International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
not that bright to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. In this digital age, where people are liberated in their thinking
and behavior, there could be a change in the image of a teacher. This change in the image of teachers as viewed
by the community is partly influenced by how they were developed by the teacher educators or those who have
trained them in TEIs.
There are a lot of expectations from teachers in this technology-driven 21 st century society. According to Mac
Meekin (2014), the image of the 21 st century teacher is due to the emergence of social web and technologydriven
classrooms. Mac Meekin listed 27 traits of the 21 st century teacher, which include among others teachers
who are techno savvy, those who facilitate students’ learning, let them create, design, question, contribute, relate
what they learn to the real world, and discern what is right from wrong. These traits have been supported by
Resta (cited in Ledesma, 2011) who synthesized the characteristics of teacher educators that can better serve
students in the 21 st century as follows: 1) facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity so that all students
achieve in the global society; 2) enable students to maximize the potential of their formal and informal learning
experiences; 3) facilitate learning in multiple modalities; 4) work as effective members of learning teams; 5) use
the full range of digital-age tools to improve student engagement and achievement; 6) work with their students
to co-create new learning opportunities; 7) use data to support student learning and program improvements; 8)
be lifelong learners; 9) be global educators; and 10) work with policy leaders as change agents.
The 21 st century teacher could also be described by the professional standards set for teachers. In the
Philippines, the National Competency-Based Teacher Standards (NCBTS) is usually referred to if the
characteristics of an effective and efficient teacher are of interest. Domain 1 of NCBTS states that teachers
serve as positive and powerful role models of the values of the pursuit of learning (TEC, DepEd & CHED,
2009). Being a role model implies setting good examples to others. Hence, the value to learning of the students
may also reflect that of their teachers as facilitators of their intellectual development.
The foregoing characteristics of a teacher have to be developed by TEIs to both the pre-service and in-service
teachers so that they could cope with the demands of this digital-age. Training programs for teachers and
educators should be designed to orient them on the qualities desired of a 21 st century teacher. Training programs
such as those conducted by the Teacher Education Council (TEC) dubbed as Teacher Induction Program (TIP)
set a good example of programs that make new teachers aware of NCBTS and conscious of the competencies
they should be equipped with to meet the demands of the 21 st century.
However, there is also a need for the development of personal, psychosocial, and professional aspects of the
teacher based on what is viewed and acceptable in the present society. Hence, this study aims to determine the
perceptions of students in different levels from kindergarten to those who would become teachers themselves
and to those who already practice their profession including the educators that have developed them.
The perception of stakeholders about teachers’ image can be considered as one of the most fascinating
inquiries in the field of education. Educational experts, academicians, professionals, parents, and learners have
unabashedly expressed their admiration for teachers who have made an impact on their lives. They speak of
their favorite teachers’ qualities and influence on their lives. A number of studies on the qualities and image
have also been conducted over a period of time and across cultures.
One of the recent studies along this line was conducted by Ampadu (2012) which examined the students’
views on their teachers’ teaching practices in Mathematics, and how they had influenced their learning
experiences. This study, involving 358 students from junior high schools, revealed that students’ perceptions of
their teachers’ teaching vary since their teachers employed both teacher-centered and learner-centered
approaches.
Other studies on teachers have presented a strong correlation between perception of teachers and students’
learning; that is, a student is likely to learn well if s/he has a more positive image of his/her teacher. A case in
point is Rawnsley’s (1997) study which established that students develop a more positive attitude toward their
mathematics lessons where the teacher is considered to be highly supportive and gives the students a chance to
play an integral role in the teaching-learning process.
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