Professionalism and social science teacher

1. ONLINE ASSIGNMENT
Topic: professionalism and social science teacher
ANIEPRIYA P J
SOCIAL SCIENCE
OPTIONAL

2. Definitionof profession
A profession is something a little more than a job, it is a career for
someone that wants to be part of society, who becomes competent
in their chosen sector through training maintains their skills through
continuing professional development and commits to behaving
ethically, to protect the interests of the public.
According to miller and keune A profession continuously enlarges
its body of knowledge, functions autonomously in formulation of
policy and maintains by force of organization or concerted opinion
high standards of achievement and conduct. Members of a
profession are committed to continuing study, place service above
personal gain, and are committed to providing practical services vital
to human and social welfare.
O’Rourke (1989) broadly defined a profession by suggesting that
there are three dimensions that all groups must follow. The first is
normative dimension that includes values and ethics supporting the
idea of self regulation.
The second is an evaluative dimension that includes overseeing
standards of practice and guiding professional activity finally there is
a cognitive dimension that includes standards for education and
demonstration of mastery of appropriate practice skills and clinical
applications.

3. Difference with other occupations
Educational researchers frequently compare teachers work with
the kinds of work performed in other occupations. Teaching is
usually seen as a form of professional work that is a type of complex
work requiring a great deal of specialized knowledge. But other
perspectives on the nature of teachers work also exist. Indeed at one
time or another over the past 2 decades teaching has been seen as a
form of labor.
Significance of professionalism
A teacher is a highly valued personality in a society and teaching is
considered to be the most sacred and distinctive profession. History
is full of evidence about the nations where education has
distinguished progress. Work and worth of teachers has brought
name and fame to nations. Teachers have brought laureates to
nations. The profession of a teacher has never been so challenging
and demanding as it has become now. Global emphasis on literacy
shows the world’s concern for the teacher’s role in the development
of society.
The certificated teacher is the essential element in the delivery of
instruction to students, regardless of the mode of instruction. A
teacher has professional knowledge and skills gained through formal
preparation and experience. Teachers provide personal, caring
service to students by diagnosing their needs and by planning,
selecting and using methods and evaluation procedures designed to
promote learning. The processes of teaching include understanding
and adhering to legal and legislated frameworks and policies;
identifying and responding to student learning needs; providing

4. effective and responsive instruction; assessing and communicating
student learning; developing and maintaining a safe, respectful
environment conducive to student learning; establishing and
maintaining professional relationships; and engaging in reflective
professional practice. These processes must be free of discriminatory
practices and should contribute to the holistic development of
students who are actively engaged, responsible and contributing
members of a democratic society. The educational interests of
students are best served by teachers who practice under conditions
that enable them to exercise professional judgment. Teachers have a
right to participate in all decisions that affect them or their work, and
have a corresponding responsibility to provide informed leadership
in matters related to their professional practice.
Three Characteristics of Professions
 Autonomy
 Status and prestige
 Power
Autonomy
 Professions tend to be autonomous,
 A high degree of control of their own affairs
 "professionals are autonomous insofar as they can make
independent judgments about their work“
 This usually means "the freedom to exercise their
professional judgment."

5. Status and prestige
 High Social Status
 Professions enjoy a high social status, regard and
esteem conferred upon them by society.
 Higher Social Function
 This high esteem arises primarily from the higher social
function of their work, which is regarded as vital to
society as a whole and thus of having a special and
valuable nature.
 Professional Expertise
 All professions involve technical specialized and highly
skilled work often referred to as "professional
expertise.“
 Entry to the Profession
 Training for this work involves obtaining degrees and
professional qualifications without which entry to the
profession is barred (occupational closure).
 Training also requires regular updating of skills
Power
 Power
 All professions have power.
 This power is used to control its own members, and
also its area of expertise and interests.
 Tends to dominate, police and protect its area of
expertise Regulates the conduct of its members

6.  exercises a dominating influence over its entire
field which means that
 professions can act monopolist
 A profession is characterized by the power and high
prestige it has in society as a whole.
 It is the power, prestige and value that society
confers upon a profession that more clearly defines
it.
Improving Professionalism
1. Workshops
Workshops for teachers are organized to develop the
psychomotor aspects of teachers regarding the practical
aspects of new innovations in area of education. Under this, the
participants have to do some practical work to produce
instructional, teaching and testing material. Commonly
workshops are organized only for a group of ten to twenty
teams. They meet together to improve their individual and skill
of a subject through intensive study, research practices and
discussion. Most of the workshops for teachers are organized
to solve the problem of teaching profession. Providing
philosophical and sociological background for teaching
situation, identifying educational objectives and training the
teacher for using different approaches to teaching also are the
purposes of workshops. Workshops for teachers are organized
by certain institution like NCERT, SCERT’s DIET’s and
Departments of Education of various universities.

7. 2. Seminars
Seminars have played a very important role for the
development of professionalism among teacher. A seminar
involves generating a situation for a group of teachers to have
guided interaction among themselves on a theme which is
generally presented to the group by one or more members. The
person who presents the theme should have studied the theme
thoroughly beforehand. Generally the seminar paper will
circulate among the teacher. This will facilitate in seeking
clarification and for further analysis of the theme. Seminars are
conducted by various agencies of local, national and
international level. NCERT organizes seminar at national level,
on educational themes such as Educational technology,
population education, distance education, curricular reforms
etc. international seminars are organized by agencies like
UNESCO. A nation can also organize such seminars on
international theme. Participating in these seminars will
enhance the professional competencies of teachers.
3. Inservice courses
Inservice educational programe is undoubtedly a significant
programme of the continuous development of teachers in the
desired direction. Inservice courses are helpful to provide
incentives to the teachers to function more efficiently and to
solve the teaching problem by pooling their resources and
wisdom. It helps to acquaint teachers with modern techniques
in education. Inservice courses are intended to eliminate the
deficiencies in teacher’s preparation. They are assisting those
who are new in a school and those who are undertaking a new
level on field of work and promoting continues improvement of

8. teacher. Summer courses, sand with courses, correspondence
courses, orientation programes, evening courses, educational
conferences, professional publication etc. are some of the
service rendered by the various inservice agencies of a country.
4. Refreshercourses
Through refresher courses, teachers are well acquaint with
the changing demands of new world. The educational
commission 1961 has suggested that every teacher is necessary
to attend a 3month refresher courses in every 5 years of his
service. An UGC sponsored body, academic staff colleges (ASC)
are the major agencies of refresher courses in our country.
Regional institutes of education are also doing best in this
connection. As the name indicates, refresher courses ‘refresh’
the idea and knowledge of a teacher. All India Federation of
Education Association in 1957 had presented mobile squared
plan for refresher courses in the country.
5. Specialized Training
Teachers are dealing with children of variable needs and
capacities. Hence, he should receive some of the training in the
specialized areas of child development. Specialized training
must be given to teachers who are dealing with adolescence.
Teachers are to be well equipped in career information,
guidance and counseling, law focused education,
environmental education and energy education, consumer
education etc. There are specialized training agencies to
provide training in them. Regional institutes of education are
providing Post Graduate Diploma in Guidance and Counseling.
Some of the career specialists are organizing courses on career
information. These specialized training will enhance to the
professional growth of teachers.

9. 6. Higher Qualifications
Taking additional higher qualification is necessary for the
professional growth of a teacher. A teacher may take additional
Graduate or Post Graduate degrees in various subjects while he
is in service. Correspondence courses are provided by almost all
the universities of the country. At some places arrangements
have been made for the evening courses in M.Ed for the benefit
of inservice teachers. The Central Institute of Education, New
Delhi offers a two year evening course for M.Ed. The Punjab
University also offers such facilities, but the duration of the
course is one year.
7. Research Degrees
As the part of higher qualification, teachers must take
research degrees such as M.Phil, Ph.D, etc. These research
degrees are provided in part time basis at all the universities of
the country. Publication of research articles also improves the
professionalism of teachers. School teachers should be
encouraged to take small research projects and to report their
findings to others. For the publication of news and views of
teachers a quarterly journal may be started by each extension
service departments of the country.

10. CONCLUSION
It is well known fact that knowledge is increasing day-by day
rapidly. It is said that knowledge became just doubled after a decade.
It has been fairly established that education is a lifelong process.
Lifelong learning should be the motto of every teacher. The field of
technology is going to be increased day by day. If a teacher stops
learning, he degenerates in to a bad teacher. In the words of wells
“teacher is the maker of history. The history of a nation is written in
its schools and the schools cannot be very different from the quality
of their teacher”. Tagor has very rightly remarked that “a lamp can
never light another lamp unless it continues to burn its own flame”.
Hence, there is a need of some sort of provision which may make the
teacher up to date with respect to the knowledge of his subject of
teaching, methods and techniques and innovative ideas in each
sphere of his academic life.
REFERENCES
Teaching of social studies – Aggarwal.J.C
A practical approach

11. Social studies in the classroom – P.K.Sudheesh Kumar and
Noushad.P.P
Trends and methods
Teaching of social studies – Pathak.R.P