Professional codes of conduct; Towards an ethical framework for novice teacher educators

Abstract

This chapter deals with ethical aspects of being and becoming a teacher educator. The awareness of the very existence of ethical issues is an important part of any profession. Putting ethics in the foreground involves responsibility as well as a striving to improve the status of the teaching profession. To be a teacher in general, and a teacher educator in particular, is much about handling conflicting interests and considering different alternatives of action that derive from different principles, values, backgrounds and personalities. The core essence of teaching is human interaction and very often, interaction occurs in complex situations in which unequal positions of power occur. This, among other reasons, highlights the necessity of a frame of reference for teachers and teacher educators and the need to develop ethical awareness, sensitivity and competence among practitioners at all levels (Campbell, 2003). The ability to develop awareness and competence depends on the ability of individuals to identify and analyse ethical situations. This premise presumes the existence of a common consensus about an ethical dimension in teaching and learning as well as shared democratic views. Over the last couple of decades, the profession of teacher education has changed profoundly. Due to alleged poor performance, teacher education programmes have become a target for severe criticism in many countries (Maandag et al., 2007). The findings of several researchers (Maandag et al., 2007; Cochran-Smith, 2005; Darling-Hammond, Chung, & Frelow, 2002) also underpin the need for reforms in teacher education. These circumstances increase the need for an ethical framework that can serve as a kind of torch in turbulent times (Willemse, Lunenberg & Korthagen, 2005). In order to be more than a sign of good will, such an ethical framework should include universally acknowledged components as well as specific context-related components. This chapter raises questions and discusses considerations to be taken into account when developing an ethical framework that will support teacher educators in coping with the complex dilemmas they face in their work. We do not wish to create a universal ethical standard for teacher education, but we aim to focus on the components that are important for the development of a context-related ethical framework for teacher educators. We open the chapter with a general overview of ethics and we then highlight the unique aspects of ethics in the teaching profession. In that context, we present some of the various ethical issues that teacher educators face, which derive from the structure of teacher education, the contents of the teacher education curriculum and the process of becoming a teacher.We close the chapter with a discussion about professional codes of conduct and offer some practical suggestions regarding ways to foster the discussion of ethics in teacher education. The main contribution of this chapter lies within the exposure of several aspects of ethical issues deriving from the practice of teacher education. It is aimed to help novice teacher educators to begin focussing on ethical dilemmas and developing an ethical competence.