The Importance of Professional Skills
Professional skills, in any context are the specialised knowledge and skills used in practice to succeed in any profession (Cooper, 2011). These skills allow a person to be employable and successful in their chosen field. In a world where change happens in the blink of an eye, the skills required to grow and excel within any workplace can seem never-ending and overwhelming. For every profession, discipline specific skills are intertwined in the core graduate attributes that all graduate students will be able to demonstrate upon completion of their degree; however, each profession has it's own discipline specific skills.
Thanks to advances in technology and a substantial shift in the way society views education, the way in which students learn has changed dramatically. With this change comes higher expectations for teachers to develop skills which will allow them to meet the needs of their learners. The need for teachers to meet the expectations of their students, the schools and the wider community brought about the National Professional Standards for Teachers. Developing professional standards for teachers that can guide professional learning, practise and engagement facilitates the improvement of teacher quality and contributes positively to the public standing of the profession (AITSL, 2011).
Once graduate teachers have completed their degree they must meet and comply with The Australian Professional Standards to be able to commence teaching within a school. Not only do teachers have to meet these standards but they must also follow the code of conduct and apply their professional skills to be an ethical and effective teacher. According to Cooper (2011), an effective teacher is portrayed as “a reflective decision maker, one who makes planning, implementing, evaluation, and management decisions as part of the instructional role.” Furthermore, literature has suggested that potential teachers want to excel in their professional skills and teaching to enable them to successfully complete their classroom responsibilities as a competent teacher (Cooper, 2011).
Thanks to advances in technology and a substantial shift in the way society views education, the way in which students learn has changed dramatically. With this change comes higher expectations for teachers to develop skills which will allow them to meet the needs of their learners. The need for teachers to meet the expectations of their students, the schools and the wider community brought about the National Professional Standards for Teachers. Developing professional standards for teachers that can guide professional learning, practise and engagement facilitates the improvement of teacher quality and contributes positively to the public standing of the profession (AITSL, 2011).
Once graduate teachers have completed their degree they must meet and comply with The Australian Professional Standards to be able to commence teaching within a school. Not only do teachers have to meet these standards but they must also follow the code of conduct and apply their professional skills to be an ethical and effective teacher. According to Cooper (2011), an effective teacher is portrayed as “a reflective decision maker, one who makes planning, implementing, evaluation, and management decisions as part of the instructional role.” Furthermore, literature has suggested that potential teachers want to excel in their professional skills and teaching to enable them to successfully complete their classroom responsibilities as a competent teacher (Cooper, 2011).
Reflecting on your Professional SkillsNow that you have a better insight into why professional skills are so important for teachers, take a moment to think about how your professional skills measure up.
What professional skills have you used during your time at university? What do you think your strongest skill is? Why? What is your weakest skill? What actions could you take to improve this skill? |
The National Professional Standards for Teachers
What are the National Standards for Teachers?
The National Professional Standards for Teachers sets the standard for all teachers in Australia as they explicitly outline what teachers should know and be able to do. "An effective teacher is able to integrate and apply knowledge, practices and professional engagement as outlined in the descriptors to create teaching environments in which learning is valued (AITSL, 2014). It comprises seven standards which are interconnected, interdependent and overlapping. The Standards are grouped into three domains of teaching; Professional Knowledge, Professional Practice and Professional Engagement. In practice, teaching draws on aspects of all three domains. Within each Standard focus areas provide further illustration of teaching knowledge, practice and professional engagement. These are then separated into Descriptors at four professional career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead (AITSL, 2014). If you would like a copy of the standards, visit the link below. Alternatively you can read the standards at the bottom of this page. Want to find out more about AITSL?
AITSL provides online support and ongoing professional learning for all teachers, including pre-service and graduate teachers. Click on the link below to visit the AITSL teachers page. Here you will find a wide range of resources especially targeted towards first year teachers including: - Illustrations of Practice - The Teacher Tool Kit - A Self-Assessment Tool - Link to the 'My Standards' phone App - First Year Teacher Induction and much, much more. |
Our StandardsSource: AITSL (2011).
This short clip from The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) briefly summarises the professional standards and how the skills are used to manage professional standards for all teachers. The standards must be met by all teachers if they wish to be employed as a teacher.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watchv=iuKceiCvMEg&feature=player_e mbedded.
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Are the Professional Standards part of your Teaching Practice?
Now that you have had a quick reminder of the 7 Standards for teachers, take this quick quiz to see if your using the standards to inform your teaching on a daily basis.
Are you familiar with the 7 standards and what each standard entails?
a) I know the standards inside and out b) I can list all 7 of the standards c) I know what some of the standards are d) I know there are 7 standards but not what they are You use the goals outlined in the standards as a benchmark for your lessons: a) Always b) Sometimes c) Rarely d) Never |
You use the standards as a starting point for you term/unit/lesson planning:
a) Always b) Sometimes c) Rarely d) Never Do you reflect on those standards to assess whether or not you are meeting them? a) Yes. I reflect on a weekly basis to check I am meeting the standards b) I reflect a couple of times a term that I am meeting the standards c) When I have to do self-evaluations I reflect on the standards d) No. I reflect on my lessons but don't go into detail about the standards I am meeting. |
Reflect on your answers
Have a think about your answers to the questions posed above. For the multiple choice questions, if you answered with mostly A's you are well on your way to getting the maximum benefit from the standards and as a pre-service teacher this will help you immensely as you start your career. If you answered with mainly C's and D's maybe its time to take another look at the standards and familiarise yourself with them some more. Remember that these are the standards you will need to meet as a teacher and potential employers will want to see that you have a sound knowledge of the standards and are able to demonstrate them.
Have a think about your answers to the questions posed above. For the multiple choice questions, if you answered with mostly A's you are well on your way to getting the maximum benefit from the standards and as a pre-service teacher this will help you immensely as you start your career. If you answered with mainly C's and D's maybe its time to take another look at the standards and familiarise yourself with them some more. Remember that these are the standards you will need to meet as a teacher and potential employers will want to see that you have a sound knowledge of the standards and are able to demonstrate them.
References
AITSL. (2014). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Cooper, J. (Ed.). (2011). Classroom Teaching Skills (9th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning
AITSL. (2014). National professional standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/aitsl_national_professional_standards_for_teachers
Cooper, J. (Ed.). (2011). Classroom Teaching Skills (9th ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning