own values and how they affect how you work with PSTs.

16. in conclusion • Share your placemat on the Module 6 blog • Having participated in this mentoring module of learning what has been the most important aspect for you? • How will you integrate this aspect into your ’professional action’ in the future? • Who or what will you need to be successful? • How will this action assist both you and the PSTs you work with to achieve success? • For more information visit the website http://teacherevidence.net/

17. http://teacherevidence.net/