Lesson ¥ A Closer Look at the Teachers \ and the Teaching Profession in the | ASEAN and Beyond ~PURITA P. BILBAO, EdD. Referencing és looking into each country’s educational practices in order to harmonize as the ASEAN converge with One Vision, One Saentity and into. One Community. e Draw a holistic picture of the teachers and the _ teaching profession in the ASEAN. ‘the similarities of the characteristics WN teachers and teaching profession as ASEAN teachers and teaching other countries of the world- ited States of America.Lesion 2: A Cl Laok atthe Teach ond the Ye ‘Chapter 5: On Becoming 2 Glcol Teacher ° sion tw EI ond Byori? He Jeble 2: Variations in.the numb ace es mber of years in basic education level ¢ Variations | Levels of Schooling and Number of Years™ a ri Lower | Upper “oral | Countries (as of 2013) Hlementary | Secondary| Seeonary | number | Rae — of Years Version Syrs 4ys [By 12 Lao PDR Version 1 Syn 4 years [2 yrs 1 years | Myanmar version 3 ] Version 3 6 ys 3yrs [ays Ti yrs | Malaysia Version s i 4 6y Sym [3yrs 12 ys | Brunei, Cambodia Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam Version 5 6 yrs 4 yrs 2 ys (pre- | 12 yrs_| Singapore, Philippines vniversity for Singspore) “ASEAN State of Education Report, 2013 In summary, basic education levels in most ASEAN countries have 12 years of formal schooling, divided into primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels. All primary education levels are compulsory, while in some countries the secondary level is voluntary except the Philippines. In Singapore, the last two year levels are pre-university levels. For the secondary level; there is a variation of 5, 6 or 7 years ch are either labeled as middle school, junior high ‘school or lower or upper secondary sal kindergarten and pre-school number of years in the primary is Jevels of Elementary/Primary In summary, basic education levels jn most ASEAN countries have 12 years of formal ‘schooling, divided into primary, lower secondary and upper secondary levels. All primary ‘education levels are compulsory, while in some countries the secondary level is voluntary except the will provide the future jobs of graduates. evel which is beyond thecourses in real class situation. ASEAN countries have comparable academic teacher education preparations, however there are those who have gone beyond their borders, while others are still strengthening their programs, Differences are according to the context and needs and the education system of the particular member country, their history culture and aspirations. Here are some commonalities in the teacher preparation. . Components of Teacher Preparation Qualified, professionally trained, motivated and well supported teachers are the key to quality education. The future teacher academic preparations should be responsive to this call. Common to all the ASEAN countries, are four important components which are being addressed in the preparation of teachers!: 1. General knowledge and understanding - This cluster of knowledge and understanding are embedded in the general education or liberal arts education subjects in college as preparatory to the core content subjects in the professional education. The cluster of subjects in the liberal education provides the development of the person-hood of the future teacher. (What to Know about Oneself and World.) Pedagogy - This component provides variety of teaching delivery approaches beyond the traditional methods of teaching. The more innovative methods including student-centered approaches, cooperative project-based learning and many more , national values to enhance, peace development, respect for and global citizenship. s, principles and m "ASEAN countries have comparable scademic teacher ‘education preparations, however there are those who have gone beyond their borders, while others are still strengthening their programs. Differences are accorting to the context and needs and the education system of the particular member country, their history culture and aspirations.anon 2: Alt kh Techs dh hahing Rees oS seas 8 le Tacs iroching Polaton in the ASEAN at Beyord There o Oren? from country to country and from school to school. Sometimes actual teaching refers to contact time or time on task, * Management of Learning - refers to activities that support the actual teaching. This can be beyond actual teaching time like remediation or enhancement, homework, or co-curricular activities. + Administrative work - refers to the teachers’ job that includes writing test items, checking and recording of test paper results, attending to parents, making reports and other related activities. With all the responsibilities that the teacher is required to do, the salary of the teacher varies across the different countries. In the ASEAN teacher’s salary ranges from as low as USD 120.50 to as high as USD 2,589.00 per month or even higher as in the case of Singapore which is around $45,755.00 per year according to the Global Teacher Status Index Report. is based on qualification, teaching experiences ‘or grade assigned. Teaching in the public ‘Iso have a different salary scale. In there are fringe benefits provided like maternity pay and other bonuses. imary level, teachers handle more than ed subject. In fact in some countries . Philippines, all the subjects in the grade by one teacher in a self-contained ne cases, team teaching is practiced r horizontally. In the vertical team Science will be taught 1 to Grade 6, whileBecoming © Glocal Tchr Stud i ee =a wishing to attend university must pass one of abe ans of the National University Entrance ation. The quality and reputation of the school will depend on the number of student anj s passing the examination (Changbin, 1995; Kwang, 2000) eer or Education, one of the fundamental Chinese traditions, cura a new era of deep transformation after 1949 Education was used as a vital tool for centralization and unification of the country. The new educational system includes: six years of primary education. three years of junior middle school, three years of senior middle school. six years of university varieties of technical and vocational schools. The political and ideological orientation of teacher education is “to cultivate cultured persons as teachers with lofty ideals, high morality, strong discipline, a sense of mission as educators, engineers of the human soul and the gardeners of the nation’s flowers ” (Leung and Hui, 2000) There are two main categories of teachers in China, _ based on the source and structure of their salary or pay. ‘The first category is the gonghan (state-paid) teachers who earn salary comparable with other state employees ‘in state-owned enterprises. The second category is the ‘minban (community ) teachers who are paid by local com y de ‘on the community income. are categorized into grades sf service and their standard em are as flows: st level which occupy 15non 2: A Ce ok he Ther ond hs Teching Pao he secondary level, witho Class Certificate will by In addition to the qualifications, prospective tea number of credits in educa to be taught. Becoming Employed as a Teacher Most of the public school teachers are prefectural employees even if they teach in municipal schools. Prefectures play an important role in the selection and hiring of teachers. In addition to completing a degree, the teacher applicant must secure a license to teach from the prefectural board of education. A license awarded by any the ASEAN ond Boor. There 0 Direc? — 19 ut a Master’s degree, the Second ¢ issued. length of study and degree ichers must earn a prescribed tion studies and in the subjects prefecture is valid in all prefectures. However, applicant : is required to take prefectural appointment examinations. A prefectural appointment examination is given in two stages. First stage, consists of written tests in general education and specialized fields and skills test for P.E. Music and Art. All applicants for lower secondary teaching jobs are required to take a test in physical fitness. Second stage consists of interviews. Age is a very important consideration for teacher applicants. More than one half of the prefectures require applicants to be under the age of 30. But once the s gain entry to the teaching profession, they red of lifetime employment. They are promoted the basis of seniority, as in all public seetor ‘private corporation employment. Because ion are very careful in selecting are extremely rare and normally conduct. from one school to anotherChopter 5: On Becoming « Glocal Teacher onthe ASEAN ond Beyond Is Thar o Dillerene? teson 2: A Close Lock othe Teaches ond the he Teoching Pefesion are allowed to enter the profes: the National T ote or Prax’ on. This examination is - ae Examination (NTE) or on Praxis 1 ee Taa 1 cvriben test. Many states, now requir thet teachers also renew their certification by continuing ake goal credits.” Permanent certification is if the teacher performs adequately according to the standards established by the state. Recruitment of Teachers. After following the successful completion of an application process, a superintendent approves the applicant and then forwards a recommendation to hire to the local school board. Once signed, a teacher has a legally binding contract to work, unless guilty of a crime, fails to show teaching competency, or demonstrates egregious professional conduct. ‘He/She is expected to complete teaching during the term of his/her contract, with exception for pregnancy, medical leaves and unforeseen emergencies. Salaries of Teachers. The salary range for teachers is determined by education and experience as by locale. ‘Teachers who have earned “masters plus 30 doctorate units” earn more than those with master’s degrees, while teachers with master’s degrees receive a higher salary than the bachelor’s degree holder. Merit pay has been adopted by some school districts, those who teach in sub-urban school districts or large towns typically earn more than teachers in either urban or rural districts. achers work at another job during the school n the average according to the Global rt, the average income of teachers 121 in USA, those working in a ‘elementary schools seemed more child- focused in their discussions and believed that a good teacher is a kind person, one who is “understanding” and “sensitive to the needs of children.” The secondary ‘school teachers generally consider themselves subject- matter specialists. ” teacher slightly differsbelief that pup of 46% Actoy the Middle Ea respondents thoug teachers than respect them 2. Perception of Teach Below countries surveyed current ht that the pupil ary is too little, too m Pilk respect teachers with an’ average Europe, there are higher levels of pessimism students’ respect for teachers than in Axia and st. In most of the European countrie disrespect is the average actual teacher salary in the The respondents were asked if the ch or just enough. Participating Actual Average Salary Participating Fectual Average Salary [Turkey Porugal Country per Year in USD$ Country per Year in USD$ China $17,730.00 Spain $29,475.00, Greece $23,341.00 Finland ‘$28,740.00. $25,378.00 $23,614.00 South Korea, $43,874.00 $28,438.00 $10,604.00 $45,755.00 $37,218.00 $44,917.00 $33,377.00 $28,828.00 ‘Switzerland Japan Ttaly Czech Republic $39,326.00 ‘$43,775.00 $28,603.00 $19,953.00each ond Becoming @ Gloca Teaches = the ASEAN ond Boo ed Status thar ne, the weaken teaching, opport Over we used to take for granted. 1g respect for teachers will weaken learning, damage learning unities for millions and ultimately weaken societies around the world, é declinin He also said: “It is with immense pride that I say, that my parents were teachers T recently spoke with my mother about what she believed they had achieved by becoming teachers. She spoke fondly about the goodwill that they enjoyed locally as a result of their chosen vocation. Those who taught were held in high esteem. Teachers were often the most educated people in the community, so were tured to as source of advice and guidance. Most importantly, of course, they sparked the imagination of children who went on to accomplish great things for themselves and society.” Summary “Lesson 2 gave us the glimpse about the status of professional teachers and the teaching profession in the ASEAN and beyond, Holistically, it described the current levels of basic education schooling where the tcachers are supposed to be employéd. Teachers 127