Roles_and_Boundaries_in_Teaching

Saved as Plain Text Review what your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching/training cycle. Within further or adult education a teacher adopts many roles and they vary from one learning institution to another. But in most centres teachers are responsible for the student’s progress in their studies and their well-being. Although no two individuals are the same, it is the way a person implements these tasks that may make them an effective teacher. Within this assignment I hope to explore the roles and responsibilities and the qualities a person needs to perform well within a training/teaching environment. One of the main responsibilities of the teacher in education is as an information provider, to pass on their knowledge and understanding of a subject or topic. Whether this be in providing in depth lectures on a subject or a more practical based approach that may include demonstrations. A teacher providing information can be a way of passing on new information within their specified field that is not available in dated texts. A teacher therefore needs to be knowledgeable in their field and have a way of translating that information to a level that their students will understand. If the teacher is not confident in their field how do they expect the student to learn from the course. They should encourage two way communication on the subject in hand. However, the teacher should not profess to know it all, but to be willing to learn from the students. ‘Knowledge may be seen as a level of awareness, consciousness or familiarity gained by experience, learning or thinking.’ (Jarvis 1983). It is important that the teacher appreciate any input from his or her students, whether the answer or correct or not and will instil confidence and motivation from within the student and help their learning experience. According to theorist Robert Gagne, motivation is the first phase of the learning process, whether that be intrinsic or extrinsic. He suggests that the role of a teacher is to ‘identify the motives of students and channel them into activities that accomplish educational goals.’ (Gagne 1977) A teacher needs to have the ability to plan their lectures or sessions effectively and so organisation is key. Working alongside the curriculum, teachers need to be creative and incorporate activities and techniques that will aide the learner. However, the teacher must also be flexible and have the ability to change an activity quickly if it is not achieving the desired effect or learning is not moving forward in a positive direction. According to the learning cycle, adapted from Kolb (1974), identifying the problem then reflecting on it can be used as an aid to learning. However, you have to go through all of the stage for it to be effective. Furthermore, the teacher must have the skill of making the material being taught stimulating and interesting. Kolb (1974) also suggested that learning is a mixture of doing, thinking and application. It is also imperative that the teacher be competent in assessing, evaluating and identifying the needs and varying learning styles of the student he or she will be teaching. This could be done by using a questionnaire regarding learning styles such as Honey and Mumford (1986). Knowing the learning styles of the student can aid the teacher in planning the sessions effectively. A teacher also has the role of assessor, being responsible for assessing whether the student is competent in the subject area. Listening is essential to determine learning and comprehension. A teacher who has the ability of listening can perceive whether an individual is having learning difficulties. It also show commitment to the student as their ideas or views are valuable. In addition, the teacher should be able to give quality feedback on their work to encourage learning. ‘It is important to keep records of…how your students are progressing.’ (Gravells 2008). The teacher in further or adult education can also be seen as a facilitator, to encourage a student centred approach to learning. This then establishes and maintains positive mutual working relationships and may remove the hierarchy of teacher-student. A person needs to have the capability of making all people within the classroom feel like equals and be compassionate towards individuals, empowering them to learn. To help remove the hierarchy the teacher must understand that the learners within adult education often offer valuable insights to the subject. It is also noted that a teacher should be an effective role model. Therefore being professional in their teaching role by maintaining confidentiality, being prepared for the session, demonstrating a positive attitude towards the students and the subject and being punctual. Also having a contingency plan in case anything does not go to plan is also essential. Consequently the teacher should also be a role model in the field they teach. Students may learn from a teacher’s practice and the skills and attitudes they portray. This demonstrates commitment in their field to the students they teach. A teacher has many boundaries to which they have to work within, it is important that they do not overstep these. The teacher needs to ensure he or she works within the boundaries set by the organisation for which they work. One of these boundaries can be the teacher-student relationship. Although the student has dependency on the teacher for their learning, it is the teacher’s role to enhance their skills and development. Rogers (1951) suggests there is a need for separateness, and of not being compromised in our helping role by our students dependency. A teacher alongside their organisation is also responsible to continually update their skills and knowledge base by training etc. This demonstrates commitment and motivation to their profession and that alongside mandatory training, a teacher is willing to expand their knowledge base. Effective teachers should see their teaching role as vitally important. They work hard at making the most of their class contact time to maximise student learning and interest in the subject. Word Count: 1078 Bibliography Armitage, Andy et al (1999), Teaching and Training in Post Compulsory Education, Open University Press. Gravells, Ann (2008), Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Learning Matters Ltd. Minton, David (1991), Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education, Macmillan Press Ltd. Newcastle College (2008), Blackboard, Date accessed 10/11/08 Tight, Malcolm (1996), Adult Education and Training, Clays Ltd. Reference List Rogers, C (1958), The Characteristics of a Helping Relationship. Saved as Plain Text Review what your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher would be in terms of the teaching/training cycle. Within further or adult education a teacher adopts many roles and they vary from one learning institution to another. But in most centres teachers are responsible for the student’s progress in their studies and their well-being. Although no two individuals are the same, it is the way a person implements these tasks that may make them an effective teacher. Within this assignment I hope to explore the roles and responsibilities and the qualities a person needs to perform well within a training/teaching environment. One of the main responsibilities of the teacher in education is as an information provider, to pass on their knowledge and understanding of a subject or topic. Whether this be in providing in depth lectures on a subject or a more practical based approach that may include demonstrations. A teacher providing information can be a way of passing on new information within their specified field that is not available in dated texts. A teacher therefore needs to be knowledgeable in their field and have a way of translating that information to a level that their students will understand. If the teacher is not confident in their field how do they expect the student to learn from the course. They should encourage two way communication on the subject in hand. However, the teacher should not profess to know it all, but to be willing to learn from the students. ‘Knowledge may be seen as a level of awareness, consciousness or familiarity gained by experience, learning or thinking.’ (Jarvis 1983). It is important that the teacher appreciate any input from his or her students, whether the answer or correct or not and will instil confidence and motivation from within the student and help their learning experience. According to theorist Robert Gagne, motivation is the first phase of the learning process, whether that be intrinsic or extrinsic. He suggests that the role of a teacher is to ‘identify the motives of students and channel them into activities that accomplish educational goals.’ (Gagne 1977) A teacher needs to have the ability to plan their lectures or sessions effectively and so organisation is key. Working alongside the curriculum, teachers need to be creative and incorporate activities and techniques that will aide the learner. However, the teacher must also be flexible and have the ability to change an activity quickly if it is not achieving the desired effect or learning is not moving forward in a positive direction. According to the learning cycle, adapted from Kolb (1974), identifying the problem then reflecting on it can be used as an aid to learning. However, you have to go through all of the stage for it to be effective. Furthermore, the teacher must have the skill of making the material being taught stimulating and interesting. Kolb (1974) also suggested that learning is a mixture of doing, thinking and application. It is also imperative that the teacher be competent in assessing, evaluating and identifying the needs and varying learning styles of the student he or she will be teaching. This could be done by using a questionnaire regarding learning styles such as Honey and Mumford (1986). Knowing the learning styles of the student can aid the teacher in planning the sessions effectively. A teacher also has the role of assessor, being responsible for assessing whether the student is competent in the subject area. Listening is essential to determine learning and comprehension. A teacher who has the ability of listening can perceive whether an individual is having learning difficulties. It also show commitment to the student as their ideas or views are valuable. In addition, the teacher should be able to give quality feedback on their work to encourage learning. ‘It is important to keep records of…how your students are progressing.’ (Gravells 2008). The teacher in further or adult education can also be seen as a facilitator, to encourage a student centred approach to learning. This then establishes and maintains positive mutual working relationships and may remove the hierarchy of teacher-student. A person needs to have the capability of making all people within the classroom feel like equals and be compassionate towards individuals, empowering them to learn. To help remove the hierarchy the teacher must understand that the learners within adult education often offer valuable insights to the subject. It is also noted that a teacher should be an effective role model. Therefore being professional in their teaching role by maintaining confidentiality, being prepared for the session, demonstrating a positive attitude towards the students and the subject and being punctual. Also having a contingency plan in case anything does not go to plan is also essential. Consequently the teacher should also be a role model in the field they teach. Students may learn from a teacher’s practice and the skills and attitudes they portray. This demonstrates commitment in their field to the students they teach. A teacher has many boundaries to which they have to work within, it is important that they do not overstep these. The teacher needs to ensure he or she works within the boundaries set by the organisation for which they work. One of these boundaries can be the teacher-student relationship. Although the student has dependency on the teacher for their learning, it is the teacher’s role to enhance their skills and development. Rogers (1951) suggests there is a need for separateness, and of not being compromised in our helping role by our students dependency. A teacher alongside their organisation is also responsible to continually update their skills and knowledge base by training etc. This demonstrates commitment and motivation to their profession and that alongside mandatory training, a teacher is willing to expand their knowledge base. Effective teachers should see their teaching role as vitally important. They work hard at making the most of their class contact time to maximise student learning and interest in the subject. Word Count: 1078 Bibliography Armitage, Andy et al (1999), Teaching and Training in Post Compulsory Education, Open University Press. Gravells, Ann (2008), Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector, Learning Matters Ltd. Minton, David (1991), Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education, Macmillan Press Ltd. Newcastle College (2008), Blackboard, Date accessed 10/11/08 Tight, Malcolm (1996), Adult Education and Training, Clays Ltd. Reference List Rogers, C (1958), The Characteristics of a Helping Relationship 7303 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector 7303 Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector