THE TEACHING PROFESSION

Module 7

Unit 7: Professionalism and Transformative Education

Module
Overview

Learning
Objectives

At the end of the unit, the students should be able to:

1. Describe the evolution of competencies and standards in response to changing societal
demands on the teaching profession;
2. Set plans for personal growth and professional development based on the Philippine
Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST).

Learning Content

PROFESSIONALISM AND TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION

A. The 21st Century Teacher
 “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow” – John
Dewey
 To remain relevant and interesting, the teacher must possess 21st Century Skills. The
21st Century Skills can be categorized into four (4) namely:
- Communication skills;
- Learning and innovation skills;
- Information, media, and technology skills; and
- Life and career skills
 A teacher must possess these skills in order to survive in this 21st century and be able to
contribute to the development of the 21st century learners.
 Under each of these four clusters of 21st century skills are specific skills.
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1. Effective Communication Skills include:

- Teaming
- Collaboration
- Interpersonal skills
- Local, national, and global orientedness
- Interactive communication
2. Learning and Innovation Skills include:
- Creativity
- Curiosity
- Critical thinking problem solving skills
- Risk Taking
3. Information, Media, and Technology Skills are:
- Visual and information literacies
- Media literacy
- Basic, scientific, economic, and technologies literacies
- Multicultural literacy
4. Life and Career Skills are:
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Leadership and responsibility
- Social and cross-cultural skills
- Initiative and self-direction
- Productivity and accountability
- Ethical, moral, and spiritual values

Another way of grouping the 21st Century Skills is shown below:

a. Ways of thinking. Creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making and learning
b. Ways of working. Communication and collaboration
c. Tools for working. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and information
literacy
d. Skills for living in the world. Citizenship, life and career, and personal and social
responsibility
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B. Transformative Education
 Transformative education involves teaching and learning geared to motivate and
empower happy and healthy learners to take informed decisions and actions at the
individual, community and global levels.
 Learners must engage with the world and find coherence between the world they
experience in school and the world we all wish to build outside school.
 To build this world, we need to learn to read and write, but we also need to learn
collaboration, empathy, complex problem solving, connection to other human beings
and nature.
 Education can only be “transformative” when students feel valued, acknowledged, safe
and are included in the learning community as full and active members. This starts by
preventing and addressing school violence and bullying, gender-based violence, as well
as health and gender related discrimination towards learners and educators.
 Teachers are expected to transform their teaching, for example, ensuring that the
curriculum, pedagogy, learning materials, schools or learning environments are
meaningful in the natural, political, economic, and cultural contexts. For education to
be of high quality, it must be transformative.

Why do we need to transform education?

 Our world is facing unprecedented challenges - climate change, violent and hateful
ideologies, mass loss of biodiversity, new conflicts and the risks of global pandemics to
name only a few.
 Education systems need to be reoriented to equip learners with the knowledge, values,
and abilities to act for the betterment of all people and the planet, as responsible
citizens of a global community.

C. Qualification Framework
a. ASEAN Qualifications Framework (AQRF)
 The ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF) is a regional common
reference framework which functions as a device to enable comparisons of
qualifications across ASEAN Member States (AMS).
 It addresses all education and training sectors and promotes the wider objective of
lifelong learning.
 The ASEAN Charter (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Charter’), signed by the ten ASEAN
Leaders (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Leaders’) in Singapore on 20 November 2007,
provides the basis for a region-wide qualifications reference framework in ASEAN.
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 The Charter aims to “create a single market and production base which is stable,
prosperous, highly competitive and economically integrated with effective facilitation
for trade and investment in which there is free flow of goods, services and investment;
facilitated movement of business persons, professionals, talents and labor; and free
flow of capital” and to “develop human resources through closer cooperation in
education and lifelong learning and in science and technology, for the empowerment of
the peoples of ASEAN and the strengthening of the ASEAN Community”.

b. Philippine Qualification Framework (PQF)

What is the Philippine Qualifications Framework (PQF)?
 The Philippine Qualifications Framework describes the levels of educational
qualifications, the official recognition of a person’s learning achievements. It also sets
the standards for qualification outcomes which are the knowledge or skills gained by
students after undergoing a certain learning or educational program.
 Adopting a well-developed qualifications framework presents several benefits to
learners, academe, workers, professionals, employers, industry and government.
 The PQF provides a standard for the recognition of certificates and licenses that
individuals may move and progress through. It shows pathways and equivalences to
help them make informed choices in education and employment growth. As such the
framework promotes mobility, encourages lifelong learning and builds the workforce
confidence.
 As the PQF establishes a standard for education and training providers, it helps
guarantee that these providers adhere to specific benchmarks and are accountable for
achieving the same, ultimately ensuring the quality of education and training. In
addition, since the PQF provides common understanding of policies and guidelines in
curriculum/program formulation and implementation, it also allows for the seamless
movement and progression of learners to and from different education and training
institutions.
 With the PQF, job mismatch can be reduced and productivity increased. It provides
employers with specific training standards and qualifications that are aligned to
industry requirements. The PQF provides employers immediate information on what a
worker can be expected to know and do, and are further assured that qualifications are
consistent and are based on standards.
 The Philippine Qualifications Framework can help form unity as it harmonizes
education and training qualifications in the country by establishing and institutionalizing
qualification standards. It provides the government with common standards, taxonomy,
and typology of qualifications as bases for granting approvals to stakeholders.
Moreover, the PQF helps policy and planning formulation through comparison with the
 THE TEACHING PROFESSION

qualification frameworks of other nations, encouraging the forging of mutual

recognition arrangements within the ASEAN and other countries.
 For Filipinos, the PQF coordinates and balances education and employment
opportunities for nation building and holistic economic growth. The PQF and its
features (Quality Assurance, Qualification Registrar, Pathways and Equivalencies and
International Alignment) strengthens technical education consolidates education and
employment resources.
Objectives of the PQF
1. To establish national standards and levels for outcomes of education and training.
2. To support the development and maintenance of pathways and equivalencies which provide
access to qualifications and assist people to move easily and readily between the different E & T
sectors and between these sectors and the labor market.
3. To align the PQF with international qualifications framework to support the national and
international mobility of workers thru increased recognition of the value and comparability of
Philippine qualifications.

D. National Competency Based Teacher Standard

 The NCBTS provides a single framework that shall define effective teaching in all aspects
of a teacher’s professional life and in all phases of teacher development.
 It consists of seven (7) domains:
1. Domain 1. Social Regard for Learning (SRFL)
- The SRFL domain focuses on the ideal that teachers serve as positive and
powerful role models of the value in the pursuit of different efforts to learn. The
teacher’s action, statements, and different types of social interactions with
students exemplify this ideal.
2. Domain 2. Learning Environment (LE)
- This domain focuses on importance of providing a social, psychological and
physical environment within which all students, regardless of their individual
differences in learning, can engage in the different learning activities and work
towards attaining high standards of learning.
3. Domain 3. Diversity of Learners (DOL)
- The DOL domain emphasizes the ideal that teachers can facilitate the learning
process even with diverse learners, by recognizing and respecting individual
differences and by using knowledge about their differences to design diverse
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sets of learning activities to ensure that all learners can attain the desired
learning goals.
4. Domain 4. Curriculum (Curr.)
- The curriculum domain refers to all elements of the teaching-learning process
that work in convergence to help students understand the curricular goals and
objectives, and to attain high standards of learning defined in the curriculum.
These elements include the teacher’s knowledge of subject matter and the
learning process, teaching-learning approaches and activities, instructional
materials and learning resources.
5. Domain 5. Planning, Assessing & Reporting (PAR)
- This domain refers to the alignment of assessment and planning activities. In
particular, the PAR focuses on the (1) use of assessment data to plan and revise
teaching-learning plans; (2) integration of assessment procedures in the plan and
implementation of teaching-learning activities, and (3) reporting of the learners’
actual achievement and behavior.
6. Domain 6. Community Linkages (CL)
- The LC domain refers to the ideal that classroom activities are meaningfully
linked to the experiences and aspirations of the learners in their homes and
communities. Thus, this domain focuses on teachers’ efforts directed at
strengthening the links between schools and communities to help in the
attainment of the curricular goals.
7. Domain 7. Personal Growth & Professional Development (PGPD)
- The PGPD domain emphasizes the ideal that teachers value having a high
personal regard for the teaching profession, concern for professional
development, and continuous improvement as teachers.

E. The Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers (PPST)

Role of teachers
 Teachers play a crucial role in nation building. Through quality teachers, the Philippines
can develop holistic learners who are steeped in values, equipped with 21st century
skills, and able to propel the country to development and progress.
 This is in consonance with the Department of Education vision of producing: “Filipinos
who passionately love their country and whose values and competencies enable them
 THE TEACHING PROFESSION

to realize their full potential and contribute meaningfully to building the nation” (DepEd
Order No. 36, s. 2013).
 Evidences show unequivocally that good teachers are vital to raising student
achievement, i.e., quality learning is contingent upon quality teaching. Hence, enhancing
teacher quality becomes of utmost importance for long-term and sustainable nation
building.
 The changes brought about by various national and global frameworks such as the K to
12 Reform and the ASEAN integration, globalization, and the changing character of the
21st century learners necessitate improvement and adaptability of education, and a call
for the rethinking of the current teacher standards.
Professional Standards for Teachers
 The Philippine Government has consistently pursued teacher quality reforms through a
number of initiatives. As a framework of teacher quality, the National Competency-
Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) was institutionalized through CHED Memorandum
Order No. 52, s. 2007 and DepED Order No. 32, s. 2009.
 It emerged as part of the implementation of the Basic Education Sector Reform
Agenda(BESRA), and was facilitated by drawing on the learning considerations of
programs, such as the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM), the
Strengthening Implementation of Visayas Education (STRIVE) project and the Third
Elementary Education Project (TEEP).
 The K to 12 Reform (R.A. 10533) in 2013 has changed the landscape of teacher quality
requirements in the Philippines. The reform process warrants an equivalent supportive
focus on teacher quality – high quality teachers who are properly equipped and
prepared to assume the roles and functions of a K to 12 teachers.
 The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers, which is built on NCBTS,
complements the reform initiatives on teacher quality from pre-service education to in-
service training.
 It articulates what constitutes teacher quality in the K to 12 Reform through well-
defined domains, strands, and indicators that provide measures of professional learning,
competent practice, and effective engagement.
 This set of standards makes explicit what teachers should know, be able to do and value
to achieve competence, improved student learning outcomes, and eventually quality
education. It is founded on teaching philosophies of learner-centeredness, lifelong
learning, and inclusivity/inclusiveness, among others.
 The professional standards, therefore, become a public statement of professional
accountability that can help teachers reflect on and assess their own practices as they
aspire for personal growth and professional development.
 The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers defines teacher quality in the
Philippines. The standards describe the expectations of teachers’ increasing levels of
knowledge, practice and professional engagement.
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 At the same time, the standards allow for teachers’ growing understanding, applied with
increasing sophistication across a broader and more complex range of teaching/learning
situations.
 The 7 Domains collectively comprise 37 strands that refer to more specific dimensions of
teacher practices.

1. Domain 1: Content Knowledge and Pedagogy, is composed of seven strands:

- Content knowledge and its application within and across curriculum areas
- Research-based knowledge and principles of teaching and learning
- Positive use of ICT
- Strategies for promoting literacy and numeracy
- Strategies for developing critical and creative thinking, as well as other higher-
order thinking skills
- Mother Tongue, Filipino and English in teaching and learning
- Classroom communication strategies
2. Domain 2: Learning Environment, consists of six strands:
- Learner safety and security Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers
- Fair learning environment
- Management of classroom structure and activities
- Support for learner participation
- Promotion of purposive learning
- Management of learner behavior
3. Domain 3: Diversity of Learners, consists of five strands:
- Learners’ gender, needs, strengths, interests and experiences
- Learners’ linguistic, cultural, socio-economic and religious backgrounds
- Learners with disabilities, giftedness and talents
- Learners in difficult circumstances
- Learners from indigenous groups
4. Domain 4: Curriculum and Planning, includes five strands:
- Planning and management of teaching and learning process
- Learning outcomes aligned with learning competencies
- Relevance and responsiveness of learning programs
- Professional collaboration to enrich teaching practice
- Teaching and learning resources including ICT
5. Domain 5: Assessment and Reporting, is composed of five strands:
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- Design, selection, organization and utilization of assessment strategies

- Monitoring and evaluation of learner progress and achievement
- Feedback to improve learning
- Communication of learner needs, progress and achievement to key stakeholders
- Use of assessment data to enhance teaching and learning practices and
programs
6. Domain 6: Community Linkages and Professional Engagement, consists of four
strands:
- Establishment of learning environments that are responsive to community
contexts Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers
- Engagement of parents and the wider school community in the educative
process
- Professional ethics
- School policies and procedures
7. Domain 7: Personal Growth and Professional Development, contains five strands:
- Philosophy of teaching
- Dignity of teaching as a profession
- Professional links with colleagues
- Professional reflection and learning to improve practice
- Professional development goals

References

BilbaoPurita et.al.Copyright 2015.The Teaching Profession, Third Edition. LORIMAR Publishing,

Inc.
https://en.unesco.org/news/five-questions-transformative-education
https://www.teacherph.com/philippine-professional-standards-for-teachers/
http://www.ruelpositive.com/national-competency-based-teacher-standards-ncbts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA5cD474aIU&t=37s