Teacher's_Role-Assign.

Teacher’s Role, Responsibility and Boundaries The roles and responsibilities In addition to his primary aim of imparting knowledge to students, a teacher has to play a number of other roles to shape the lives of students both at school and in the society. Primarily a teacher is thought to be an Information provider. A wave of knowledge input has to come from him to trigger the desire in the learners to become inquisitive and to increase their knowledge. By adopting various instructional methods and lecturing, the teacher tries to achieve this goal. When he delivers his lesson, a teacher should take every effort to make sure that his lessons cater the needs of the learners. To do this, a teacher has to be knowledgeable in his specialized subject area and keep himself updated on the developments that take place in his field of specialization. And then he has to prepare proper materials and use relevant resources to deliver the lessons effectively. Thus he becomes a Resource developer. This makes the teacher assume another role as a Planner. He has to plan his lessons well so that it paves the way for effective teaching, making the classroom a conducive environment for learning to take place. To do this, the teacher has to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the learners. In order to deliver his lessons effectively, the teacher has to plan the lesson well in advance. Thus he becomes a good planner. This makes him prepare a scheme of syllabus and a lesson plan to make sure that learning takes place according to plan. During the course of the teaching-learning process, he has to act as a Facilitator rather than being a dictator. As cited above, the learners come to the class with some acquired knowledge of their own. What the teacher has to do is to create a learning situation for the students to expand their knowledge from the desirable classroom situation. And then, during the course of the teaching-learning process, the teacher has to play the role of an Assessor. Through various methods of testing, he has to assess and evaluate the level of achievements that the learner has made from his learning. This is very important for the teacher to ascertain that his methods of teaching work well with the students. And it is also beneficial for the teacher to adopt new methods of delivery or modify his techniques of teaching if necessary. A teacher should also be a Role model as students not only learn from what their teachers preach but also learn from their behavioural patterns – how they exhibit their knowledge and attitudes in relation to others. So a teacher should know not only what to do, but what not to do. The above mentioned primary roles can be described as having the following twelve sub roles. They are: 1.Mentor 2.Learning facilitator 3.On-the-job role model 4.Teaching role model 5.Lecturer 6.Practical teacher 7.Resource material creator 8.Study guide producer 9.Course organizer 10.Curriculum planner 11.Curriculum evaluator 12.Student assessor In addition to the above roles, a teacher must assume another important role – that of a Classroom Manager. In spite of all his efforts to deliver the lessons to the learners, the teacher may not be able to achieve his goal of imparting knowledge to the learners, if there is disorder and chaos in the classroom arising from behavioural problems and disruptions from the learners. In such situations, the teacher has to prove to be a Classroom Manager. He has to manage the class in such a way that all the disrupting elements are removed or brought under control by adopting various practical methods and psychological approaches. The teacher must not forget to use his formal authority to manage the class. As Geoff Petty puts it, ‘Teachers must convey that their authority is legitimate, that it exists to maximize learning’. (Teaching Today, Geoff Petty, 2004, pp96-97). He further goes on to say, “Formal authority is sustained by non-verbal methods. Stand up straight, shoulders back, face students squarely, give orders with a confident tone of voice and expect to be obeyed”. When managing the classroom, the teacher should also pay attention to the physical arrangement of the classroom, too. Marilyn Nathan (The New Teacher’s Survival Guide, 1995, pp59) says, ‘A row of desks may not be the most appropriate format for a successful discussion as pupils will be gazing at the back of other pupils’ heads’. So a teacher should think of the most convenient classroom arrangement for his delivery of lessons. For example, Marilyn Nathan suggests a horseshoe or semi-circle tends to be the most effective seating arrangement to facilitate discussion, as pupils can see each other’s reactions and expressions. Playing the different roles as cited above involves the teacher to take up various responsibilities. In explaining the roles and functions of a teacher, Linda Wilson (Practical Teaching – A Guide to PTLLS & DTLLS, Linda Wilson, 2009, pp6) summarizes the responsibilities of a teacher as follows: Designing programmes of study Planning and preparing classes Developing interesting ways of delivering learning Assessing the impact of learning Ensuring a safe learning environment Marking of work and giving feedback on outcomes Keeping records Contributing to the development of the programme Evaluating the effectiveness of the programme Keeping data about retention and achievement Having a duty of care Monitoring the progress of learners Acting within professional codes Monitoring attendance and punctuality Contributing to the administration of the programme Entering learners for exams and tests Contributing to quality assurance requirements Acting as a role model Pastoral care Boundaries As the teaching-learning process takes place mostly in formal set up in schools, the schools have set boundaries for the teachers to adhere to. The schools have to follow the rules and regulations as per the government directives and circulars. In the formal set up of schools, there is a hierarchical order of authority, with a principal or a head teacher at the top and the teachers at different rungs of this hierarchical ladder. Therefore a teacher is bound within certain administrative and managerial boundaries in the affairs of the school. This has direct impact on the teaching process of the teacher. He has to follow the prescribed syllabus of the school whether he likes it or not. Even in dealing with the behavioural problems of students and other disciplinary matters, he cannot make arbitrary decisions which he might deem to be the best corrective measures to control the students. Rather he has to follow the set standard of his school to handle the situation, unless he is otherwise allowed to use his own methods by the upper ranks of the hierarchy. So a teacher has to be aware of these boundaries always. As Denis Hayes puts it, ‘This is important since you will have to uphold the law in the teaching profession on a daily basis’. (Foundation of Primary Teaching, Denis Hayes, 2004, pp330)