GMIT EXAMINATIONS 2016/2017

Full Continuous Assessment Brief

(CA1, CA2 and CA3)

Programme: B.Sc. (Hons) in Design and Technology Education

Year: 4

Module: Professional Studies

Marks: 100%

Internal Examiner: Dr. Pauline Logue Collins

Mr. Kevin Maye

External Examiners: Dr. Elaine McDonald

Mr. Tom Rowan

GMIT Letterfrack 2013 2014

Name of Student: Michael Bourke
Article/Reading: Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING [1 x A4 page]

To begin summarising the code of conduct one must identify the people who created the
document and identify their role of the production of this document. It was first produced by
several years ago by a group known as the teaching council. However, this document has
evolved over time to keep up to date with key values in society. This is evident as a second
edition was produced in May 2012 with a revised edition being produced in June 2016. The
role that the teaching council plays in Irish education is to ensure that the code of professional
conduct is understood and upheld in Irish schooling. The main purpose of this document is to
identify three key aims: To provide guidance for teachers on ethical issues and to ensure
that teachers remain respectful and uphold the honour and dignity of the teaching
profession. To inform the members of the public and teaching community of expectations of
teachers. Lastly to provide a legal standing outlining investigative and disciplinary
procedures dealing with the fitness of teachers.
It could also be identified that the code provides a clear portrayal of professional misconduct
declaring that this would involve engaging in conduct which is contrary to the code of
professional conduct established by the Council under section 7(2)(b) and an educator
involving him/her self in a professional capacity or otherwise because he or she is seen as
unfit to teach.
The article then goes on to describe how complaints against registered teacher are dealt with
stating that the teaching Council will critique and review the following aspects of a teachers
performance in schooling. The list includes the following: knowledge, skill, competence and
conduct. The Teaching Council feels that this is the best way to ensure that the problem will
be resolved and state that this is how they will conduct investigations for the foreseeable
future.
The document then indicates standards of teaching, knowledge skill, competence and
conduct. It does this using a visual diagram describing the role of the teacher in education as
a title. The diagram encamps four key elements which include respect, care, integrity and
trust. Without consideration of all four elements a teacher will fail to for fill the role of a
teacher in the eyes of the Teaching Council

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In conclusion, it is evident that deep thought and reflection was carried out by the Teaching
Council in the preparation of this document. Essential tasks were outline such as being
honourable and respectful as an educator, identifying that the document is not only aimed at
teachers but also members of the public such as parents to identify expectations of teachers
and lastly it provides a legal standing for the council regarding investigation and disciplinary
procedures. It also identifies elements of education regarding the wellbeing and the holistic
development of a student which in the past may have been over looked due to rote learning
and to great of emphasis placed on exam results.

GMIT Letterfrack 2013 2014

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION [2 x A4 pages]

Having read the article and conducted a critical reflection on the writings I find myself
pondering whether Im impressed or slightly let down by the authors work. On reflection, I
find myself identifying both positive and negative aspects however there are a greater number
of negative aspects than positive. Firstly, on a positive note I feel that it is important for this
style of document to be concise and user friendly. This opinion is shared by the Better
Communications website stating:
unnecessary information can turn them off and make the reader lose interest in
your message, which is a waste of time for everyone. A long document that is too
large could look daunting enough for your audience to put them off reading it or
ignoring it all together. (Communications, 2016)
Personally, I feel that the author has succeeded in writing a document that is not
overwhelming because it is under 10 pages in length and does not seek to confuse the reader
with unnecessary technical jargon.
Although the document is concise I find myself questing its quality and value. On several
occasions the text is quite opened ended and at times open for interpretation. In my view a
legal document such as this should be able to stand alone identifying clear rules that must be
followed by registered teachers to insure students safety is at the fore front. Through research
I discovered an article the agrees with this statement outlining The code of conduct is the set
of behavioural rules employees should follow (Sullivan, 2016) An example of writing that is
open for interpretation can be found in section (b) of the introduction, the writer states the
following: engaging in any improper conduct in his or her professional or otherwise by
reason of which he or she is unfit to teach. (The Teaching Council, 2016) Since the
document does not provide a clear definition for the phrase improper conduct it makes it
relatively impossible for a reader to understand what is meant by the phrase as improper
conduct in the classroom as it may not be directly comparable to other aspects of life.
Another aspect of the creators writings I find myself questioning is in the
Professional Integrity segment of this text under section 2.5. It states that teachers should
avoid conflict between their professional work and private interests which could reasonably
be deemed to impact negatively on pupils/students. Here is another example of the writers
work which is open for interpretation and a statement I find very difficult to agree with. From

GMIT Letterfrack 2013 2014

my own personal experiences on teaching practice I felt that sharing common interests with
students always helped to develop positive relationships with students For example, the
school I attend first stint on teaching practice was in a rural area where farming was central to
the lives of several the students. When I shared with the students that I also came from a
farming background it seemed to allow to the students have more trust in me allowing them
to speak to me in a more comfortable manner. Literature by Mark and Christine Boynton
identifies the importance of having a positive relationship with students declaring that: The
most powerful weapon available to secondary teachers who want to foster a favourable
learning climate is a positive relationship with our students. (Mark Boynton, Christine
Boynoth, 2005,pg 6). They then go on to state the following when refereeing to sharing
common interests with their pupils: one can do this by asking about a recent trip, a hobby, or
a sports activity. (Mark Boynton, Christine Boynoth, 2005,pg 8) So why would it not be in
our best interests to share common interests with students? After all we are all human beings
at the end of the day.
Another negative aspect I was quite surprised to see in a document of the stature was the
constant occurrence of repetition of phrases and terms. An example of this could even be
found in the introduction with terms such as respect and integrity being repeated many
times on the same page when discussing the actions of a teacher. Some people may argue that
this was an attempt to place emphasis on the terms, however I couldnt help by think it was
done to fill space in the article.
In conclusion, I feel that a professional code of conduct should be short just like this sample
of text however, should a document of this stature and of such a sensitive nature be open to
personal interpretation? And does this make it difficult to sanction teachers who do not follow
the code correctly? Personally, I feel that the professional code of conduct should consist or a
list of rules written to insure the document has complete legal standing and has no scope for
interpretation. As well as being open to interpretation I couldnt help but disagree with some
of the statements in the code and I felt that the repetition used made me question the authors
academic writing skills. If there was to be another revised edition published it should review
these aspects. Overall this document did outline what is expected from a teacher however
with the inclusion more details of what is and is not expected from teachers I feel it would be
a far more efficient article.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES
GMIT Letterfrack 2013 2014
Bibliography
Communications, B. (2016, September 28). Five Business Writing Mistakes That Can Ruin
Your Documents. Retrieved from Better Communications:
http://blog.bettercom.com/business-writing-advice/five-business-writing-mistakes-
that-can-ruin-your-documents
Mark Boynton, Christine Boynoth. (2005). Developing Positive Teacher-Student Relations. In
C. B. Mark Boynton, Educator's Guide to Preventing and Solving Discipline
Problems (p. 6).
Sullivan, J. (2016, September 28). What Are the Key Components of a Code of Ethics in
Business? Retrieved from Chron: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/key-components-
code-ethics-business-244.html
The Teaching Council. (2016). Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers.

GMIT Letterfrack 2013 2014