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Teacher’s Ethos and Moral and Professional Identity

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The International Handbook of Teacher Ethos

Abstract

The professional identity of teachers and the moral dimensions of their work and authority are issues increasingly challenging in contemporary, global and diverse societies. This chapter addresses them, at first in theoretical terms, discussing the tension between the initial idealism of novice teachers versus the growing realism of experienced teachers, the tension between vocation and profession, and teacher’s ethos. Secondly, in empirical terms, based upon 19 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with experienced professionals, from public and private schools in Catalonia, pointed out by their peers as examples of good teachers. Their responses about the features that define a “good teacher” are analysed according to the attributed: (a) personal characteristics; (b) capacities; (c) ethical values; and (d) competences. Overall, their views underscore the importance of establishing positive and caring relations with pupils, fostering mutual trust among them, and educating them in values and morals, at least implicitly, by example. Also considered are variables such as the moral leadership of teachers in the classroom, their social and emotional skills, and their self- knowledge. Finally, the implications of the study are put in the context of the Model of Moral Personality Construction, which integrates key elements of other approaches to Character Education.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Neuroscience has also contributed in this respect, arguing that a leader should have high synapses, it is to say, fast dendritic connections, associated with a higher IQ and problem solving skills.

  2. 2.

    There are succesful examples that, although located in an American context, should not be dismissed. For instance, the works of the Center for Character & Citizenship, directed by Marvin W. Berkowitz —a disciple of Kolhberg—, among others. The headmasters should pay attention not only to the professional training of teachers, but also to their instructional abilities, the quality of teaching, the academic performance, and the accountability of the institution, in addition to the needs and demands of children and families, as seen from the point of view of their diverse backgrounds: cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and socioeconomic.

  3. 3.

    In the model of “the moral personality construction” developed by the GREM (Puig, 1996), we proposed the strengthening of three dimensions: cognitive, emotional and volitional. In this case, to foster moral leadership means basically to strengthen the emotional and volitional dimensions, because the cognitive one will already be incorporated in the other two (Buxarrais, 1997).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    María Rosa Buxarrais

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  1. María Rosa Buxarrais
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Correspondence to María Rosa Buxarrais .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fribourg, Switzerland

    Fritz Oser

  2. University of Teacher Education Upper Austria, Linz, Austria

    Karin Heinrichs

  3. University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany

    Johannes Bauer

  4. University of Newcastle Australia, Callaghan, NSW, Australia

    Terence Lovat

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Buxarrais, M.R. (2021). Teacher’s Ethos and Moral and Professional Identity. In: Oser, F., Heinrichs, K., Bauer, J., Lovat, T. (eds) The International Handbook of Teacher Ethos. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73644-6_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73644-6_9

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