...The Role of the Teacher: “There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can’t move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies.“ Robert Frost The above quote, is a very concise way of defining the role of the Teachers in our lives. It does not label any specific teacher as good or bad but in very simple terms puts forth what possible effects teachers will have on their students. My favourite teacher was Mrs. Alphonso Thomas who taught us English. I still remember our first lesson with her in my 6th grade. It was the famed tale of King Arthur. At that age, it was a normal tendency, for students to judge the difficulty of the lesson or chapter by the number of pages it covered in the textbook and to everybody’s disdain, King Arthur’s tale was divided into 3 parts covering a quarter of the whole book. This notion itself had reduced the motivation of the students to a considerable degree. To the surprise of the whole class though, Mrs. Thomas started did not start with the lesson straight away instead she first introduced herself and then asked each of the students to introduce themselves as she had just done. Through this activity she was breaking the ice and also trying to gauge the learning capacities of each of the students on a general level. The introductions had also eased the fear of expression and was constantly improving the communication between the students and her. She had also succeeded...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...Teachers play a vital role in a student live not only academically but personally. Until this day I have great memories of my professors in the past and some other memories that I don’t even want to think about. Teachers have the knowledge and power to make the best or the worst in the student life. Teachers are like parents to their students because many students spend more time at school than at home. If a teacher really enjoys teaching sometimes they are able to detect problems on their students before their parents. Unfortunately many choose to teach just because and this is when the problems start. It is true that a student most do the learning however the teachers most do the teaching. Is not only about going to class and giving a package with information to the student, is about explaining in different way making sure the student understand because not everyone picks out everything at the same rate. Professors need to show their students that they are capable of learning, they are capable of been the best if they choose to be. No matter where people come from our principals have the same essence and when it comes to teaching there is no difference. Some varies may exists depending on other factors as religion but at the end of the day the purpose of teaching is the same aside from techniques used to teach students. A teacher is inspiring. Everything comes hand to hand a teacher also need the commitment and effort from their student as well as the support...
Words: 457 - Pages: 2
...Teachers must meet immediate daily demands such as preparing lessons, assessing students’ performances and creating a fair and equitable classroom environment. As such, teachers have major roles and responsibilities to undertake in the classroom. Some major roles of a teacher is to educate, to guide, to correct, and to discipline the student by acting within the appropriate laws and regulations (Zirrpoli & Melloy, 2001). The word educate comes from the Latin educere, which means “to lead”. So it is the teachers’ responsibility to take up the task of leading the students to knowledge and understanding. In order to educate students, teachers need to be knowledgeable about their subject area according to Raspberry (1993). Because the more knowledgeable they are as teachers, the more effective they will be in the classroom. The teacher possessing subject-matter knowledge and instructional skill, is a professional educator like that of teachers of the Realism Theory. Moreover, the roles of a teacher in the classroom plays a vital part in the education system. In that, teachers are expected to conduct initial assessments which will help identify learners’ needs and skills in the classroom. After identifying those needs and skills, they will then be more knowledgeable of the state of their students and pursue the necessary help if needed to reinforce or diminish certain behaviours. Teachers will as well become aware of how their students learn and what motivates them to learn. Evidence...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...What is the role of a Teacher? Schools are one of the first places where kid’s behavior and future educational success is shape. Teachers are carriers of either positive or negative behavior toward students. The reason why the first years of school are so critical is because kids learn the base of their educational life. I believe that teachers must love their career in order for them to pass enthusiasm, to assists, and to provide a warm environment to the students. In my opinion teachers are the second mothers for the students because students spend a lot of time with their teachers. At the same time. I believe a real teacher becomes through many years of training and experiences in the field. The same way, mothers are not born being great mothers but as their experiences with their kids expands they become experts on the field. We know that mothers look the best for their kids and one of their goals is to raise their kids so they can become professionals and pioneers for the society. Some of the mother’s role toward kids is to give them care, love, respect, lead, instruct and to try to form a safe and pleasant environment at their homes. Are these attitudes of the mothers toward their kids related to what the role of the teacher should be with the students in the classroom? If not, what should be the role of the teachers then? I believe that a teacher is someone who becomes through many years of training and experiences in the field. I have not found a teacher who is an expert...
Words: 942 - Pages: 4
...March 2006 Volume 9, Number 4 Contents | TESL-EJ Top The English Teacher as Facilitator and Authority Shaun O'Dwyer David English House, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan School of Philosophy, University of New South Wales Abstract Over the past eighty years or so, some education theorists have repudiated the notion that it is the teacher's role to act as an authority in the classroom, transmitting knowledge to students "who do not know." In English as a second or foreign language education, a notion of the teacher as "facilitator" is considered to be more compatible with students' felt needs and autonomy. This paper argues that there are epistemological flaws in prominent rejections of transmission theories of learning. Drawing on British philosopher Michael Oakeshott's distinction between technical and practical knowledge, it argues for a modified understanding of the English teacher both as an authority capable of transmitting these types of knowledge in language, and as a facilitator of cooperative language learning. Introduction In the teaching of English as a second or foreign language today, the old pedagogical ideal of the teacher as an authority transmitting knowledge to students "who do not know" is in disrepute. The ideal now is for a more democratic, student-centered approach, in which the teacher facilitates communicative educational activities with students. This model reflects in part the influence of communication-based theories of language acquisition. But...
Words: 6887 - Pages: 28
...One student learns one fourth from the teacher One fourth from own intelligence One fourth from classmates and One fourth only with time!” This revered Sanskrit saying encompasses the various facets of learning. The richness of any learning experience is a blend of all these aspects in the right proportion. Their roles have an added dimension with the advances in technology. Today , children are exposed to the seductive pull of digital devices like mobiles which beep us out of sleep and checking e mail which has become a compulsion. The internet is undoubtedly expanded our connectivity and access to information. Ironically, as technology brings us closer, we have distanced ourselves from relationships, the sheer joy of reading a good book, the depth of a good friendship and our indulgence with introspection or self reflection. Emotional bonding with parents has also been eroded due to lifestyle indulgences and societal pressures. The role of a teacher is to help the children to revisit our rich tradition, analyze this democratic access to information and introduce them to the nuances of self evaluation, practical wisdom and empathy. Nurturing healthy relationships can be a window to view the garden of life. Today, in schools, we provide robust platform wherein every child is introduced to larger than life concepts which is a conscious endeavor to shape him into a fine personality. We need to just hold their hands even when they walk in...
Words: 338 - Pages: 2
...How I can be a Reflective Teacher? I can be a reflective teacher by actually thinking through and reflecting on what I have taught. For example, what worked and what didn't work? How could I make this lesson better in the future? Do the students truly understand the content of the lesson? For me to become a reflective teacher I have to learn how to make time in my schedule to be strongly reflective. This is very hard task is to start with and maintain. I bet if you ask a teacher what they need and want the most, they will tell you it’s time. To be a reflective teacher I have to learn how to keep observation/ reflection journal so I can record all the things I should work on doing better in my class, and also to record the behaviors of each student. Being a reflective teacher will me to learn how to strategize better and have continual improvement in everything I do as a teacher. For me to become a reflective teacher I have think about how I can help my students become interested in what I am teaching and how I can help them to ask questions and inquire more on the subjects I teach them. As a teacher trying to be more reflective I could talk to a supportive colleague or even a friend about what I have discovered while teaching, then maybe I will be able to come up with some ideas for how to do things...
Words: 255 - Pages: 2
...In my essay I am going explain in my opinion what is the role of a teacher, the role of a student and some obstacles in culture differences change the role of a teacher in the learning process. Learning is a necessity for some people and an obligation for others. My interpretation of a teacher is a person who provides education to another person, in a manner that helps the person understand what has been taught to them. Different people learn in different ways and for different reasons, and it is important for a teacher to be able to assess which approach will provide the greatest understanding. Adler and Van Doren (1972) wrote, “A teacher may help his student in many ways; it is the student himself who must do the learning” (p.8). Learning varies on each and every one. Individuals can perceive and process information in different kinds of ways, which means that the way to which individuals learn, has as much as to do with whether the learning experience is according to their style of learning. Some of the individuals learn and develop easily in the early stage, while others are not. As a student I see my role as someone is to learn and who has a lot to learn from my instructor. When I attend my classes I am willing to receive whatever is being taught to me. I acknowledge that I am responsible for asking all the necessary questions until whatever is being taught can be clear in my doubts. As Adler and Van Doren (1972) said, we can learn only from our “betters” (p.6). I have...
Words: 617 - Pages: 3
...The Roles and Responsibilities of the Teacher There are many roles and responsibilities of the teacher, these have somewhat changed from my experiences at school. Teachers would stand at the front of the classroom and deliver a lesson using only the blackboard and chalk. The teacher was considered the knowledge fountain. As I explore the various roles and responsibilities of the teacher I will show the importance of ensuring the student is given varied tools and opportunities in order to learn and progress through education and life. A teacher is not just someone who delivers curriculum content to learner's. The responsibilities stretch as far as safeguarding children. For example if I thought a student was suffering abuse at home or was homeless it is my duty to report this to the safeguarding representative in college. I as a trainee teacher have a duty of care over my students and understand the duty of care expected of me as a teacher. Teaching needs to be a varied environment upon which learner's can experience different 1 learning strategies. This could be through group work or discussion based, whichever way the teacher deliver's the lesson the end outcome is generally more positive from the learner's point of view. The teacher has a very important moral responsibility, one that in the end is all that matters and that is to give students the knowledge and opportunities...
Words: 552 - Pages: 3
...Normalisation is one of the basic terms in the Montessori Philosophy. In this assignment during the process of the child’s growing normalisation the changes in the role of the teacher will be explained. Below this general subject I will define the term normalisation and link it with the concepts of deviations. Then I will outline how the prepared environment supports a child’s normalisation process and explain the maturational nature of normalisation which is linked to the child’s growing social development. I will describe the teacher’s initial approach with a new child in the school and how the teacher’s role changes with the child’s growing normalisation. I will also give some reasons as to why a child might regress. Montessori believed that if a child feels free in an environment which suits her/his needs and sensitivities, s/he will reach her/his full potential. S/he will be able to concentrate on and complete a task and will find joy in her/his work. This transitional process is called normalisation (Montessori, 2007a). For this process, certain conditions must be provided. Activities in the prepared environment must use the hands and arouse the child’s interest so s/he will concentrate fully. In the prepared environment the child must be allowed to complete an activity without any interruptions and be allowed to repeat it until s/he has mastered it. The activity must also be reality based and freely chosen by the child. For example a child who is doing the spooning...
Words: 2010 - Pages: 9
...ESSAY ON ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A GOOD TEACHER About My Subject: My subject is to teach Arabic as second Language for adult students from different Races and ethnicities. I have students from different cultural background. Some of my students are from Pakistani Families, some are Bengali Families, Indian Families, Kenyan Families and few of them are originally from British Background. I also have two Irish students too. It is very challenging because of different background of the students and it is very difficult because of different level of skills of Arabic Language. Some of the students are familiar with Arabic Alphabets, few words and few sentences because of their Muslim background. Many Muslims speak Urdu as their common language of communication which includes Arabic Alphabets and words. Some are learning Arabic for the first time, as beginners. Their level of learning skill is very low. Hence, it is very challenging that to teach such group and complete the aim and achieve the goal. Aim: The aim of the course is to learn reading, writing and speaking Arabic. The students can read, write and speak basic Arabic as a mean to communicate with Arabs and to access to Arabic Literature. Achievement: I am hoping that the students will be able to read, write and speak basic level of Arabic at the completion of the course. Certainly, I cannot expect very high expectations from the students. I cannot expect perfection in any of them. Some of them will achieve excellence...
Words: 3530 - Pages: 15
...Role of Teacher in Language Classroom Teacher’s Roles in a Language Classroom Md. Abdullah Al Mamun BCS-General Education Lecturer in English M Phil Fellow, IBS (RU) Guide, mentor, instructor are some of the terms which are associated with teacher. From time immemorial teacher has been the conductor and controller of the class, be it a literature class or a language one. In a language class, particularly one that we find in Bangladesh following the CLT (Communicative Language Teaching), the awareness of the roles of the teacher and the students (learners) is a must. With the passage of time concept about teacher’s role in a classroom has changed drastically. Today the most used coin for teacher is that of a ‘facilitator’ of learning that takes place in classroom. He is a helper not wholly a driver. A traditional classroom is ‘Lecture’ based while the modern classroom is interactive. There should be proper and sufficient participation of the students or participants. It should be learners-centered, never teacher-centered. Teacher should create an environment to arouse motivation within the learners towards learning. It has been a convention that the learners in a classroom are considered just as ‘empty vessels’ to fill in or ‘passive listeners’. From different...
Words: 294 - Pages: 2
...One is that teachers, especially elementary teachers, are so under-prepared in mathematics that the curriculum must do everything for them. It must tell them exactly what to do, when to do it, and in what order. Once this was called "teacher-proof" curriculum. Now, of course, that term is no longer fashionable, so teacher-proof-ness, when it is espoused at all, is couched in other terms. For example, a textbook representative recently described to me the lessons in their teacher's guide by saying, "And it's all scripted for the teacher, so that they know what questions to ask." This view of curriculum assumes that there is a Right Way to organize and teach the curriculum, and that, if we have a curriculum that embodies this right way, students will learn mathematics well. Another view holds that it is only the teacher who knows her students' learning needs well enough to continually modify the classroom environment in response to those needs. Therefore, the teacher must develop her/his own curriculum. Sometimes this view admits that, because teachers are not yet adequately prepared to teach mathematics, we may need innovative curricula now -- temporarily -- until we have accomplished the job of large-scale teacher development. This is the view of curriculum as a necessary evil -- we don't want it, but we can't yet do without it. A third view, somewhere between these two, is that of curriculum as reference material. The argument goes something like this. Teachers don't have...
Words: 3432 - Pages: 14
...Teachers play various roles in a typical classroom, but surely one of the most important is that of classroom manager. Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. If students are disorderly and disrespectful, and no apparent rules and procedures guide behavior, chaos becomes the norm. In these situations, both teachers and students suffer. Classroom Management- Feb./March 2009 The Difference Between Discipline and Procedures Classroom management should not be equated with discipline. Discipline is a very small part of classroom management. Procedures are not found in a discipline plan; nor should a procedure be a threat, a rule, or an order. A procedure is simply a method or process for getting things done in the classroom. Procedures and routines are different from a discipline plan. Do not confuse procedures with discipline. There are two major differences. DISCIPLINE concerns how students BEHAVE. PROCEDURES concern how things ARE DONE. DISCIPLINE HAS consequences and rewards. PROCEDURES HAVE NO consequences or rewards. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT deals with how things are done. DISCIPLINE deals with how people behave. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT has to do with procedures, routines, and structure. DISCIPLINE is about impulse management and self-control. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT is the teacher's responsibility. DISCIPLINE is the student's responsibility. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT is enhanced when procedures are: 1. explained to...
Words: 580 - Pages: 3
...different prototypical characteristics held by the members. Social classifications cognitively order and segments the social environment in a way such as to provide every individual with a method of classifying others. They also enable every individual to locate themselves and as such have a definition for one self. In light of this aspect, the social classifications answer the question who am I? Finally, social classifications equip every person with a way to identify themselves into a particular group (Davies 1995). It is of vital importance to acquire a positive identity, be it by the help of friends, parents or teacher in school. This identity is responsible for one’s success in life as it motivates one towards achieving their goals. As such, a positive identity is particularly important for young children and especially the school age. It is thus important that teachers should take charge of their students, to help them develop a positive identity and thus a positive recognition, so they can define others as well as themselves and their groups from a positive perspective (Cherry 2011). By definition, identity represents a private self of a person through values upheld, views, principles and ideals that collectively form a strong basis of personality. It is basically built around the language, beliefs and even the culture of the community in...
Words: 1026 - Pages: 5
