A Vision of Teaching Profession in 2025

TITLE: A VISION OF TEACHING PROFESSION IN 2025 Priyanka Joshi Junior Research Fellow (J. R. F) Dept. of Education Panjab University, Chandigarh ABSTRACT KEYWORDS: Professionals, Modalities, continuous, latest trends, technology, mentors, rethink, updating, knowledge, knowledge explosion.We Lead, Care, Inspire For the future of the Nation passes through our hands as Teachers Technological changes in the era of modernization have significantly affected the role of teachers’ as professionals. As the future of education, rest on the competencies, professional growth and abilities of teachers as professionals so, it cannot be ignored. Related article: HR Map ExplainedAccording to Caroll and Resta (2010) teachers of today and tomorrow must be ready to facilitate learning in multiple modalities embracing; greater diversity of space, time, resources, media and methods for learning as well as the new 21st century environments which are synchronous and asynchronous, face to face and virtual. Further, Garoia(2012) referred that the present century has visioned so much of expectations from education which are so high that the teachers of today and tomorrow have to continuously rethink about their professional development.She further highlighted that this professional development is ought to be continuous in process because of; knowledge explosion and latest trends associated to methodology, technology, social and teacher networking. All these demands and requirements have posed a demand on teachers to assess, update, renew and modify themselves as mentors than teachers. The present paper will highlight; a) The teacher of today b) Changing role of the teacher in the present scenario c) Lifelong learning as renewal and updating of knowledge d) In-service growth and teachers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Followed by conclusion and suggestions. * The Teacher of TodayThe teacher of today symbolizes himself to be professional in true sense because of the emerging concepts of criteria of appointments in schools colleges and universities. No more, the present century holds teaching as a profession by ‘chance’ but teaching as a ‘choice’. This scenario has placed an emphasis on the teachers to develop their potential, capacities in a way that no more they are called as a ‘simple’ but ‘effective’ in performance by performing a quite range of functions such as ; classroom management, teaching and learning strategies and how to implement them successfully with professional ethics, student learning and so on.These views were strengthened by Travers & Reborc (2 008) who professed that teacher professionalism extends beyond one’s ability to understand content. Here, the educator must discover if the students are being reached in an effective way. This calls for a profession which involves a lifelong career commitment and service to society. Teaching as a profession, no doubt is characterized by intellectual pursuits within a code of ethics and is highlighted by the making of independent professional judgements. But going by the present scenario, our country witness mass bunking from the classes, cheating, private tuitions and so on.To avoid this, this means that the teacher of today needs much more than just a mere subject expert. Further, through extensive training and professional development, they will incorporate in themselves lot of life skills which will not only enhance their performance but quality wise they will help them to grow to greater heights. * Changing Role of the Teacher in the Present Scenario The present scenario is characterized by the changing needs of the teacher which has pressurized him to change, reform and update according to the new teaching strategies, classroom practices and knowledge explosion.Let us have a look at the review how the role of the teachers has gradually changed:- * Koppic and Knapp (1998) highlighted that teacher can develop themselves with respect to practice if they focus on six dimensions narrated as; knowledge, professionalism, instruction, collaboration, agency and authority. He further added by saying that teachers to grow must make initiatives to make sense of new policies, ideas, programs and their own work. * According to Cohen & Ball (1999) review of the federally funded research suggest that the teacher must be a researcher, educator and reformer.The research further highlighted that now is the time that he must understand when curriculum, instructional materials and assessments so that he can focus on the goal and prospects of educational improvement to be enhanced. * Thomson & Zeuli (1999) advocated that if teachers want to see that their students work they must enable themselves to change so that they can make distinctive changes in teaching practice and student learning. They further concluded that the most effective teacher learning is to focus on instruction-as- interaction, rather than on isolated elements of instruction. Lieberman & Miller (2000) described the new professional teacher as researchers, meaning-makers, scholars, and inventors. Also they further stated that teachers establish a firm professional identity through which they act as the role model by updating themselves through the lifelong learning . * Lifelong learning as renewal and updating of knowledge Professional development is a normal part of school culture. Professional development is required in order to maintain certification.School corporations mandate that teachers participate in staff development opportunities offered by the school district throughou t the year. Teachers may also be expected to draft growth plans to give direction to their ongoing learning. Salary schedules also encourage teacher learning by offering higher salaries to individuals with more training, degrees or credits. Occasionally teachers are permitted to attend workshops and conferences outside the school system. Teachers are expected to grow as professionals and need to learn while they are teaching if students are to receive an optimal education.While schools do allocate limited funds and release time to professional development, a view of teachers as life-long learners is a perspective that is missing in most schools given the limited cope, quantity, and quality of professional development available to teachers. It is not uncommon to hear the phrases â€Å"life-long learning† or â€Å"life-long learner. †These terms adorn school mission and goal statements. Few people would malign the importance of developing life-long learners, but fewer su ggest ways in which such an ideal may be accomplished. Such a goal need not remain illusory.It is crucial that schools and communities recognize the importance of developing teachers as life-long learners. It seems foolish to hope to engender life-long learning skills and attitudes in children without paying attention to those same skills and attitudes in developing the teachers of those children. And if a teacher will remain a lifelong learner it would be facilitate him/her to cater to the upcoming problems in the realm to teaching learning process and the demands of the upcoming generation. * In-service Growth and Teacher As professionals we still have a long way to go.Even now in in-service teacher education is seldom conceptualized in practice as the continuation of pre service preparation. Too frequently in service practices are characterized by an aggregate of incidental activities, sporadic in occurrence, lacking in productive purpose, unorganized in structure and unsynchroni zed within the framework of a school district’s total operation. Perhaps a staff does grow or improve through such activities; however, the evidence seems to indicate that the bird of chance wings high on the winds of such uncertainty.Programs or practices of in service teacher education which appear to be producing results of a promising and lasting character are those in which conscious effort is made to reduce the element of chance in the development of staff. At the practical as well as the therotical level, positive and directional growth is enhanced through a program of inservice teacher education which develops activities planned most carefully in terms of directional purposes, organizational structure, and operational processes which are synchronized and complementary. ConclusionKnowledge is no longer considered a commodity which only a subject expertise can provide. In the present scenario knowledge is something which individuals constructs and create from their own experience with the materials, ideas & texts they have. Teachers of today and of preparation (pre-service teachers) have to construct themselves, reform themselves according to the teachers they actually have and develop themselves professionally according to the new and emerging ideas of the knowledge, learning and instruction in their own learning situations in their classrooms.This give a call to teachers to work and learn in a way in which they can compete efficiently, confidently and critically so that he can become efficient in true terms and targeted as a priority. Suggestions * To promote professional values and attitudes such as reflective practice, autonomous learning and collaboration. * To improve Practical teaching competencies. * To consider teaching as a profession and promote teaching as an attractive career; * to keep a balance between theory and practice; All beginning teachers, during their first years in the profession receive professional and personal support (à ¢â‚¬Ëœinduction’); * To engage themselves in regular reviews of their training needs and effective continuing professional development. * To develop and improve themselves as leaders for learning. This means that the role of the teacher in the year 2020 demands him to update and rehearse himself in a seamless continuum so that he has a assured quality. REFERENCES Ball, D. L. & Cohen, D. K. (1999). Developing practice, developing practitioners: Toward a practice-based theory of professional education.Caroll, T. , & Resta, P. (2010). Redefining teacher education for digital-age learners. Summit report from the Invitational Summit on Redefining Teacher Education for Digital-Age Learners. Retrieved from: http://redefineteachered. org/sites/default/files/SummitReport. pdf? q=summitreport Garoia,Valentina. (2012) . A closer look at the future of teachers' profession in 2025. Retrieved from http://insight. eun. org/ww/en/pub/insight/thematic_dossiers/articles/learning_networks/2025. html. Lieberman, A. , ; Miller, L. (2000). Teaching and teacher development: A new synthesis for a new century. In R. S. Brandt