| In modern society, there are a growing number of works about the teaching profession, but most of us do not have a clear, systematic understanding about the question "What is the teaching profession?" In order to understand the teaching profession, firstly we must know what profession is. This study collects and systemizes the existing data of professional concepts, attributes, characteristics, standards and finds that there are no differences between the discussion of professional concepts, attributes, characteristics and standards. They all include the exploration of what profession is. The existing studies of professional attributes are mostly fragmented, this paper attempts to use historical analysis method and logical reasoning method to explore the historical development of the teaching profession and its attributes. There are six aspects of professional attribute, namely:expertise, professional ethics, specialized service, specialized training, professional autonomy and professional organization. Teaching has the bud in primitive society. With the progress of our society, teaching gradually experiences the two stages of taking shape and developing. Teaching has the professional attributes began in late 19th and early 20th century.During the process of development and changes in teaching, what changes took place in the properties of teaching in order to reach today’s state? To what extent do the teaching attributes develop in each stag? How do expertise, professional ethics, specialized service, specialized training, professional autonomy and professional organization influence and interrelate with each other? In this paper, the above problems have been explored. It is concluded as the followings:Teaching activities had the quality of service in the bud stage, but not specialized. In the taking shape stage, teaching activities began to have some expertise and service had reached a certain degree of specialized. Also teachers had great autonomy. In the development stage, due to the forced implementation of universal education, teaching activities required a lot of educators which resulting in a demand for specialized training. Internal specialized training can form the internal unity which helps to form teaching organization and teaching ethics. In the development of history, teaching gradually possesses these attributes and because of this teaching has the professional attributes. There is a dynamic relationship between the properties of teaching. In short, specialized service primarily refers to providing a specific behavior which can solve the problem effectively which mainly relies on the support of expertise. We get expertise apart from people’s own experience and also need specialized training. The communication in the specialized training facilitates the generation of professional organizations. Specialized service need to be regulated by professional ethics. Generally speaking, professional ethics are formulated by professional organizations. When professional organizations develop to a certain extent, it will seek professional autonomy in order to safeguard the rights of the profession and guarantee high quality of services.According to today’s performance of the teaching profession, we can predict the future development of the teaching profession. Through the specific state of teaching attributes in different historical stage, we can get a glimpse of the future trends of the teaching profession. This article mainly starts with the six relationships:theory and practice, work and life, the quantity and quality, solidarity and isolation, external development and internal demand, the ideal and the reality and so on to explore the future prospects of the teaching profession. |
