Teacher development

The contributions by Joseph Agius on "Teacher formation", Martin Day on "Teaching methods" and "A Christian Outlook" on "Teachers' influence on pupils' (The Sunday Times, October 3) make interesting reading precisely because they capture a cultural landscape of contrasts and similarities.

While the thrust of Mr Agius's article is that "teaching is indeed a profession" which requires the professional development of its members through education, Mr Day emphasises the "purity" of innate characteristics that can do without training "which clogs the system".

The reflection by H. Ginott (1972) on "the teachers' noble role", cited by "A Christian Outlook" legitimises the argument for the need of teacher education in the first place but problematises the role of teaching methods as perceived in the letter writing. In this scenario, the argument for "teaching as a profession" and the consequent need of "teacher formation" can be extended to bring out more clearly facts and developments.

Teaching is not just an act of giving and receiving. It is essentially a relationship which modifies thinking and behaving. It is a dynamic process of interaction between teacher and learner, with a decisive element for the actors and the social context where it occurs. It provides the tools of self growth, social development and healthy living with others.

Teaching goes beyond instruction and training. Its fundamental aim is to form individuals as responsible citizens, educate personal characteristics, regulate motivations, direct orientations to life experiences, and develop a sense of critical appreciation of social facts. It helps learners to develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions primarily in the interest of the common good. It educates people in the socially accepted values which underpin good citizenry in a culturally diverse, democratic society within an interdependent world.

There is one thing which the qualities of teaching make clear: it is, according to sociologist Michael Apple, the fact "that discussions about what does, can, and should go in classroom are not the logical equivalent of conversations about weather. They are fundamentally about the hopes, dreams, fears and realities - the very lives - of millions of children, parents and teachers..." (Ideology and Curriculum, p. viii). And, if this isn't worth a systematic and rigorous programme of professional development - intellectual, social, and pedagogical - then what is?

Studies on aptitude (e.g. Richard Snow, Abilities and Academic Task, 1994) have identified two important pathways which are inherent in all forms of human activity, whether it is considered as work or leisure. These are the "orientation pathway" and "ability pathway". The first is concerned with the individual's disposition, attitude and motivation; the second with one's skills - intellectual, social or civic. Both pathways interact with personality traits and environmental factors.

Applying this model to teaching, one can understand that the two qualities of the "orientation" and "ability" pathway stand out clearly as qualifying elements in the role and function of the teacher. There cannot be effective teaching if motivation is not accompanied by teaching skills and competencies.

Both aptitude and motivation are important and necessary, but these have to be complemented and reinforced by pedagogical skills which are demonstrated in relevant teaching methods and approaches.

Education and development programmes are, therefore, required to form the individual in the right levels of motivation for the exercise of his/her profession, develop personal qualities and the skills related to the nature of the work, cultivate attitudes which are conducive to healthy intra- and inter-personal relationships, and propose the right match between learning and methods. These are essential elements in teaching and learning which can only be developed through education.

Some believe that knowledge of subject content alone is sufficient to take up teaching. Their argument rests on the fact that the very process of knowledge acquisition essentially carries with it the orientation and ability to teach it.

While acknowledging the importance and relevance of knowledge of subject matter, one has to add that sharing of this knowledge as a teaching process does not happen in a vacuum. It needs effective teaching and learning strategies, learning approaches which stimulate and challenge, an inclusive environment that recognises different learning styles and caters for individual needs, and teacher-student role relationships that encourage constructive participation and interaction processes in the group.

A teacher's knowledge of subject matter is certainly enriched by pedagogical skills which should help learners to construct their own learning by constructing meaning out of their learning experiences The relevance and validity of such skills are informed by learning theories and backed up by a body of educational research studies. Knowledge and research, skills and approaches, theory and practice can and should easily sit together in the teaching and learning process.

It is systematic education which regulates professional competence and professional ethics. It is the "personal service ethic" and concern with serving the community through a system of educational socialisation that gives teaching its professional status.

In a study entitled The Personal Service Society, the British sociologist Paul Holmes (1970) includes teaching among the "personal service professions" which, through the central role they play in concern of others and in personal involvement, have a profound influence on the moral values of society.

Herein lies the whole rationale of the need of professional education and the formation of those who take up teaching seriously. It is because of this that teaching has its own place along the professional continuum, irrespective of how it ranks with the traditional professions.

The setting up of the Faculty of Education at our University is an official acknowledgement of the human and social values inherent in teaching. The high level of academic achievement of the Faculty's "20 different courses" serving from pre-service education to community learning, and extending to "seven different specialisations at Master's level and Ph.D. together with its leading example in the field of educational research (C. Borg, The Sunday Times, October 10) have succeeded in giving the teaching profession the social legitimation it rightly deserves.

These courses, backed by the continuous professional development programmes run by the Education Division, the regular staff development programmes in schools, and the Ministry's systemic strategic planning are key initiatives which are translating teachers' professional status from a legal document into real service to the community.

Perceptions of teachers' professional status are "in the mind" and are culturally defined. The Faculty of Education, Education Division, and the majority of teachers in their good practices are providing evidence which suggests that teaching in Malta is backed by a system of professional development through regular education programmes. It is the very nature of teaching which gives it its professional status. Measuring it with other professions should neither increase nor decrease its substantive and procedural value. Its professional value is to be sought and explored in itself.

If perceptions are culturally determined, the consistent pace of cultural change for quality education, expectations of professional standards and equitable provision of services that are characterising our educational system will eventually lead to an actual rather than a perceived teacher status.

Since education, like the society in which it functions, is dynamic and ever changing, the debate to generate ideas on what 'is' to what 'ought to be' in the interest of a better service - which should engage the providers of education in professional development, people at the centre who are responsible for teacher deployment, classroom practitioners, and the Maltese community, including parents - is still open. This should practically mean taking a long look backwards at beliefs, assumptions and praxis that underlie the system so that the look forward is clear, informed and valid.

Mr Said is Education Officer, Curriculum Management Department, Education Division