CHAPTER 1 The Teaching Profession and Teaching Science

CHAPTER 1
The Teaching profession

Introduction
Teachers, who enable interaction among the main elements of educational system
such as student, educational program, teacher and environment (Posner, 1995) and
who take on the task of educating young individuals that the society needs, have a
distinctive place and importance within the scope of these main elements.
Teaching profession began to develop with the emergence of education as a field
of profession and vocation. It has been argued for a long time whether teaching is a
profession or not. In the end, it was agreed that teaching is a distinctive profession
and that it possesses all of the qualities that a profession should possess (Tezcan,
1996). Teaching profession could be described as “a professional occupational
group of education sector possessing social, cultural, economical, scientific and
technological dimensions” For an occupational group to be classified as a
professional occupation, it is necessary that it provides services in a determined
field, goes through formal training which offers expert knowledge, possesses
professional culture, has admission control, possesses professional ethics, owns
professional establishments and is considered as a profession by the society
(Erden, 2007; Tezcan, 1996).
Teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter
For a vocational field to be classified as a professional career field, it is necessary

that the people who perform the vocation possess specific knowledge and skills.
Teachers who have comprehensive knowledge of their subject matters let their
students actively participate in the lessons. These teachers are aware of the
problems the students encounter while learning and are ready for any questions put
by the students and the answers these teachers provide are not evasive or
ambiguous (Woolfolk, 1998). It requires a formal training period for an individual
to specialize in a subject matter. This period is four years in Turkey for all kinds of
expertise and it is also the same in nearly all the other countries. Today knowledge
is produced and consumed quite rapidly. The information the teacher conveys to
his students should be up-to-date and should reflect the latest scientific facts of the
field. The individual usually ends his career development when he graduates. This
is not a correct approach. The fact that information is produced rapidly demands
that it is updated.
Teaching skills of the teacher
A teacher cannot succeed if he cannot convey his knowledge to his students no

matter how competent he is in the subject matter. Therefore, the teacher needs to
have teaching skills (Erden, 2007; Tezcan, 1996)). Teachers control the learning
and teaching process by way of planning and carrying out the lessons, evaluating
students, maintaining the order in the classroom and ensuring that their students
participate in activities which could be beneficial for them to reach the goals of the
lesson (Ün AçÕkgöz, 2004). Teachers acquire this skill through vocational courses
and practices included in teacher education programs. Clifford (1997) states that,
for an effective teaching, a teacher should possess basic qualities such as “expertise
on the subject matter, motivating for learning, awareness of student differences,
planning the teaching process, knowing and using teaching-learning strategies,
designing learning environment, effective communication and objective
evaluation” (as cited in Ün AçÕkgöz, 2004). In this chapter, teachers’ teaching
skills such as “planning the teaching process, offering variety, using the instruction
time effectively, creating a participatory learning environment, monitoring the
development of the students and ensuring the students’ self-control” are dealt with.
1. Planning the teaching process

2. Offering variety
3. Using the instruction time effectively
4. Monitoring the development of the students
5. Ensuring the students’ self-control
The personality traits of the teacher
Some arguments exhibit that the personality of the teacher is the most important
variable in the classroom(Sönmez, 2007; Gürkan, 1993; Oktay, 2001). Many
studies conducted on teachers have shown that a sufficient teacher in terms of
personality affects his students in a positive way and an insufficient teacher in
terms of personality alienates his students from school or even from learning
itself (Gürkan, 1993). Getzels and Jackson (1965) states that the educational
features of a teacher is evaluated by who he really is rather than what he does (as
cited in Gürkan, 1993). Küçükahmet (1987) also states that the personality of
teachers has many effects on the students; all the elements that make up the
personality of the teacher have an influence on the learners and a positive
classroom atmosphere; and once a positive classroom atmosphere is created, it
continues to affect the student even outside the classroom. Research shows that
friendly, flexible, tolerant, humorous teachers who pay attention to their students
have a more positive effect on the students’ learning and attitudes when
compared to the ones who does not possess these traits (Hamachek, 1972).
1. Tolerance and being patient

2. Being open-minded, flexible and adaptive
3. Being affectionate, understanding and humorous
4. High success expectancy
5. Being encouraging and supportive
6. A Democratic personality
Conclusion
Knowledge of subject matter, teaching skills and personality traits which are
essential for the education to reach its goals define artistic and scientific the
features of teaching profession. A teacher should take up the role of a scientist
while acting like an artist and while designing the learning environment with the
characteristics of a scientist he should add beauty, elegancy, understanding,
tolerance and affection to this environment with the features of an artist (Bilen,
1999). Teachers have a great responsibility for possessing and improving the
knowledge and skills of the profession and deciding about how to do what.
Therefore, the field of teacher training should be a field in which important
knowledge and learning-teaching practices can be applied directly, questions are
continuously asked and analyses and experiments are carried out (Loughran,
2006).
Teaching of Science
SCIENCE is about wonderful nature and natural phenomena and led to wonder
and awe. Science used experiment or perform experimental process.
NATURE OF SCIENCE
 Science is a wonderful world.
 Science is evidence-based.
 Science has limits.
 Science knowledge is inherently uncertain
 Science is dynamic and expanding body of knowledge.
 Science is both a product and a process.
 Science is a field of study.
LEARNING AREA STANDARD Based on the K to 12 Curriculum Guide for

Science, the main goal of Science teaching is scientific literacy. The Learning area
standard for science teaching is Wholistic. HEAD HEARTHANDS Holistic
Scientific attitudes and values that Science teaching wants to integrate
 Critical Problem Solving

 Innovation of beneficial products.
 Environmental Care
 Conservation of resources
 Enhancement of integrity and wellness
 Informed decision-making
 Discussion of relevant issues that involves science, technology and
environment.
Belief Curiosity Inventiveness Humility Open-mindedness Critical-mindedness

Objectivity Intellectual Honesty Risk-takingResponsibility
Science teaching in K to 12 Curriculum intends to help form Science students who

have the making of scientist and so one who is scientifically literate:
 Equipped with repertoire of competences important in the world of work and
in a knowledge based society.
 Scientifically, Technologically and Environmentally literate and productive
member of society.
 Critical Problem solver.
 Responsible steward of Nature.
 Innovative and Creative Citizen.
 Informed decision-maker.
 Effective Communicator.
SCOPE of Science
THEORIES of Teaching Science
 Constructivism
 Social Cognition
 Learning Styles
 Brain-based Learning Theory
 Experiential Learning
 Situated Learning
 Reflective Learning
 Discovery Learning
 Cooperative Learning
Brain-based Learning Theory Principles:
 The brain is a parallel processor.

 The search for meaning is innate.
 The search for meaning occurs through “patterning”.
 Emotions are critical to patterning.
 Learning is enhanced by a challenge and inhabited by threat.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE
 . Constructivist principles
 2. Discovery Principles
 3. Brain-based Principles
 4. Collaborative Principles
 5. Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles
THE INQUIRY-BASED APPROACH
 Learner engages in scientifically-oriented question.

 Learner gives priority to evidence in responding to question.
 Learner formulates explanation from evidence.
 Learner connects explanations to scientific evidence.
 Learner communicates and justifies explanation. Essential features of
Inquiry
Different Levels of Inquiry in the Classroom

CONCLUSION
Science is a process. Teachers are advised to teach Science by doing science not
only by knowing science concepts. Observing Measuring Classifying Predicting
Inferring Communicating Experimenting Using space/time relations Defining
Operationally Formulating Hypotheses Recognizing Variables Interpreting Data
Formulating Models
Science teaching in K to 12 Curriculum intends to help form Science students who

have the making of scientist and so one who is scientifically literate. Science
expected to develop in the students scientific attitudes and values Science is a
process. Teachers are advised to teach Science by doing science not only by
knowing science concepts.

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CHAPTER 1

The Teaching profession

Teacher’s knowledge of the subject matter

For a vocational field to be classified as a professional career field, it is necessary

Teaching skills of the teacher

A teacher cannot succeed if he cannot convey his knowledge to his students no

1. Planning the teaching process

The personality traits of the teacher

1. Tolerance and being patient

LEARNING AREA STANDARD Based on the K to 12 Curriculum Guide for

Scientific attitudes and values that Science teaching wants to integrate

 Critical Problem Solving

Belief Curiosity Inventiveness Humility Open-mindedness Critical-mindedness

Science teaching in K to 12 Curriculum intends to help form Science students who

THEORIES of Teaching Science

Brain-based Learning Theory Principles:

 The brain is a parallel processor.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES IN THE TEACHING OF SCIENCE

THE INQUIRY-BASED APPROACH

 Learner engages in scientifically-oriented question.

Different Levels of Inquiry in the Classroom

Science teaching in K to 12 Curriculum intends to help form Science students who

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