Name of Student: Patrick Harkin

1. CONCISE SUMMARY OF READING

Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

The Code of Professional Conduct is a detailed guide from the Teaching
council of Ireland, which states the rules and regulations that Teachers
must abide by to maintain their professional approach. The teaching
council of Ireland is the professional standards body for teaching and its
role is to promote and regulate the teaching profession. The code declares
that teachers teach so others can learn. However the code also recognises
that teachers are learners too which enables their learning needs to be
supported. The acceptance of the code in 2007 encourages a professional,
positive approach to schooling and the surrounding factors including the
well-being of their students and the wider community as a whole.
The purpose of the code is to provide a guiding compass which promotes
and upholds the honour and dignity of the teaching profession. To inform
the wider community of the profession of a Teacher and how they should
conduct themselves professionally. It is also used by the Council as a legal
reference point in any investigation under Part 5 of the Teaching Council
Acts, 2001 - 2015, dealing with fitness to teach.
The structure of the code sets out the ethical basis of the teaching
profession which is based on the values of respect, care, integrity, and
trust which are evident throughout the code. The professional standards
and responsibilities are broken into six headings: values and relationships,
integrity, conduct, practice, professional development, collegiality and
collaboration. The context of the code is in unison with the councils Policy
on the continuing education and up skilling of teacher education. It
encourages support to student and newly qualified teachers. The council
is also conscious of the rights of students, including their right to have
their say when issues affect them. The rights of Parents and the rights of
teachers and the responsibilities that accompany those rights.
Certain factors can be beyond the control of the educator which can be a
consequence of engagement of parents and the wider community, the
commitment and engagement of students, the availability of resources
and supports, opportunities for teachers professional development, the
accelerated degree of educational change, the pace of legislative change,
economic and societal factors. Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers
provides an ethical foundation along with explicit standards of conduct to
be observed at all times. In conclusion, the Code of Professional Conduct
for Teachers summarises the fundamental ethics that inform the work of
teachers. Since the education system reaches into virtually every home in
the country, and affects so many so deeply, it is crucial that the teaching
professions value system and professional standards are clear, readily
available and understandable.

2. CRITICAL REFLECTION

The Teaching Council of Ireland are the governing body for teachers in this
country. Within their code of Professional Conduct for teachers are the
fundamental teaching guidelines, which were devised to maintain
professionalism and provides means to deal with certain issues that may
arise throughout a teachers career. Within the code the Teaching Council
states Teachers teach so that others can learn (TCI, 2016) however they
also recognise that teachers need further training throughout their careers
which enables their learning needs to be supported, The Teaching Council
has significant powers to shape and develop teacher education at all
stages of a teachers career. (Stephenson & Ling, 2013) The acceptance
of the code in 2007 encourages a professional, positive approach to
schooling and the surrounding factors including the well-being of their
students and the wider community as a whole.
The purpose of the code is to provide a guiding compass which promotes
and upholds the honour and dignity of the teaching profession. To inform
the wider community of the profession of a Teacher, and how they should
conduct themselves professionally, and can also be used by the Council as
a legal reference point in any investigation under Part 5 of the Teaching
Council Acts, 2001 - 2015, dealing with fitness to teach. Manos 2006
states that the lack of fitness to teach is due to the lack of knowledge of
the subject matter, lack of discipline, unreasonable discipline,
unprofessional conduct and wilful neglect of duty (Manos, 2006). Within
the code there are procedures for dealing with difficulties and complaints,
however only complaints which are of a serious nature relating to
registered teachers can progress to an inquiry. A professional ethic has
two functions: First that of warning its members of the consequence to
them of certain kinds of conduct and secondly that of guiding them in
circumstances of special difficulty (Longford, 1978). The structure of the
code sets out the ethical basis of the teaching profession which is based
on the values of respect, care, integrity, and trust which are evident
throughout the code. The professional standards and responsibilities are
broken into six headings: values and relationships, integrity, conduct,
practice, professional development, collegiality and collaboration.
Governments have not been slow to spell out the responsibilities of
teachers in terms of desired professional values, with the focus on teacher
responsibility towards the learner (Appleyard & Appleyard, 2014). The
context of the code is in unison with the councils policy on the continuing
education of teacher education. It encourages support to students and
newly qualified teachers. The council is also conscious of the rights of
students, including their right to have their say when issues affect them.
The rights of parents, the rights of teachers and the responsibilities that
accompany those rights. The code recognises the social value of
education and how it has assisted in the economic development of
Ireland. Education contributes directly to economic growth and
development directly through employment, enhanced productivity, and
the composition of a civil population that is apt to promote social
progress (Harrison, 1996). In all professions there are factors that are
beyond our control and teachers are not immune to this, some of these
issues are stated within the code as a consequence of engagement of
parents and the wider community, the commitment and engagement of
students, the availability of resources and supports, opportunities for
teachers professional development, the accelerated degree of
educational change, the pace of legislative change, economic and societal
factors (TCI, 2016). As any of these occurrences can influence the routine
of education, it is imperative to have a tried and trusted system that will
deal with any of these incidents in a swift and thorough manner, ensuring
all parties are satisfied with the outcome. As education has such a bearing
on each of our lives it is extremely important that this easy to understand
document is readily available, when an issue arises.

3. LIST OF REFERENCES

Bibliography
Appleyard, K., & Appleyard, N. (2014). The Professional Teacher in Further
Education. Critical Publishing.

Harrison, f. E. (1996). Economic Development. Greenwood Publishing .

Longford, G. (1978). Teaching as a profession: An Essay in the Philosophy of

Education. Manchester: Machester University Press.

Manos, M. A. (2006). Knowing Where to Draw the line: Ethical and Legal
Standards for the best classroom prctice. London: Greenwood Publishing
Group.

Stephenson, J., & Ling, L. (2013). Challenges to Teacher Education in Difficult

Economic Times: International Perspectives. Routledge.

TCI. (2016). The Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. The Code of
Professional Conduct for Teachers, 1-11.