Brandman University’s School of Education:

Professional Dispositions
The professional conduct of every educator affects attitudes toward the profession. In accordance
with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) accreditation standards, the School of
Education at Brandman University assumes responsibility for ensuring that individuals who complete
any of our programs are not only academically competent but aware of and capable of functioning
with the established ethical and professional standards of the profession.

The mission of the Brandman University School of Education is to develop strategic, innovative and
caring leaders, scholars, and practitioners who are able to fulfill the promise and purpose of education
in a pluralistic and democratic society by promoting constructive change within local, state, national
and global communities. The School of Education is committed to ensuring that all candidates
successfully complete their programs with not only the knowledge and skills necessary to work in
educational settings, but also with the appropriate dispositions.

The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) defines dispositions as
“professional attitudes, values and beliefs demonstrated through both verbal and non-verbal
behaviors as educators interact with students, families, colleagues and communities. These positive
behaviors support student learning and development.” The School of Education at Brandman
University has adopted a set of professional dispositions that we feel are essential for prospective
educators to possess and demonstrate throughout their program.

The dispositions adopted by Brandman University’s School of Education are listed below. The
behaviors listed are examples of the kind of conduct expected of students in the School of Education,
but are not intended to be inclusive.

1. Professional Demeanor & Responsibility - punctual and prepared for classes and field
experiences, dresses appropriately in professional settings, responsible for meeting deadlines
and following instructions, accepts responsibility for own actions, capable of dealing with
disappointment, flexible, adapts to change, reacts appropriately under stress, exhibits a
positive attitude toward schools, teaching, students and parents

2. Commitment to Learning for ALL Students - shows sensitivity to all students, respects
individual differences, responds to the needs of students and their families and communities,
embraces diversity to improve student learning, demonstrates compassion, patience and
fairness.

3. Communication - demonstrates responsive listening skills, able to communicate with a variety

of audiences, demonstrates a willingness and commitment to continually improve
communication skills.
 4. Collaboration - is skilled in expressing self in groups, works effectively with professional
colleagues and other adults, able to accept and respect different points of view.

5. Self-Reflection - engages in problem solving and self-evaluation, accepts and acts upon
constructive criticism and is receptive to new ideas, uses feedback to make improvements,
strives for personal and professional growth.

6. Ethics - demonstrates truthfulness and honesty, maintains ethical and legal behaviors in
interactions with others, maintains confidentiality, respects the intellectual property of others by
giving credit and avoiding plagiarism/cheating.

Professional Dispositions Self-Assessment

-Week 8 & Portfolio-
● For each disposition, clarify your personal understanding and connection to what the disposition
represents and how it manifests in your work an educator of adult learners. provide a justification
for your response and a plan for continued engagement with each disposition in yur professional
practice,

Disposition Personal/Professional Connection Plan for Continuous

(Include # and Title)
1. Professional Demeanor &
Responsibility - punctual and
prepared for classes and field
experiences, dresses
appropriately in professional
settings, responsible for meeting
deadlines and following
instructions, accepts
responsibility for own actions,
capable of dealing with
disappointment, flexible, adapts
to change, reacts appropriately
under stress, exhibits a positive
attitude toward schools,
teaching, students, and parents
Engagement
As an educator and a leader in I will continue working on
the field of early childhood meeting the deadlines and be
education, I prepare for the punctual for my work. I will
classes. I dress carding to our continue working with children,
school’s dress code, casual for their families, and my coworkers
teachers and business casual for and maintain a respectful and
the administrative team. While I positive relationship.
was in the classroom, I planned
and prepared the lessons a
couple of weeks ahead of time
which gave me the time to
prepare all materials for the day.
As an administrator of a
preschool, I plan and follow a list
of to-do items each day, so I can
meet all deadlines. I accept
responsibility for my actions and
fix possible errors. I am flexible
and move between classrooms
to support my teaching team. I
respect my students, their
families, and my coworkers for
who they are regardless of their
age, gender, race, language, or
socioeconomic status.
 Disposition
(Include # and Title)
2.Commitment to Learning for
ALL Students - shows sensitivity
to all students, respects
individual differences, responds
to the needs of students and
their families and communities,
embraces diversity to improve
student learning, demonstrates
compassion, patience and
fairness.
Disposition
(Include # and Title)
3. Communication -
demonstrates responsive
listening skills, able to
communicate with a variety of
audiences, demonstrates a
willingness and commitment to
continually improve
communication skills.
Disposition
(Include # and Title)
4. Collaboration - is skilled in
expressing self in groups, works
effectively with professional
colleagues and other adults, able
to accept and respect different
points of view.
Personal/Professional Connection
I believe that an educator should
learn about her student's likes
and dislikes, abilities, needs, and
personality traits. As an
educator, I should respect my
students, regardless of their
differences and abilities. I should
stay sensitive to their needs and
provide appropriate academic
opportunities, so they learn and
grow. I should embrace diversity
by incorporating students’
cultures in the environment and
lesson plans.
Personal/Professional Connection
I listen to my students, their
families, and my coworkers
actively. I believe listening is the
first step to learn about
someone’s viewpoint and ideas. I
communicate with my students
in the classroom. I communicate
with families in person, over the
phone, and via weekly emails
and newsletters. I also
communicate with my
coworkers to improve my
teaching strategies.
Personal/Professional Connection
I collaborate with my teaching
team daily. We meet every day
before the class starts to review
our responsibility for the day and
activities for the students. I also
have a biweekly meeting with all
staff where we plan our
curriculum for the next two
weeks. When a colleague’s point
of view is different, I ask them to
explain their rationale, which
sometimes results in deep
conversation and learning new
things.
Plan for Continuous
Engagement
Culture is defined by the way
that people approach a specific
situation base on their beliefs
and norms. Therefore, it is
different for each person, even
when two students identify
within the same culture. Because
of the dynamic nature of culture,
I should continue to work with
students to learn about their
unique perspective and
incorporate it into the
classroom.
Plan for Continuous
Engagement
I will continue to communicate
and stay in touch with different
stakeholders. Now that I
accepted a leadership role, I
need to communicate with other
stakeholders such as community
members and program sponsors.
Plan for Continuous
Engagement
I plan to continue my
collaboration with my colleagues
and expand this collaboration by
adding other stakeholders to our
program. For example, I plan to
provide a survey to families to
learn their points of view about
our program.
 Disposition
(Include # and Title)
5. Self-Reflection - engages in
problem solving and self-
evaluation, accepts and acts
upon constructive criticism and
is receptive to new ideas, uses
feedback to make
improvements, strives for
personal and professional
growth.
Disposition
(Include # and Title)
6. Ethics - demonstrates
truthfulness and honesty,
maintains ethical and legal
behaviors in interactions with
others, maintains confidentiality,
respects the intellectual
property of others by giving
credit and avoiding
plagiarism/cheating.
Personal/Professional Connection
The self-reflection assignments in
this program, create the habit of
reflecting on my work. Self-
reflection is a tool that helps me
identify the areas that I need to
work on. Our teachers and
administrators them participate in
an evaluation every year, and we
receive constructive criticism that I
use to improve my teaching.
Personal/Professional Connection
I believe that educators should
follow the code of ethics and be
honest with their stakeholders. I
respect the confidentiality of my
students and do not discuss their
information with anyone outside
our teaching team. If I discuss a
problem or concern area, it is to
the best interest of the student
in mind and seeking professional
help from my colleges. I credit
the work of others by citing
them properly in my work. I
avoid plagiarism by making sure
that if I used someone’s work, I
cited properly using APA 7.
Plan for Continuous
Engagement
I plan to continue to self-reflect
on my actions, assess my
growth, and use the information
to plan a professional
development path. I will use the
feedback that I receive from my
supervisor to improve the quality
of my work and be a lifelong
learner.
Plan for Continuous
Engagement
I will continue the same, since
keeping stakeholders'
confidentiality is one of the most
important elements of ethics. I
will continue to cite the work of
others when I incorporate their
ideas in my work.