Lesson 1

 

 LESSON 1: TEACHING AS A PROFESSION ACTIVITY Read the following instances when the word “professional” “p rofessional” is used. As a group, group, explain  explain what the word “professional” means in each case. 1.  One night, cellphones were stolen right there from your home while you were asleep. There was no indication of forced of entry, so you claimed that the mann manner er by which your cellphone was stolen was highly professional. 2.  Father tells floor tile setter whom he asked to work on a newly constructed bathroom “Gusto ko yong gawang propesyonal, propesyonal, malinis at maganda”.  maganda”.   3.  She is highly professional in her ways. She deals de als with everyone including her daughter daughter-employee professionally. 4.  “Ho “How w unprofessional of her to act that way. Teacher pa naman din.”  din.”   5.  Medical doctors, lawyers, education consultants are entitled to professional fees (PF) for expert service rendered. 6.  After his oath taking as a professional teacher, he was congratulated and wa wass told “now you are truly a professional”. a professional”.  

TEACHNG AS A PROFESSION Profession is a career for someone that wants to be a part of society, who becomes competent in their chosen sector through training and maintains m aintains their skill through continuing professional development. Professional implies one who possesses skill and competence/expertise. In short, a professional is one who conforms to the technical or ethical standards of a profession.

ELEMENTS OF A PROFESSION  Professionals generally begin their professional lives by 1.Initial Professional Education –  Professionals completing a university program in their chosen fields. This means long and arduous years of  preparation.  University programs are approved by a regulatory regu latory body like the Commission 2. Accreditation  –  University in Higher Education (CHED) in the Philippines to ensure that graduates from these recognized  programs start their professional lives lives with competence. 3. Licensing  –  Licensing  Licensing is a mandatory, not voluntary v oluntary and is administered by a government authority. In the Philippines, this government authority is the Professional Regulation Commission.

 

4. Professional Development- This is an ongoing professional education that maintains or improves professional’s knowledge and skill after they begin professional profession al practice.

 Professional see themselves as a part of community. These 5. Professional Societies  –  Professional  professional societies put dedication to the public interest and commitment to moral moral and ethical values. Professional societies define certification criteria, manage certification programs, establish accreditation standards and define a code of ethics and disciplinary action for violation of that code. 6. Code of Ethics  –  Each profession has a code of ethics to ensure that .its practitioners behave responsibly. Professionals can be ejected from their professional societies or lose their licenses to  practice for violating the code of ethics.

The teaching profession is governed by b y the Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers. Violation of the Code of Ethics for professional teachers is one of the ground for the revocation of the professional teacher’s Certificate of Recognition and suspension from the practice of of teaching profession (Sec.23, RA. 7836).

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHNG AS A PROFESSION IN THE PHILPPNES The first legal document that professionalized teaching was Presidential Decree 1006 issued by then President Ferdinand Ferdinand E. Marcos. It was only in the 1976 with PD 1006 known as the Decree Professionalizing Teaching that the teachers in the Philippines became  professionalized. In 1994, RA. 7836 otherwise known as the Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994, was passed to “promote quality by proper supervision and regulation of the licensure examination and professionalization professionalization of the practice of the teaching profession” (Section 2). 2).   During the pre- Hispanic period, there was no established formal schooling in the country. So there was no formal preparation for teachers, teache rs, too. The mother and the father and tribal leaders served as teachers at home and in the community. During the Spanish period, Educational Decree of 1863 provided for a normal school run by the Jesuits to educate male teachers in Manila. Normal schools for women were not established until 1875. So it was the Spaniards who started training teachers in normal schools. In 1901, a two-year preparation for teachers was given by the Philippine Normal School. Then the two year became four years since the two year academic preparation was seen inadequate. To ensure quality teachers and make teaching at par with other professions, in addition to a four year educate course, passing a licensure examination was made mandatory by RA. 7836.