The Role of the Teacher ESSAY 1

The Role of the Teacher ESSAY 1Paragraph 1: History of Education (learning at schools) Pedagogy (Teaching), Apprenticeship (learning at workplaces) and our education system (preschool, primary, secondary and higher educations) with examplesThesis: Importance and role of the teacher on a mega-scale Mini Outline of the rest of the essay Para.2 (a) Good teachers and their qualities with examples (personal)Para.3 (b) Bad teachers and their reasons for failure in education with examples (personal)Para.4 (c) Additional qualities that denote a good teacherPara.5 (d) Concluding paragraphParagraph 2: Good teachers and their qualities with examples Paragraph 3: Bad teachers and their reasons for failure in education with examples (personal)Paragraph 4: Additional qualities that denote a good teacher Paragraph 5: Concluding paragraph The dawn of civilization has brought to the world a continuous accumulation of knowledge. Over the past millennium, society evolved from a simple to a sophisticated societal structure, accompanying with this evolution is a newer and more profound knowledge that was developed in order to facilitate the demands of societal development and to fill the void of humans curiosity.For the sake of generational continuation of knowledge, the field of education (learning) and pedagogy (teaching) was born through the establishments of different academic institutions and societies. A successful education relies on both the teacher and the learner. In this article, readers will understand the importance of the role of good teachers in education starting with my personal experiences at schoolMy best teacher was Mrs. Kelly Lavelle who was the English teacher in my twelfth grade. Mrs. Lavelle was a one-of-a-kind teacher; she possessed qualities that were unlike other teachers. To say the least, these qualities include interest classes, flexibility and imagination and good classroom management skills. The Grade 12 English class focuses on English academic language. We read ancient and modern literatures from Shakespeares Othello to Huxleys Brave New World. It all sounded very dull to me at the beginning, yet Mrs. Lavelles pedagogy aroused my interest in the language. Firstly, she believed in learning through doing. Her class was interesting and interactive. Her explanations on literally texts were often accompanied by activities that enhanced our English learning experiences e.g. drama, singing and role-plays etc. She taught through discussions; we often had interactions through group discussions and debates which stimulated our abilities in independent critical thinking skills. Secondly, she held a controlled class. Her management skills allowed the class to be run smoothly, timely and effectively e.g. at times of unavoidable classroom boredom, Mrs. Lavelle would allow breaks for students to freshen themselves up; allowing students in the fullest understanding of the material. Thirdly, her class was always well prepared. At the beginning of each class, she would lay out on the board the objective of the lesson. Students were given assignments and she would mark them promptly and often with constructive suggestions. On the contrary, PhD. candidate Mr. Tamer Abdulazim, who taught Engineering Mathematics II, was in fact the worst teacher I have ever had. He failed to display the qualities of being a good teacher.Firstly, he was never punctual. He often arrived ten minutes late to class. Despite multiple complaints which had been made by my classmates; he had excuses for his tardiness.Secondly, he did not reflect on what worked and what didn't work. He often spook too softly and hastily that it was inaudible for students to listen to. He showed indifference to the recommendations from students like using a loud speaker. Moreover, his chalk writing on blackboard was unorganized and untidy; suggestions to the usage of computer power-point were ignored and students were left disappointed.Thirdly, he was not a prepared teacher. Our academic semester was unfortunately interrupted by two months of official strike. During the strike, not only were we left without teaching assistants and professors, Mr. Abdulazim did not have a back-up plan for the situation. We did not have a substitute or any notifications regarding the situation and he simply expected us to catch up with the two-month materials on our own. Aside from these two contrasts that showcased the importance of being a good teacher; in my own opinion, a good teacher should also know how to build a good rapport with the students. A rapport, that is genuinely built, draws students to the teacher. It not only allows a better classroom management but also a clearer understanding of needs of individual students. In order to achieve this rapport, the teacher must be real to his students. The teacher could use his charisma to get the students to want to be around him/her and take an interest in him/her. Charisma is another important asset to good teaching. Mrs. Lavelle was a charismatic teacher. I had observed that she spoke vividly and without stumbling; she had a good stage presence; more importantly, she related her topic to the broader scheme of things, effectively caught our attention in class. To this day, Mrs. Lavelle still influences me. I was never really interested in the English language until the year she was my teacher and henceforth my growing passion in the English language and my determination in the completion of TEFL qualification. ____________________________________________________________________________________My future role as a teacher When I view myself as a future teacher, I see myself being active and helping students feel comfortable with speaking in their new language. There is a whole list of roles that a teacher could take, but if I had to choose just one it would definitely be the counseling/enabling role. Teaching English by using everyday situations allows the teacher to see needs of individual students. The role would help students in speaking confidently and actively because the counseling/enabling role develops students into independent learners. Often students who use English as their second language lack confidence in their new language. They become intimidated when they can not immediately say what they are trying to; as teachers, we could take on the explainer/lecturer role or the prepared teacher role. Being ready for students who are not entirely comfortable with the new language is really essential. Showing the students the structure and grammar that they are having trouble with and assisting them to find a solution would be a key part in my teaching method. Roles can be combined or alternated, for example, the prepared teacher role can be coupled with any of the other roles. A prepared teacher takes the organized role as well; the teacher should have organized materials daily. The teacher should also be aware of their teacher talking time; all lectures should be kept short and concise, leaving more room for student talking time, allowing them to practice in class. Moreover, pre-prepared work and simulation setup would promote learning independence for student. Although roles are subject to combination and alteration, they should not be entirely separated from each other because they all complement each other and drive students to be more active with their new language. Mrs. Kelly Lavelle was my twelfth grade English teacher. I was drawn by her way of English teaching skills and styles. She definitely took on the counselor/enabler role. She believed in student interactions would promote critical thinking skill. She would often explain something with visual aid and activity which keep the students interested and focused. The students had fun in class and made good grades in the process. I did not mind reading novels and I would often talk to my Mother about the things I learnt and her charismatic teaching style. To this day the twelfth grade English class is the only English class I remember thoroughly. Mrs. Kelly Lavelle's teaching methods are the model that I would emulate in my future teaching career. I want my students to have fun learning and to talk freely to their family and friends about what they have learnt. I will avoid long-winded lectures and abundance of homework. Mrs. Lavelle has shown in class of turning the same boring information into fun and exciting challenges that help students absorb information unconsciously. I am especially excited in applying this teaching style to students who are about to learn a whole new language; being able to teach them speak the language confidently would make all of my time and effort well worth it. However, my methods wouldn't be exactly like Mrs. Lavelle's because we have different target audiences. Her class focused more on academic English than ESL (English as second language). At times the lectures, although fun, were highly academic and could be challenging even for native English speakers. Instead of promoting critical thinking skills in the English language to my students, I would focus more on the basics; promoting my students to speak the language confidently, to listen to the language carefully and to write in the language concisely. In order to achieve these objectives, I would engage in activity and visual aid because they keep the class fun. Mrs. Lavelle loved group discussions, in an ESL class though, this would not be as effective as small group discussion because it would be harder for the teacher to identify individual problems. Moreover, other students in the group or pair would be able to help each other better understand what they are having trouble with. Encouraging independent learning and practice are the backbone in my teaching philosophy. Most importantly, I want my students to have the initiative in learning the new language even after the class.