Name of Student: Gary Weir

Article/Reading: Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers (The Teaching Council, 2016)

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

According to the teaching council there are three factors that make it necessary to
produce a code of conduct. The first reason for having the code stems from their belief that
it is necessary to provide a universal document that teachers can rely on as a guiding
compass for any ethical or moral issues they may face. The second purpose of the code of
conduct is to provide the general public with an understanding of what is expected of
teachers. It provides clarity within the profession. The third and final intention behind the
code is to act as a point of reference in any legal cases that may arise through misconduct
or professional negligence.
The code of conduct begins by setting out the ethical foundation for the teaching
profession. This ethical foundation is summed up in four core values. The four core values
are:
Respect: Teachers should lead by example and demonstrate respect for spiritual and
cultural values, diversity, social justice, freedom, democracy and the environment.
Care: A teachers choices should be motivated by the best interests of the pupil under
his/her care.
Integrity: Teachers maintain integrity through their commitments, responsibilities and
actions.
Trust: A teacher must be trustworthy as a lot of relationships within school are based upon
this.
The document then proceeds by issuing a set of standards that are maintained
across the teaching profession. These six standards apply to all teachers, regardless of their
position. The common theme that runs through the six standards is professionalism. It is
required by the teaching council that all teachers apply themselves to the job in a
professional manner and that failure to do so could result in action being taken against that
teacher. These standards involve maintaining professional values, relationships, integrity,
 conduct, practice, development and collaboration. The standards that are set out in this
document have the ability to ensure that teachers can be held accountable for their own
performance throughout their working life, especially since the introduction of the
complaints process. They are, in essence, a set of guidelines that people in the teaching
profession should adhere to in order to deliver the best education possible to their
students.
The final portion of the document explains the process for delivering a complaint
about a teacher. It also states the grounds on which a teacher may have a complaint made
against them.
This entire document is available to the general public, but is of particular
importance to newly qualified teachers. It sheds a guiding light on the type of professional
teacher we should aspire to become. It is also still of use to experienced teachers for the
times they feel that the lines are blurred in relation to what a teacher should and shouldnt
do.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

I believe that this article is of significant importance to teachers. It establishes

guidelines regarding the behaviour and conduct of people within the profession. The
teaching council have attempted to, in a clear and concise manner, set out a number of
standards expected of teachers. I feel that they have succeeded in writing an article that is
a good point of reference for anyone who is in doubt about the role of a teacher.
I am particularly interested in the four ethical values that the teaching council claim
underpin the standards of teaching (The Teaching Council, 2016). In my opinion,
everybody should hold the core values mentioned here central to their own lives. If a
teacher does not believe in the importance of these values, then can they really be trusted
to act as a role model for the young people sitting in front of them? Subject matter aside,
our job as teachers is to lead by example and prepare these individuals to behave in a
mature manner as they prepare to enter the real world. It seems to me that this code of
conduct is a reminder to teachers, should we need it, to act in a morally positive way
because the students are always learning from us whether we realise it or not. I believe
that these ethical standards are something that we should be trying to encourage our own
students to adhere to, as well as ourselves. Barrie Hopson and Mike Scally (1981) state in
their book that education must change to equip individuals with the competence,
flexibility and personal resilience needed to cope with a social and working life. It is part
of our job to ensure that the students develop at a holistic level as well as in our subject
areas, so that they are prepared for the real world.
One of the more subjective areas in this document is under the heading of
professional values and standards. The section says that teachers should be committed to
equality and inclusion and to respecting and accommodating diversity. I feel that it is hard
to disagree with this statement. However, the problems begin to arise when we discuss
teachers knowledge of other cultures or beliefs. It is important that we are aware of the
range of diversity that is sitting in our classrooms, especially in todays society. We could
easily put ourselves in a situation where we have upset someone by saying something that
may be acceptable in our own culture but does in fact cause offense in another culture. The
purpose of the document in this instance is to act as a reminder that we are living in a
changing society and with that comes a greater responsibility to learn and respect these
changes and differing opinions. We must not only understand these differences ourselves,
but should also encourage our students to respect the fact that there are differing
viewpoints in the world. Jesus Maria Viviani says that students must learn to recognise
different cultures and ways of thinking, and to understand that prejudices can hinder the
ability to think and live in peace (Viviani, 2016). I believe this statement to be true, if our
desire as educators is to teach our students in a more holistic manner.
Another standard that the code highlights is in the area of professional
development. The document states that teachers should take personal responsibility for
sustaining and improving the quality of their professional practice (The Teaching Council,
2016). I find it interesting that courses relating to continuous professional development are
not mandatory. According to the OECD, there are strong demands for teachers to
continuously update their knowledge and skills due to factors such as the introduction of
new curricula, changes in the characteristics and learning needs of students, new research
on teaching and learning and increased pressure for accountability of teacher and school
performance (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, 2005). The
onus therefore falls on a teachers own professionality to continue developing themselves.
 The final aspect that I felt worthy of mentioning is the section about the complaints
process against a teacher. I believe that the inclusion of this process means that teachers
now have a sort of monitor watching over them to ensure they maintain a professional
attitude to their job. At the end of the day, post-primary education is about the students
themselves. If their access to a good education is hindered by the underperformance of a
teacher, then that teacher should be held accountable. In his article, Carl OBrien discusses
the shortage of qualified teachers in specific subject areas. He states that many secondary
schools are increasingly reliant on out of field teachers who lack specific qualifications
for the subjects they teach (O'Brien, 2017). It is unfair to expect parents to let their
children be taught a subject by someone who is not qualified to teach it. This addition to
the code allows parents to complain if the teacher is not maintaining professional
standards.
To conclude, I believe the code of conduct to be a good form of moderating the
standards in the teaching profession. It is an explicitly clear document in most aspects that
offers the dos and donts in the line of work. There are elements, as discussed, that rely on
the teacher being a professional individual but there are also means for issuing complaints
about teachers who underperform.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Bibliography
O'Brien, C. (2017, June 19). Teaching shortages: students deserve better. The Irish Times.
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development. (2005). Teachers Matter:
Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Scally, B. H. (1981). Lifeskills Teaching. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Book Company Ltd.
The Teaching Council. (2016, July). The Teaching Council. Retrieved from
www.teachingcouncil.ie:
https://learnonline.gmit.ie/pluginfile.php/88818/mod_resource/content/1/Code-
of-Professional-Conduct-for-Teachers%202016.pdf
Viviani, J. M. (2016, June 29). GoConqr. Retrieved from www.goconqr.com:
https://www.goconqr.com/en/blog/the-importance-of-teaching-values-in-
education/