QUALITIES OF COMMERCE TEACHER
QUALITIES OF COMMERCE TEACHER
Every society expects its educational institutions to help in developing competent citizens who would at the same time maintain the existing values and adopt fresh ones.
Every school subject must, either through the matter taught or through the ways of learning it, contribute to the growth of knowledge and competence in learners.
Teacher occupies an important place in the process of education and a great responsibility therefore devolves upon the teacher. According to Binning, 'Teaching is a progressive occupation and the teacher must ever be a student".
From the point of view of society as well the teacher occupies an important place; Dr. Radha Krishnan has rightly remarked, 'The teacher's place in society is of vital importance. He acts as the pivot for the transmission of intellectual traditions and technical skill from generation to generation and helps to keep the lamp of civilisation burning".
In order to prove worthy of the trust reposed in him the teacher must have certain qualities and characteristics. The qualities and characteristics are required for teachers of every subject. This is true about teacher of commerce as well.
Teacher
The teacher of commerce is expected to possess certain qualities and characteristics. Such qualities are described in brief in the following pages:
In a nut shell it can be said, 'The teacher of commerce must be properly qualified person and should possess the training qualifications to teach."
For any improvement in commerce education a well qualified and trained commerce teacher is a must. The most important of the several qualities expected of a commerce teacher is the he should be devoted to the profession of teacher. It has been observed that persons generally after taking training in commerce teaching profession switch-over to some other profession. The subject of commerce has now received wide recognition and acceptability, second only to science subjects. Therefore, it has become essential that profession of commerce teacher is taken up very seriously.
Since the first and foremost duty of a commerce teacher is to teach so it is desirable that he fulfills the requirements of the profession and possesses the necessary qualifications.
Qualifications of a Commerce Teacher
A teacher of Commerce should have :
(i) A master's degree in commerce.
(ii) A bachelor's degree in education.
(iii) Specialisation in Commerce education.
(iv) A good academic back-ground in Economics.
(v) Proficiency in skill subjects.
(vi) A thorough understanding and knowledge of theories of skills.
Besides these, he should have special aptitude and training in the audio-visual aids and vocational guidance. He should have enough of professional experience and training to undertake the teaching of type-writing and short-hand efficiently. The success and prospect of vocationalisation at secondary stage largely depends upon this aspect of specialisation on the part of the commerce teacher.
Specially on instructor or a teacher. Who is required to teach short-hand and type-writing must have specialisation in these subjects and a good back-ground in teaching methods of commerce subjects.
Knowledge of teaching short-hand and type-writing in English or any other regional language should be essential for a commerce teacher. Teachers for teaching short-hand and type-writing should be professional rather than M.Com. with specialisation in short-hand and typewriting It is better to appoint a person, to teach short-hand and typewriting, who has practiced these subjects as stenographers at more than 100 words per minute for more than five years. These persons will fare well and try to develop the vocational skills of students.
QUALITIES OF COMMERCE TEACHER
Various qualities which are desirable in a commerce teacher are as follows:
Personal Qualities:-
(i) He should have a good personality.
(ii) He should be graciously dressed.
(iii) He should be man with qualities of integrity, fairness and moral fitness.
(iv) He should have a pleasant speaking voice.
(v) He should possess a good physical and mental health.
(vi) He should be socially acceptable to his colleagues.
(vii) He should have interest and aptitude in teaching profession. In this respect Mudaliar Commission observed, 'Teachers must develop a new orientation towards their work. They should lode upon their work as a great social and intellectual adventure".
(viii) His relationship with his students be polite, submissive and friendly.
(ix) He must have an urge of learning new trends in this subject of Specialisation.
(x) He should be able contrive and use a variety of teaching- learning procedures.
(xi) He should be trained in use of various instructional techniques such as committee of work, question-answer, demonstration, project, discussion etc.
(xii) He should be competent to develop, construct and use a wide variety of teaching aids.
(xiii) He should be able to use variety of methods to evaluate pupils' progress and his own growth as teacher.
(xiv) He should be able to function efficiently in the guidance programme of the school.
(xv) He should be able to function well in organisation and supervision of co curricular activities.
(xvi) He should have a good understanding of the needs of students in relation to knowledge.
(xvii) He should have a good understanding of current world conditions and problems.
(xviii) He should have a good proficiency of observation and records of behaviors, interest and development of students.
(xix) A good habit of study and research in commerce education.
Interests of commerce teacher
A commerce teacher to be successful should have a variety of interest.
These may be summarised as under:
Community Interests
(i) He must be an active member of parent-teacher association.
(ii) He should be actively interested in community activities.
(iii) He should be interested in student's clubs and other school Activities.
Professional Interest
(i) He should have knowledge of equipments of business and industry.
(ii) He must remain in touch with the latest researches in his filed of interest.
(iii) He should have a personal library of bodes and magazines of Commerce, Economics and Education.
(iv) He should try to acquire professional growth through higher education in Commerce, Economics and Education.
(v) He should make it a point to participate in summer schools, work-shops, refresher courses and other in-service education programmes organised for commerce teachers.
(vi) He should contribute articles to magazines of Commerce, Education, and Economics.
Knowledge of values helps the teacher to avoid aimlessness in teaching value is the source of aim and vice-versa. One aims at a thing because one values it. When we teach commerce in the light of its aims, we shall realise its values.
An activity becomes purposeful when it is pursued with certain aims and objectives. Aim helps us to know what the outcome of an activity would be. The aim directs the activity. It enables us to decide the methods, devices and contents of the subject to be studied. The teacher should keep in view the aims while teaching the subject.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF COMMERCE TEACHER
The following criterion is used to select the aims and objectives of teaching commerce:
(I) This knowledge should help the pupil in his daily life.
(II) It should be related to the materials with which the pupil is familiar and should not be based on obsolete devices and ideas.
(III) It should make pupil fit for society.
(IV) It must provide him some practical experiences which form a part of his learning process.
(V) It should inculcate a commercial temper in the student.
Objectives for teaching commerce
Objectives are the specific and precise behavioral outcome of teaching a particular topic in commerce. The objectives of a topic in commerce help in realizing some general aim of teaching commerce. The characteristics of a good objective are as under.
(I) It should be specific and precise.
(II) It should be attainable.
Commerce education forms a part of education of the child. According to John Dewey, "Education is not a preparation of life, but life itself. School is a miniature society, facing problems, similar to those faced in life. The basic purpose of school is to train pupils in cooperative and naturally helpful living. The child is to share the resources of the society and make his own contribution to the maintenance and development of that society".
According to Mahatma Gandhi, "Man is neither mere intellect nor the gross animal body, nor the heart nor soul alone. A proper and harmonious combination of all the three is required for making the whole men and it constitutes the true economics of education". Further "A perfect well balanced all round education is one in which the intellect, the body and the spirit have all full play and develop together into a natural harmonious whole".
Commerce education is to be imparted keeping in view the above ingredients of Education.
John Stuart Mill defines Education as follows, "Not only does it include whatever we do for ourselves and whatever is done for us by others for the express purpose of bringing us somewhat near to perfection of our nature, it does more, in its largest acceptation. It comprehends even the indirect effect produced on character and on human faculties, by things of which the direct purposes are quite different, by laws, by forms of government, by the industrial arts, by modes of social life; may even by physical facts not dependent on human will, soil and local position. Whatever helps to shape the human beings to make the individual what he is, or hinder him for what he is not-is part if his education.
The appropriate definition in context with commerce education is given by Tonne, "Young men have learned business by working with the masters. The bright ones succeed because of shrewd observations and because the operations were simple. Many more failed that was necessary. Specific on the job training being developed now to meet the need of the businessman that has become too intricate to be turnaround by hit and trial methods".
Blooms' Taxonomy of Objectives
Bloom's taxonomy of objectives is a classification of instructional objectives in a hierarchy. According to it specific objective, have been classified into the following three categories;
(i) Cognitive domain objective.
(ii) Effective domain objectives.
(iii) Psycho motor domain objectives.
The cognitive domain objectives include knowledge, understanding, applications, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
The affective domain objectives include the appreciations, values, attitudes, interests and feelings.
The Psychomotor domain objectives include skills.
The subject 'Elements of Commerce' is also known as 'Business
Methods' or as 'General Business'. Its objectives are as follows:
1. Knowledge Objective
(a) Ability to recall facts, concepts, items and principles in Elements of Commerce.
(b) Ability to recognise facts, concepts, preformed etc., in Elements of commerce.
(c) Ability to locate commercial information's in books, reports, periodicals, newspapers, charts, diagrams and advertisements etc.
2. Understanding Objective
(a) Ability to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant, essential and incidental etc.
(b) Ability to discriminate between different facts and different concepts in commercial operations.
(c) Ability to locate, classifies, compare and contrast commercial information.
(d) Ability to cite illustrations.
(e) Ability to detect and rectify errors.
(f) Ability to interpret data presented in various forms.
(g) Ability to recognise underlying assumptions and to identify relationships
(h) Ability to give reasons for occurrence of phenomenon
3. Application Objective
(a) Ability to analyse new problems to identify the issues involved in it.
(b) Ability of selecting the facts relevant to new situations and to eliminate irrelevant matter.
(c) Ability to verify new hypotheses.
(d) Ability to draw inference.
(e) Ability to predict.
(f) Ability to suggest improvements in the process.
4. Skill Objective
(a) Ability to write effective business letters and documents.
(b) Ability to prepare models, sketches etc., of business appliances.
(c) Ability to handle instruments and office appliances properly.
(d) Ability of collecting, preserving and displaying relevant information's.
5. Interest Objective
Student gets interested
(a) To read newspapers, magazines, books etc., related to Elements of Commerce.
(b) To collect specimens, pictures, charts, data, cuttings; etc.
(c) To discuss social, economic and commercial problems, with his fellows, teachers and parents.
(d) To visit places of social, economic and commercial interest.
(e) To exhibit his artistic talents of commercial subjects
Attitude Objectives: The student
(a) Develops an ability to critically examines new developments in the field of business, trade and commerce
(b) Develops an attitude of realistic thinking towards new developments
(c) Develops a spirit of healthy competition and cooperation.
(d) Exhibits sympathy and good behaviour in his dealings.
(e) Develops habits of hard work.
(f) Develops enterprising spirit.
(g) Considers inter-dependence of nations as essential for economic growth.
7. Appreciation Objective
The student
(a) Appreciates the inter-relationship between the growth of civilisation and commerce.
(b) Appreciates the feet that it is through commercial process that human wants are satisfied.
(c) Appreciates minimization of disparity and inequality of physical resources.
(d) Appreciates the contribution made by the business agencies and commercial houses to well being and prosperity of society.
(e) Appreciates that personality factors are important for the success of business.
In addition to teaching, which is the primary duty of a commerce teacher, he has to carry out many other duties in the school. Some of these are as follows:
(i) To maintain discipline in the class.
(ii) To keep in touch with the business community.
(iii) To act as a guide to students and help them in the choice of their subjects.
(iv) To evaluate the students.
(v) To maintain a proper record of the progress of each student.
(vi) To prepare the lesson-plan.
(vii) To provide guidance and counseling services.
(viii) To prepare written reports.
(ix) To prepare requisition for supplies.
(x) To organise co curricular activities,
(xii) To take care of the equipment.
For carrying out these duties efficiently it is desirable that working teachers improve upon their knowledge, skill etc. and keep it upto date. It is in this perspective that teachers try their best to enhance their professional abilities. There are many a ways for professional growth, by which they can enrich and enhance their experiences. Some of these are described here:
Mastery on the Subject
Without mastery on his subject a teacher is not likely to command a good respect among students.
Teachers Training
It is quite desirable that only trained teachers be appointed in schools. A course in teachers training makes him a perfect teacher. In a school the teacher has to deal with adolescents and he is expected to apply the psychology of learning It is desirable that he be well versed in the learning process. Moreover a trained teacher will be able to look after the sociological and philosophical concepts that he is required to deal while dealing with students.
Professional Attitude
A teacher should be sincere to his duties and profession and should possess a professional attitude towards his job. In India we find that most of the teachers including commerce teachers adopt a negative attitude and on most of occasions, they state,
"Whatever we had to become, we have become. Now we are not going to become district magistrates. We should work to the extent that entitles us to get the pay."
Such an attitude is quite derogatory and is not in consonance with the professional ethics. Such an attitude is likely to degenerate the standard of teaching. The products of such teachers will be debarred from right type of education. It is thus quite logical for teachers to have a sense of realisation as long as they work as teachers.
Keeping abreast of changes
A teacher occupies an important position in the educational set up. He is a nation builder and to carry out his job in right earnest the teacher has to have an over-view of the present and peep into the future. He has to make modifications in the patterns of education. For all these it is essential for a teacher to keep himself abrest of the changes.
Dynamic in thought and action
The best teacher is one who tries to equip himself with the latest, know-how and information required in his area of specialisation. A teacher should therefore keep himself engaged in learning new things continuously. In this way he can serve better and do more justice to his profession.
Store of knowledge
The teacher should try to become the library of vast stores of knowledge. He should collect various types of books. For promising teaching this is quite important.
Attending Seminar and Conferences
A good teacher is always on the lookout of an opportunity to participate in a seminar or a conference. By participating in such seminars and conferences the teacher broadens his out-look and expands his knowledge.
Contribution in Paper and Journals
A good teacher contributes his mite by communicating his ideas in black and white. This is possible if he publishes his papers in journals of repute. In this way he will be helping other to benefit from his ideas.
Organisation of Exhibitions and Fairs
It is only in exhibitions and fairs that a teacher contributes his best ideas. In this way students community gets the maximum benefit. By participating in these exhibitions and fairs the students get practical experience of most of the things they have understood. Organisation of such exhibitions and Mrs helps in enhancing the knowledge and skill of the teacher as also of the students. It is thus desirable to organise such an activity once a year.
Setting up of Association
Teachers generally set up such associations to make their bargaining capacity stronger. But the teacher can discuss and solve their difficult problems during meetings of such associations. Such an association can, therefore, easily become a forum for discussions and publications of professional articles. Through this association teachers are likely to enrich their experiences.
Practice Oriented
No improvement in education is possible until it becomes practice oriented. Both for teachers and students it is essential to maintain a profile of business, trade and industry and school. The syllabus be modified to cater to the business needs and emphasis be laid on such courses in commerce for which ready market exists in different sectors of economy.
Research hobbies of commerce teachers
In the sphere of commerce education only a limited research work has been done. There is enough scope and so every innovative idea of teacher should be tried out. However, before any idea may be put to trial the teacher is expected to prepare a design of the idea. Let us illustrate with an example.
If a teacher is interested to standardise an achievement test in elements of commerce, he should adopt the following procedure.
(i) Weight age to Objectives
The teacher should write down various objectives and assign marks to each objective. The marks be assigned to an objective keeping in mind the importance of the objective.
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