'Code of Ethics for Educators'

This Code of Ethics for Educators was developed by the distinguished AAE Advisory Board and by the Executive Committee of AAE.

It contains four basic principles relating to the rights of students and educators.

OVERVIEW

The professional educator strives to create a learning environment that nurtures to fulfillment the potential of all students.

The professional educator acts with conscientious effort to exemplify the highest ethical standards.

The professional educator responsibly accepts that every child has a right to an uninterrupted education free from strikes or any other work stoppage tactics.

PRINCIPLE I: Ethical Conduct toward Students

The professional educator accepts personal responsibility for teaching students character qualities that will help them evaluate the consequences of and accept the responsibility for their actions and choices. We strongly affirm parents as the primary moral educators of their children. Nevertheless, we believe all educators are obligated to help foster civic virtues such as integrity, diligence, responsibility, cooperation, loyalty, fidelity, and respect-for the law, for human life, for others, and for self.

The professional educator, in accepting his or her position of public trust, measures success not only by the progress of each student toward realization of his or her personal potential, but also as a citizen of the greater community of the republic.

• The professional educator deals considerately and justly with each student, and seeks to resolve problems, including discipline, according to law and school policy.

• The professional educator does not intentionally expose the student to disparagement.

• The professional educator does not reveal confidential information concerning students, unless required by law.

• The professional educator makes a constructive effort to protect the student from conditions detrimental to learning, health, or safety.

• 5. The professional educator endeavors to present facts without distortion, bias, or personal prejudice.

PRINCIPLE II: Ethical Conduct toward Practices and Performance

The professional educator assumes responsibility and accountability for his or her performance and continually strives to demonstrate competence.

The professional educator endeavors to maintain the dignity of the profession by respecting and obeying the law, and by demonstrating personal integrity.

• The professional educator applies for, accepts, or assigns a position or a responsibility on the basis of professional qualifications, and adheres to the terms of a contract or appointment.

• The professional educator maintains sound mental health, physical stamina, and social prudence necessary to perform the duties of any professional assignment.

• The professional educator continues professional growth.

• The professional educator complies with written local school policies and applicable laws and regulations that are not in conflict with this code of ethics.

• The professional educator does not intentionally misrepresent official policies of the school or educational organizations, and clearly distinguishes those views from his or her own personal opinions.

• The professional educator honestly accounts for all funds committed to his or her charge.

• The professional educator does not use institutional or professional privileges for personal or partisan advantage.

PRINCIPLE III: Ethical Conduct toward Professional Colleagues

The professional educator, in exemplifying ethical relations with colleagues, accords just and equitable treatment to all members of the profession.

• The professional educator does not reveal confidential information concerning colleagues unless required by law.

• The professional educator does not willfully make false statements about a colleague or the school system.

• The professional educator does not interfere with a colleague’s freedom of choice, and works to eliminate coercion that forces educators to support actions and ideologies that violate individual professional integrity.

PRINCIPLE IV: Ethical Conduct toward Parents and Community

The professional educator pledges to protect public sovereignty over public education and private control of private education.

The professional educator recognizes that quality education is the common goal of the public, boards of education, and educators, and that a cooperative effort is essential among these groups to attain that goal.

• The professional educator makes concerted efforts to communicate to parents all information that should be revealed in the interest of the student.

• The professional educator endeavors to understand and respect the values and traditions of the diverse cultures represented in the community and in his or her classroom.

• The professional educator manifests a positive and active role in school/community relations.

BEST TEACHER DESCRIPTION

There are many characteristics, techniques, etc. that make for a successful teacher. These may be as varied as the teachers themselves. However, there are certain time-tested attributes, characteristics, and practices which contribute immensely to teacher success. The following list contains items that students have used to describe their best teachers.

1. Enthusiasm
   • Students can feel the excitement
   • Students easily detect the teacher’s love for job and subject
2. Preparation
   • Teacher knows the subject
   • Teacher plans and prepares lessons daily
3. Punctuality
   • Always arrives on time
   • Begins and ends class on time
   • Expects and encourages students to arrive on time
4. Support and concern for students
   • Lets students know that he/she cares about their success
   • Takes time with students
   • Allows for creativity
   • Is friendly and courteous
   • Is supportive and encouraging
   • Is smiling, caring and loving
5. Consistency
   • Does not miss class
   • Is consistent in attitude and dealings with students
   • Is always well prepared to teach class
6. Politeness
   • Treats students with respect
   • Does not condescend
   • Avoids embarrassing students in class
7. Firmness and control
   • Is firm in a kind manner
   • Avoids tangents in teaching
8. Does not play favorites
9. Provides personal help
   • Takes time to explain concept
   • Gives individual attention
10. Accepts individual differences
11. Employs an effective delivery
    • Clarifies for understanding
    • Creates a sense of fun with the learning task
    • Eliminates bad, irritating and/or distracting habits
12. Does not make students lose face
    • Avoids criticizing students
13. Has high expectations of class members
14. Is humble
15. Is fair
16. Uses variety
    • Uses a variety of learning activities
    • Experiments
    • Allows for spontaneity
17. Has a sense of humor; is relaxed
18. Use of engaged time
    • Sets a good pace and provides for a change of pace
    • Avoids engaging students in “busy work”
19. Use of text
    • Is not a slave to the text
    • Uses text as a road map
20. Keeps within 1-2 days of the scheduled course outline
21. Field trips and other activities
    • Applies student experiences to classwork
22. Does not always teach from a sitting or leaning position
23. Interpersonal relationships with students
    • Does not allow students to call him/her by first name
    • Does not try to win a popularity contest
    • Maintains a healthy teacher-student relationship
    • Respects students (remember that sometimes what you think is healthy, fun joking with students may be interpreted by them as disapproval and dislike.)
24. Does not allow one or two students to monopolize or dominate the class
25. Keeps accurate records of
    • Work completed
    • Attendance
    • Test results
    • Grades

Additional Suggestions

1. Provide for activity changes — perhaps something not on the lesson plan; for example, scrabble, hangman, pictionary.
2. Be somewhat unpredictable — Students will not know what comes next. Keep students in some suspense.
3. Variety — In teaching, variety provides for renewed interest in the subject matter. Use variety in how you have students work together. Do not always pair the same ones together. Provide for a variety of learning activities. Some suggestions are:

   Assignments Brainstorming Buzz sessions General discussion Panel discussion Problem-solving discussion Music Instructional games Questioning and quizzes Reports and talks Role playing Worksheets Demonstrations Dramas Storytelling General chalkboard use

   Chalkboard illustrations Charts and maps Displays and mobiles Filmstrips Flannelboard Flashcards Motion pictures Opaque projections Overhead transparency projections Pictures, posters Tape recordings Video tape recordings Videodisk recordings Videotaping class presentations or activities Guest appearances Combined activities with another class.

4. Instant Involvement — Create a variety of instant involvement techniques that can be used to capture students attention for what will be presented.
5. Give eye-to-eye contact.
6. Change teaching style for variety.
7. Pace — A change of pace is refreshing and helps students re-enter the learning process.
8. Change of setting — At appropriate times it is stimulating and interesting to meet in a different location or setting for a specific learning task.

Role of Special Educators in promoting Inclusivity in Education

Special Education is that component of education which employs special instructional methodology (Remedial Instruction), instructional materials, learning-teaching aids and equipment to meet educational needs of children with specific learning disabilities. Remedial instruction or Remediation aims at improving a skill or ability in a student.

        Techniques for remedial instruction may include providing more practice or more explanation, repeating information, and devoting more time to working on the skill. For example, a student having a low reading level could be given remediation via one-on-one reading instruction, phonic instruction, or practice in reading aloud.

Role of special educators

        Special education teachers work with children and youths who have a variety of disabilities. A small number of special education teachers work with students with mental retardation or autism, primarily teaching them life skills and basic literacy. However, the majority of special education teachers work with children with mild to moderate disabilities, using the general education curriculum, or modifying it, to meet the child’s individual needs. Most special education teachers instruct students at the elementary, middle, and secondary school level, although some teachers work with infants and toddlers. Special educators provide programs for specific learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, visual impairments, autism, combined deafness and blindness, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments. Students are classified under one of the categories, and special education teachers are prepared to work with specific groups. Early identification of a child with special needs is an important part of a special education teacher’s job. Early intervention is essential in educating children with disabilities. Special education teachers use various techniques to promote learning. Depending on the disability, teaching methods can include individualized instruction, problem-solving assignments, and small group work. When students need special accommodations in order to take a test, special education teachers see that appropriate ones are provided, such as having the questions read orally or lengthening the time allowed to take the test. Special education teachers help to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each special education student. The IEP sets personalized goals for each student and is tailored to the student’s individual needs and ability. Teachers work closely with parents to inform them of their child’s progress and suggest techniques to promote learning at home. They are involved in the students’ behavioral, social, and academic development, helping the students develop emotionally, feel comfortable in social situations, and be aware of socially acceptable behavior. Special education teachers communicate and work together with parents, social workers, school psychologists, speech therapists, occupational and physical therapists, school administrators, and other teachers.

Special Education can be provided to the child in a one to one setting outside or within his/her formal educational environment. Special remedial, therapeutic, or enrichment services can be provided to students outside the regular classroom which is referred to as Pull-out services.

An Inclusive Model of education would imply educational provision for individuals with special needs within the educational system where these children study side by side with their mainstream peers, so as to enable them to develop to their full potential. Inclusion is an educational philosophy aimed at “normalizing” special services for which students qualify. Inclusion involves an attempt to provide more of these special services by providing additional aids and support inside the regular classroom, rather than by pulling students out for isolated instruction. Inclusion involves the extension of general education curriculum and goals to students receiving special services. It involves shared responsibility, problem solving, and mutual support among all the staff members who provide services to students. One aim of inclusion is to reduce the removal of students from the regular classroom when the same intent of service can be provided within the regular classroom.

Modifications for children with specific learning disability-

The different areas looked into and modifications incorporated for a child with specific learning needs maybe-

 Accommodation: An adjustment made to an environment, situation, or supplies for individual differences.

Adaptation: A change in what students do or a reshaping of the materials students use. Adaptations are essentially the same as modifications, but can specifically refer to the materials and equipment student’s use to aid in learning. Enlarging the print on a worksheet and audio taping a textbook are examples of adaptations.

Cognitive learning: The area of learning based on knowledge and reasoning; also called academic learning.

Compensation or compensatory instruction: Instruction aimed at tackling a problem or an area of difficulty. Techniques for compensatory instruction include the use of alternative instruction, alternative techniques, and adaptive equipment.

Co-teaching: An instructional arrangement in which there is more than one adult in a classroom, instructional and classroom responsibilities are defined and assigned, and some type of co-planning is involved.

Individualized education program (plan) (IEP): A written plan of educational goals and objectives for a student. This plan is reviewed and rewritten each year.

Modification: A change in what students do or a reshaping of the materials students use. Reducing the number of questions students must answer at the end of a textbook chapter, allowing a student to answer aloud instead of writing an answer, and allowing the student to do an activity that is different from what the other students are doing are all examples of modifications.

Transition services: Services, training, skills, support, or instruction identified as necessary to help a special education student successfully move from a school setting into a post-secondary setting (i.e., work, job training, technical school, college, military, independent living, semi-independent living). There are a variety of facilities in which these professionals work.

• Special schools: Mostly special educators are found working in special schools helping children with the academic skills.
• Rehabilitation centre: There are many public/private rehabilitation centers.
• Private support: In India private practice is very common where many Special educators work independently. They may be working part-time in any of the facilities mentioned above along with private tutoring also.

The Tasks Ahead-

The service provisions in India for persons with disabilities are more or less similar to the global scenario. However, a majority of the services, including special schools, are concentrated in urban areas. There are more special schools for school going children than vocational training centers or integrated schools. Of late, a number of CBR programmes have been initiated to deliver services closer to the homes of people with disabilities. Keeping in view the diverse needs of children with disabilities and the different models of service delivery systems, there is a need for reorienting the existing pre-service programmes in general education from pre-school to university levels and to plan in-service and pre-service programmes in special education at all levels.  To implement the current concept of inclusive education, pre-school teachers should have in-service training on disabilities, and future training courses should include education of children with disabilities. In-service training programmes of two to three weeks’ duration for general educators and special educators in all the disabilities and in specific areas of disability are essential to effectively teach children with disabilities. Pre-service programmes at degree and post-graduate levels are necessary to improve the quality of teacher training and to promote research and development activities in the field of special education. All universities should have a department of special education to promote education of children with disabilities.  There should be separate training programmes for staff working in Community Based Rehabilitation programmes. The preparation of teachers for rural special education programmes should be planned differently, as the aim of these programmes would be to integrate disabled persons in their own environment and community. Periodic evaluation of the training programmes and constant updating to meet the challenges of changing trends in special education should be part of the planning of teacher preparation.  The curriculum for each of the above programmes should be carefully developed by an expert group which includes practicing special teachers. The feedback   from the teachers is imperative in making the correct decisions about the content.