Ethics for Student Teachers

Teacher Education Program
Department of Physics
Illinois State University

(last updated 1/01/2010)

In addition to the professional teaching standards referenced in PHY 311, student teachers are expected to adhere to an addition set of professional standards.

First and foremost, student teachers must be aware that the conceptual framework of the ISU Teacher Education Realizing the Democratic Ideal serves as the cornerstone of professional ethics for student teaching. As such, every student teacher should know that the Democratic Ideal consists of four moral and five intellectual virtues.

The moral virtues are:

• sensitivity toward the varieties of individual and cultural diversity;
• disposition and ability to collaborate ethically and effectively with others;
• reverence for learning and a seriousness of personal, professional and public purpose; and
• respect for learners of all ages and a special regard for children and adolescents.

The intellectual virtues are:

• wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of the content to be taught;
• knowledge and appreciation of the diversity among learners;
• understanding of what affects learning and appropriate teaching strategies;
• interest in and an ability to seek out informational, technological, and collegial resources; and
• contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage enough to be creative.

Students failing to exhibit even one of these standards in a significant way during student teaching will not pass student teaching (regardless of earned grade), and the student will be barred from graduating under the teacher education program at Illinois State University. Concerns about such will be addressed through the "dispositions concerns" process. This is TED's policy and one the PTE coordinator fully supports.

The following are examples of failure to exhibit one or more of the ISU intellectual and/or moral virtues. Failures are not limited to these acts only:

• Failure to arrive at school in a timely fashion.
• Failure to communicate late arrival or missing of a school day.
• Failure to participate in the school's extracurricular activities when expected to do so.
• Failure to adequately prepare for classes, including lack of understanding of content.
• Failure to develop and teach from detailed lesson plans that include objectives, activities, and assessments.
• Failure to set and communicate high expectations for students (e.g., slow class pacing, low-level content requiring only memorization)
• Failure to follow guidance provided by cooperating teacher(s) without just cause.
• Failure to make changes in light of recommendations/requests by cooperating teacher(s) or university supervisor.
• Failure to follow instructions of school administrators.
• Failure to complete reflections and/or self-assessments.
• Failure to adhere to or enforce school policies.
• Failure to implement a meaningful and substantive multicultural/diversity lesson plan.
• Failure to promote meaningful reading practices among students.
• Failure to demonstrate interpersonal communication skills required of a teacher.
• Failure to show due concern for student learning.
• Failure to show all due regard for students, the school, or the profession of teaching.
• Lying to a cooperating teacher (e.g., stating that something has been done when it has not been done)
• Awarding a fictitious score (e.g., assigning a fitictious score after loosing a student's submission)
• Three or more unresolved deficiencies* on any of the ten NSTA science teaching standards in the Student Teacher Performance Assessment form (*defined as a mean score of less than 2.0 among all dimensions of one standard).

Due to the importance of these standards, it is imperative that the student teacher objectively, systematically, and regularly review all standards in cooperation with supervisors - especially the cooperating teacher(s).

Additional responsibilities associated with Student Teaching:

a. The student has the responsibility to attain and maintain all of the stated requirements for student teaching listed in the Student Teaching Handbook. Among these are the following:

• submitting required reports and documentation on a timely basis
• conferring with the cooperating teacher, building principal, and university supervisor regarding roles and expectations during the experience
• reporting in advance all absences to the cooperating teacher and university supervisor
• attending specified campus seminars
• conducting himself/herself, at all times, in a professional manner appropriate to that of a professional educator
• developing competence that will enable a successful entry into the induction phase of teaching
• submitting written and detailed lesson plans in advance with copies shared with the cooperating teacher, and university supervisor when requested
• adhering to and enforcing school policies and procedures

b. The student has the responsibility to be thoroughly familiar with the Illinois State University undergraduate catalog and the handbooks distributed for student teaching.