Premium Essay

Teacher Role

In:

Submitted By rafa77
Words 6887
Pages 28
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 it also reflects, in large part, the influence of different pragmatist and progressive education theorists ranging from John Dewey (1916) to Malcolm Knowles (1970). Such an approach stresses the importance of learner autonomy and responsibility for the learning process, and attributes greater value to the learner's experience and knowledge in the classroom. However, there are good reasons for

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Teachers Role

...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

Premium Essay

The Role of the Teacher

...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

Premium Essay

The Role of the Teacher

...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

Premium Essay

Teacher Role

...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

Free Essay

Roles and Responsibilities of a Good Teacher

...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

Premium Essay

Roles and Qualities of Teacher Leaders

...Cornerstones of Change: Roles and Qualities of Teacher Leaders By: M. Pierce Course: ED625 Word Count of Article: 2200 Abstract The purpose of the paper is to examine different types of teacher leaders and examine their possible roles in our schools and effect on our educational system. Herein, I focus on the teacher leadership qualities of collaboration, ethics, trust, vision, decisiveness, and thirst for knowledge. Furthermore, I present the notion that teacher are the heart of change, not only because they are the people who instill the change but through shared leadership model it. In achieving this aim, I describe how leadership qualities can facilitate educational reform centered on the present generation of learners. Introduction In this modern era of change and educational accountability, the role of school manager has grown in complexity and many school administrators welcome the effective collaboration of teacher leaders. Many principals find that administrative and accountability tasks can take their time and energy away from being effective educational leaders. The volume of paperwork and the multifaceted nature of the problems to be solved are increasing. It is difficult for school leaders to offer adequate assistance and guidance to teachers who want to experiment and find new ways to engage their students. The school leader may not have the expertise to advise teachers about instruction, curriculum, procedure, new practices, and new technologies...

Words: 2296 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

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 empirical researches it is proved...

Words: 486 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Role of a Teacher in a Language Classroom

...Dame University, Fremantle, WA. Awarded a Parliamentary Internship to study at the University of Dublin and worked as a Political Intern in Parliament House, Dublin, Ireland. Studied abroad at the University of Saint-Louis in Madrid, Spain and International House in Bogota, Colombia. Travelled extensively through Europe, Central and South America, Mexico, India and Asia and have taught English internationally. Also undertook voluntary community aid work in Oombulgurri, East Kimberley and Varanasi, India. Throughout my tertiary studies, worked part-time and full-time as a Supervisor and Administration Officer at the Ocean Beach Hotel, Cottesloe. CAREER OBJECTIVE To secure a job as an English Teacher in Vietnam with a dynamic, reputable school and work in a challenging role that offers opportunities for knowledge acquisition, advancement, leadership and collaborative teamwork. TERTIARY QUALIFICATIONS Current Masters of Applied Linguistics. Monash University, Melbourne. Aug 2011 CELTA. (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults), International House, Bogota. Completed a four week course focused on teaching approaches and methodology, lesson planning, language awareness and phonology. The teaching practise component including teaching elementary and intermediate students. 2010 First Class Honours. Thesis: ‘Why strengthening the democratic process in Indonesia can curb Islamic radicalism.’ University of Notre Dame, Fremantle. 2007-2009 Bachelor of...

Words: 824 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Special Education Teachers Role In Iep Meeting

...The role of the special education teacher in the IEP meeting is to provide suggestions for instructional strategies, modifications vs accommodations, and services. The special education teacher brings classroom experience of how to implement the specific needs of the student to the classroom. While the administration is making sure that the needs are met legally and within the scope of what the district can provide, the special education brings knowledge and experience from working directly with students each day. The special education teacher oversee the student's total educational plan in collaboration with all IEP team members ("IEP Team Member Roles and Responsibilities," 2011). The special education teacher is the primary person that...

Words: 319 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Process of Curriculum Development and Instruction and the Role of the Teacher.

...Introduction Teachers and administrators collaborate and develop an appropriate, articulated and aligned curriculum that ensures optimal student results. Assessment data from multiple sources are analyzed by teachers and administrators when making curricular and instructional decisions. In their planning, teachers purposefully select from a variety of teaching techniques and tools to help students improve, and they differentiate curriculum and instruction to address all students' learning needs. Definition of term 1. Curriculum "a plan for a sustained process of teaching and learning" (David Pratt, 1997, p. 5) 2. Lesson: “a coherent unit of teaching and learning, generally designed to be completed in one class session 3. Lesson plan: “a plan for a coherent unit of teaching and learning, generally designed to be completed in one class session”. 4. Instruction “the execution of the curriculum, actually teaching it. Instruction doesn't always follow curriculum. It is often planned”. THE STEPS OF CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT Four steps to Curriculum: "The Tyler Rationale" 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attaint? 2. What educational experiences can be provided that are likely to attain these purposes? 3. How can they be organized? 4. How can we determine whether these purposes are being attained? 1. What educational purposes should the school seek to attain? What Aims, Goals, and Objectives should be sought? To WIT (2000), Educational...

Words: 2843 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Role of Teacher

...The teacher plays a crucial role in a montessori environment The teacher and the children form an inseperable part of a single educational whole, which is a dynamic and continous process of development. There are certain qualities that are essential for a montessori teacher to possess in order to help in the normalization and education process of the child. First, the teacher and child should be in sync. They should work as a unit. In which the child is the reciever and the teacher is the giver. Secondly, the teacher should be dyanmic and ever growing. The teacher should ensure that no matter what, no child should be left behind. The teacher should have alternative approaches to education in order to assist each child in reaching their potential. Thirdly, the teacher should ensure that she doesn’t have any presumtions about a child and should neither be judgemental as this would effect in evaluation of the child. The teacher should have a postive approach towards each child. Fourthly, the teacher should be a role model. Should lead by example but understand that the child has its own potential. It should not be a teacher-centric environment but it should revolve around the child. The teacher should play a passive role and let the child develop their own personality. Teacher should just be an observer of natural phenomena. And lastly, the teacher must be loving and caring towards the child and should be well trained as the presentations are precise and technical. However...

Words: 619 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Role of Teachers

...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

Premium Essay

The Role of a Teacher

...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

Premium Essay

Role of a Teacher in Learning

...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

Premium Essay

The Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher

...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