Define the concepts of professionalism and dual (twofold) professionalism in education and

training. What does each concept mean, and what constitutes professionalism and dual
professionalism?
Explain what they are, and how they relate to education and training.
Explain ways in which professional values influence your own practice in own area of
specialism. Give examples.

The concept of professionalism within education and training has been described by Craig
and Fieschi (2007, p. 2) as “a set of collectively held norms that regulate teaching according
to values and practices”. It is apparent that from this interpretation, professionalism can be
considered as a way of behaving, in fact it can be thought of as a way of acting that is
considered appropriate to the role that an individual undertakes, and in the case of
education and training this is likely to be the job role of a teacher. However, Wilson (2014)
asserts that the role of a teacher should not be considered as that of a job but most
definitely a profession, given the demands placed on those within this vocation.
It is evident that professionalism is an important consideration within teaching and as such
what constitutes professionalism warrants interrogation by practitioners. It could be
considered as rational to have a definitive list of behaviours that constitute professionalism,
however given the varied nature of contemporary teaching practice this is rather impractical
(Petty, 2009). Therefore, there have been various ‘Codes of Practice’ devised by relevant
bodies within the education and training sector from the Institute for Learning (IfL) who
publish a broad and generic ‘Code of Practice’ to those published more specifically by
independent industry bodies within the sector. The IfL (2012) publish the ‘Code of
Professional Practice’ that helps professionals to inform their practice and judge for
themselves what constitutes professionalism. It outlines seven key behaviours that teachers
should strive to work towards in order to demonstrate professionalism within their role,
namely:
- Professional integrity
- Respect
- Reasonable care
- Professional practice
- Criminal offence disclosure
- Responsibility during Institute investigations
- Responsibility to the Institute

The purpose of the ‘Code of Professional Practice’ is to outline the key behaviours that
underpin professional practice. For example, the principle of ‘Respect’ the ‘Code of
Professional Practice’ outlines how teachers must respect the rights of others in accordance
with the relevant organisational and legislative requirements. Moreover, it details how they
must behave in a manner that recognises diversity as a positive and that does not
discriminate on account of protected characteristics.
The concept of professionalism is important within education and training as teachers are
themselves in control of their own professional status and as such they must self-regulate
their behaviour to maintain this (Wilson, 2014). It is noted by Davies (2006) that teachers
can enter the profession from a variety of backgrounds from long-standing careers in
industry or from a graduate degree programme. Therefore, it may be the case that different
individuals will have different approaches to professionalism and as such the need for
guidelines is evident. In attaining and maintaining professional status with teaching
(potentially through Professional Formulation with the IfL), practitioners commit to being
considered as a career professional and as part of this must meet certain requirements.
They must ensure that they undertake adequate Continuing Professional Development
(CPD) to keep their practice up-to-date and they must also ensure that they work towards
organisational guidelines and legislative requirements in relation to their practice (Armitage
et al., 2003). It is apparent, therefore, that in relation to education and training
professionalism can have a significant impact on a teacher and their practice (Curzon and
Tummons, 2013; Gould and Roffey-Barensten, 2014).
The notion of dual professionalism can be considered as an expansion of the concept of
professionalism with specific consideration of the education and training sector. In addition
to being able to maintain professional status, teachers need to be effective practitioners if
they are to be successful and make meaningful contributions to the sectors. Therefore, the
concept of dual professionalism has been described by Machin et al. (2014) as ‘expert
subject knowledge and skills partnered with a sufficient knowledge and understanding in
teaching and learning processes and practices’. The move towards dual professionalism
within education and training has a number of impacts on practitioners as it means that
they must now obtain mandatory qualifications in teaching that are commensurate with
their role and a minimum of a Level 3 qualification in the subject they are to teach. It also
outlines the requirement for them to have sufficient competency in the minimum core of
literacy, numeracy and ICT. It is apparent, therefore, that teachers have a number of
requirements placed on them as a result of dual professionalism. In relation to education
and training, this means that teachers must complete the relevant teaching qualifications
and if not already competent must undertake training to enhance their skills in the
minimum core subjects (Wallace, 2011; Huddleston and Unwin, 2013).
It is apparent that the concept of professionalism, and perhaps more so the notion of dual
professionalism, are important considerations for practitioners but as indicated these are
underpinned by professional values. In fact, Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) described teacher
standards in relation to three key features, namely: the values that underpin teaching
philosophies, the content knowledge relevant to the subject area and the teaching
knowledge and skills applied within practice (LLUK, 2006, cited in Wilson, 2014). It is evident
that professionalism and dual professionalism are inherent within this conceptualisation but
also important is the feature of values. Whilst ‘Codes of Practice’ are beneficial in outlining
appropriate conduct in terms of practitioner’s behaviour, they only go so far in guiding them
in terms of the values that they may hold and as such this warrants consideration (Petty,
2009). The work of Wilson (2014) suggests that values within teaching may centre on certain
factors within education and training, namely:
 - The quality of teaching and learning
- The progress and achievement of learners
- The motivating of learners
- The integrity of assessment
- The personal and professional development of teachers
- The need for equality and inclusion within practice
- The communication and collaboration with other professionals
- The working towards ‘Codes of Practice’.

It is suggested that practitioners will hold specific values in relation to such aspects of
practice and these will subsequently impact on their approaches towards teaching and
learning. For example, in relation to the need for equality and inclusion with practice, a
teacher may hold values relating to the grouping of learners. They may feel that it is only fair
to have learners in mixed ability groups and this will in turn affect their practice. It is evident
that values can have a substantial impact on teaching and learning and as such it is
important that practitioners reflect on their own professional values (Reece and Walker,
2007).
In relation to my own professional values, I ensure that I reflect on these and consider how
they may affect the decisions I make within my teaching practice. I know that when
considering the quality of teaching and learning, I strongly believe planning to be an
important aspect of this and as such I always thoroughly plan programmes of learning and
teaching session plans. As part of this I always give due consideration organisational factors
as given the practical nature of my subject specialism factors such as groupings and the use
of space, for example, when setting up a skills practice within a sports hall, are important
aspects of the planning process (Light, 2012). In relation to learner progress, I consider
learner independence to be essential within learner progress and as such endeavour to give
learners ownership of their own learning, for example, by allowing them to set their
attainment targets with my support. I also ensure that I utilise continual assessment
throughout the programmes of learning that I deliver so as to support learners to monitor
their own progress (Gould and Roffey-Barensten, 2014).
I know that when considering the motivation of learners, I highly value learners’
engagement over the course of a teaching session and as such I ensure that I include a
number of activities that require learner involvement as I consider these to be facilitative in
motivating learners (Reece and Walker, 2007). This is also aided by the fact that by subject
by nature necessitates practical involvement in order to facilitate effective learning
(Armour, 2011). Also with consideration of learner motivation, I consider this to be an
important aspect in behaviour management also and so I utilise positive reinforcement to
motivate learners and promote appropriate behaviour within sessions (Fontana, 1994). I
also aim to encourage learners to self-regulate their own behaviour within the teaching
session as I feel that this is something that learners should take responsibility for, with me
only needing to intervene as a final measure (Vizard, 2007). I strongly believe, in relation to
the integrity of assessment, that all learners should be provided with fair access to
assessment, however, at the same time I also feel that it is important that this is in line with
Awarding Body guidelines so as to ensure that learners are not unfairly advantaged either. I
ensure that I am thorough in my undertaking of learner assessments and always ensure that
I gather evidence that is valid, authentic, current, sufficient and reliable (Tummons, 2011).
In relation to the values I hold around teacher development, I am extremely committed to
developing myself as a practitioner and as such have undertaken and am undertaking all of
the required teaching qualifications required to make sure that I am sufficiently qualified. I
am committed to maintaining my professional status following this and will undergo
Professional Formulation with the IfL and subsequently continue to undertake CPD relevant
to my subject specialism. It may be that this relates to the use of models-based practice
within sport pedagogy and I undergo CPD around a specific model such as the Teaching
Games for Understanding (TGfU) model (Griffin and Butler, 2004). With consideration of
following ‘Codes of Practice’ I always ensure that I behave in line with the recommendations
of these and that I work in accordance with those adopted by the organisation for which I
teach, which is important given my subject specialism as that practical nature of my subject
of sport means that topics such as safeguarding are particularly pertinent, as I may be
required to supervise learners whilst they are changing or I may have to manually guide
learners so that they can correctly learn a sport skills such as a chest pass within netball
(Armour, 2011).
I know that when considering the need for equality and inclusion, I strongly believe mixed
ability groups to be beneficial to learning as such structure my teaching sessions
accordingly. I endeavour to ensure a sufficient number of higher and lower level learners
are with each group and this is particularly important in relation to my subject specialism so
as to ensure that teams are more evenly matched and that learners are all provided with a
chance of success (Murphy, 2011). In relation to collaborating with other colleagues, I
regularly attend standardisation sessions as I believe these to be an important opportunity
to share best practice with colleagues and to discuss any potential problems that have
arisen within practice with other professionals to gain their insight into the matter.
It is apparent that the professional values that I hold can have and do have a significant
impact on the way in which I plan, deliver and assess within education and training. I ensure
that I frequently reflect on these values as whilst they guide my practice, this may not
always be for the best and so I must be critical in my reflection so as to ensure that I manage
these appropriately and that whilst I let them support and guide my practice, I do not let
them dictate it.
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