Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Virtues of Teaching

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There are numerous qualities which a teacher needs to posses but I am going to focus on 5 which I feel are really important.

  • Patience
  • Empathy
  • Respect
  • Kindness
  • Self-Control

Patience is a vital quality which a Teacher should possess. As a Teacher it is very important that you are willing to listen to children and take time to understand them. Children might have had problems at home and therefore have not been able to do their homework and instead of a Teacher just getting them into trouble, they should ask the children if they were finding it hard or if they needed more help. A child will most likely approach a teacher if they know that the teacher will be willing to listen and be keen to help them. Furthermore, a Teacher might face behaviour problems in on the class, but instead of just getting the child into trouble the teacher should acknowledge the child as a whole and practice different teaching and learning method as they might show frustration because they are unable to understand the work the teacher gas given them.

Another important virtue is Empathy. Everyday a Teacher comes across children who have different issues at home and are affected by it. A Teacher should be understanding towards the child and encourage them to stay positive. A Teacher should keep any personal issues confidential and share it with a line manager if any further action needs to be taken.

Respect is a key virtue which a Teacher needs to role model. Children will look upto the teacher, listen to the way she speaks to them and effectively to other teachers. They will catch words and phrases as they hear them and learn how to speak politely to one another. They will watch to see how the teacher respects their resources, book and pens and them follow such actions. For example, if a teacher uses pens then puts the back to the pencil case without throwing them, then the children will learn how to treat the pens and keep them safe.

In addition, children will learn their manners and how to act by people around them. In a classroom setting children will have their teachers as a role model and see how they behave. Teachers will teach them daily how to be kind to one another and how you can effectively communicate to one another without causing an argument. Children catch the smallest of actions and will learn through what they see and hear.

Lastly, Self-Control is very important for a Teacher as there are lots of things which always change and the teacher needs to know how to effectively adapt to it. For instance, a Teacher might have planned her class lessons weeks in advance but last minute something changes and that means that the lessons will need to change. As a teacher you need to maintain your self control and not show your emotions such as worry on your face as the children are all under your supervision and if you start to panic then it will be natural for the children to get panic. Therefore teacher needs to maintain their self control, sometimes by even taking a step back and a moment to think.

 

Professionalism and the Online World- TDT

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There are numerous challenges which come across when you put together the Personal vs Professional presence on social media. It is crucial to make sure that as a professional you have separate Social Media accounts so that your personal life does not come into your Professional life. Also, it is important what we make our Personal accounts private and ensure that we do not post something that will question our Professionalism. We can never accept, ‘friends’ request and never share our personal contact details with children as it becomes unacceptable to communicate with children in a personal manner.

Undeniably, Social Media is a form of technology which is embedded in our lives. There are numerous advantages and disadvantages that we must take into account. We need to understand that children will have access social media and we must incorporate the use of it in our classrooms in a safe and fun manner. We must promote the use of Social Media in an educational and fun manner which will encourage children to share their views and reflect on their learning.

However, we need to distinguish between our Personal and Professional accounts and must always communicate in appropriate channels. Having access to social media stops there being a boundary between communication within class and developing discussions and sharing opinions out-with class in relation to classwork.

In relation to GTCS Professional responsibility towards pupils (2.1)-

you must treat sensitive, personal information about pupils with respect and confidentiality and not disclose it unless required to do so by your employer or by law;

It is important that as a Professional, you do not share any information or comment about any aspects of your students life on social media which is not in context to education. It is vital that you do not keep in contact with children through your own, personal accounts and separate blogs or channels such a Glow are ideal to make sure that your pupils can contact you in regards to any classwork. In addition, the Teacher has to comply with employers policy and guidance and always communicate in a way which will not put your professionalism in doubt.

As Professionals we must teach and show a good example of using the internet safely and how to prevent and tackle Cyber Bullying. There are many resources that we should that we should make children aware of such as the NSPCC and educate them about the dangers of the internet and advise them on how to tackle any such situations. Children should be engaging with the internet and using channels like Glow to share and develop discussions but at the same time be aware on the potential dangers on Social Media and ensure that they are safe.