The_Role_of_the_Teacher

Assignment T1: Describe your role, responsibilities and boundaries as a teacher/trainer/tutor in terms of the teaching/training cycle. There are many characters that form the role of the teacher, which emerge as he/she travels through the teacher/training cycle. These include: Assessor, Facilitator, Guide, Mentor, Motivator and Evaluator. As an art teacher looking to work within the adult education sector it would be my role to ensure that my learners’ existing knowledge, abilities and barriers are assessed. This assists effective lesson planning to facilitate learning in a manner that is suitable to the group’s learning styles and individual needs. I would take in to account VAK (visual, aural and kinaesthetic) learning styles as noted by Fleming (1987) in order to gain the best from my students. Whilst providing knowledge in a comprehensive format, I would guide, mentor and motivate my learners to achieve the SMART (short, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound) targets agreed. I would pay particular attention to encouraging learners’ creativity and new concepts through drawing on their own inspirations whilst making a wide range of tools and mediums available to them to explore. I would promote group and individual feedback to encourage self-assessment amongst learners as described by Petty (2009): “Self-assessment or self-evaluation encourages the self-reliance and self-direction that humanistic theorists prize. Self-assessment is itself a crucial skill for work and learning. It encourages students to take responsibility for their own improvement, and is the route to excellence in any field.” A teacher also benefits from self-reflection and evaluating feedback from learners in order that he/she can improve and develop the way in which he/she works. With these roles of the teacher comes many responsibilities which can be divided in to two main categories: responsibilities to the organisation in which the teacher is employed and responsibilities to the learner. The teacher’s responsibility to the organisation can vary depending on what type of organisation the teacher is employed. However, adhering to organisational policies and government legislations applies within each setting. These would include, amongst others, the Data Protection Act (1998), Disability Discrimination Act (2005), Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the organisation’s equal opportunities policy. Additional responsibilities a teacher may have to the organisation are to complete administration duties adequately and attend meetings and in-house training as required. Accurate administration is also one of the main responsibilities the teacher has to the learner, as they need to keep accurate records on the learners’ progress, conducting assessments as necessary. This is an on-going process as the learners’ aims and objectives develop throughout the course. As an art teacher, it would be my responsibility to provide a safe and suitable atmosphere to work in, ensuring a variety of learning materials and equipment, that has been risk assessed, are available to the learners. It is also my responsibility to the learners to keep materials and information up-to-date with the curriculum and pay attention to my own CRP (continuous personal development) in order that I maintain the skills, attributes and qualifications required for the course of study and my role. In addition, the teacher has the responsibility to teach without discrimination and also manage the learning group within clear boundaries. Some boundaries will be automatically presented by the organisation such as working in line with organisational policies, time scales and syllabuses. Others would be common conduct within the teacher/student relationship. A teacher should not be conversing with learners on a personal basis as this is unprofessional and makes him/her vulnerable to misunderstandings and negative allegations. A teacher needs to take care that ground rules, boundaries and policies are adhered to by himself and the group otherwise this may have an adverse effect on the learning journey as a whole. To summarise, it is my role and responsibility of a teacher to facilitate the learning of art courses within the adult education sector to my best possible ability whilst managing the learner group within set boundaries. Bibliography Petty, G. (2009) Teaching today – a practical guide 4th edition. Cheltenham, Nelson Thomas. p18. Gravells, A. (2008) Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector 3rd edition. Exeter, Learning Matters. pp1-35.