Review_Your_Role,_Responsiblities_and_Boundaries_as_a_Teacher

Review your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher, in terms of the teaching/training cycle. A teacher has many roles and responsibilities to ensure their students receive the best possible education, however when addressing these they may also encounter boundaries which must be dealt with in the best interest of the students. The role of the teacher is to ensure an effective learning environment is provided for all students, this can be challenging as all students are individuals, their learning style and the speed at which they learn maybe diverse (Reece and Walker, 2000), for example in a class of equestrian students one maybe looking to learn more about how to look after their own horse at home while another student is looking for a professional career in the equine industry, these students will have different expectations of the course and this will directly affect the way they learn. The differing learning styles experienced in a group of individuals highlights the importance of research into the needs of the students. Once the needs are established the teacher can adapt the teaching method to suit the class. Daines, Daines and Graham (1998) suggest it is the responsibility of the teacher to assess students by contacting more experienced members of staff as well as previous and prospective students. This research should indicate well practised and effective teaching methods as well as the specific needs of the class. From this a suitable lesson plan can be developed, incorporating a variety of teaching methods and aids to keep the class enthusiastic and motivated. Equine studies is often considered a vocational subject so the students should show a certain amount of self motivation but it is the teachers’ responsibility to maintain this to ensure continuous learning. Due to the nature of the subject there are responsibilities placed upon the teacher that would not be the case in class room teaching, for example when working on a yard the teacher must ensure the safety of the students and the horses. This maybe by selecting suitable horses for each student, ensuring the correct uniform is worn, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and supervising students at all time. As well as safety issues the teacher should be preparing the students for work in the equine industry this must start by setting a good example, teachers should be organised and have prepared their lessons. When working outside and with animals there are often times when unforeseen circumstances force the lesson to be halted, the teacher should be prepared for this with a contingency plan, for example there should be a lesson prepared if the weather is too bad to be on the yard. The teacher has a responsibility to divulge information that is relevant to the course, however they must also consider the age of the students they are teaching to assess how much information to provide and how much information should be left for ‘distant learning,’ adult students expect responsibilities of their own, this may include self study (Daines, Daines and Graham, 1998). Students should be encouraged to read around a subject and teachers should realise the boundary between providing enough information and ‘spoon feeding’ students. The teacher must be aware of the teacher – student relationship, although the teacher must be polite and friendly to students the relationship must remain professional. Occasionally a student may come to the teacher with a personal problem, it is the teachers’ responsibility to recognise and respect the boundaries within the teacher- student relationship. If a teacher is unqualified to deal with the students issues, be they medical, psychological or personal the student must be referred to a qualified member of staff such as a nurse, support worker or councillor. The most important part of the teachers role is to be flexible and adapt to change, change may become necessary due to developments in technology or research or simply due to the individuality of each class. To assess the effectiveness of each session time should be allowed for the students and teacher to reflect, from this time the teacher can adapt future lessons for the class and learn from any mistakes they may have made to ensure effective learning for future classes. Word count with quotes: 684 Bibliography J. Daines, C Daines and B Graham (1998) Adult Learning Adult Teaching, 3rd edition, England: The Lavenham Press. I. Reece and S. Walker (2000) Teaching Training and Learning; a practical guide, 4th Edition, Gateshead: Athenaeum Press.