Views of the

teacher
CHAPTER 14
 The Teachers Role
Change and Innovation:
In education teachers are often expected to adapt to changes and innovations.
Such changes may include:
1. The adoption of new textbooks
2. The introduction of pedagogical/methodological reforms that teachers have
not been trained to implement
3. The establishment of new goals for a language teaching programme
4. The prescription of new teacher-learner role relationships (as when a
central authority specifics less teacher-fronted and more learner-centered
work.

These changes may disturb teachers mental frames and threaten their
routines and sense of security. An innovation can influences attitudes and
perceptions about appropriate roles.
The language teachers potential
roles
1. The teacher as controller of everything that goes on in the classroom.
2. The teacher as prompter who provides sensitive encouragement for the
learner to steer their learning.
3. The teacher as participant in student activities.
4. The teacher as a resource who provides information, ideas and advice.
5. The teacher as a tutor, useful with small groups and individuals
working on longer pieces of work.
6. The teacher as organizer of a range of activities.
7. The teacher as assessor. The examiner role is one of the traditional
function. It can be extended to include giving regular feedback as well
as correction and grading.
8. The teacher as observer, both to give feedback and to evaluate
materials and methods.
The language teachers potential
roles
Tudor (1993) discusses teacher roles with specific reference to the notion of
the learner-centered classroom. Far from the traditional conception of knower
and activity organizer, the teacher will need to
1. Prepare learners (for awareness of goals, language and so on)
2. Analyze learners need
3. Select materials
4. Transfer responsibility
5. Involve learners

Smith (2011) discusses the multifaceted roles that teacher educators are
expected to play. Teachers are expected to manage being:
1. versatile pedagogues who are able to build a bridge between theory and
practice.
The language teachers potential
roles
2. Role models as teachers and as academic researchers
3. Researchers as consumers of research, producers of research and teachers
of research
3. Administrators who are in charge of planning and delivering the course
who offer support, assess the students achievement and evaluate the whole
course

She added that the administrative work is now handed with ICT and this
requires teachers to be IT literate.
 Preparing the Teacher
The good language teacher
Identifying the characteristic of a good language teacher remains an impossible
task, especially when we consider the diversity of teaching contexts around the
globe. Even if we were to take the very straightforward criterion that a
successful teacher is one whose learners achieve good examination results,
that is in fact tells us rather little: we do not learn much about the relative
importance of the teachers preferred style and method, nor about the role
of materials and nothing specific about the part played by different elements
in an individual learners success.
 The qualities of a language
teacher
1. Knowledge of the language system
2. Good pronunciation
3. Experience of living in an English-speaking country
4. Qualifications
5. Classroom performance
6. Evidence of being a good colleague
7. Length of time as a teacher
8. Ability to write teaching materials
9. Careful planning of lessons
10. Same L1 as students, or a sound knowledge of it
11. Experience of a variety of teaching situation
12. Personal qualities
13. Publications
14. Knowledge of learning theories
15. Wide vocabulary
16. Ability to manage a team of teachers
 The qualities of a language
teacher
The list includes factors of different kinds: knowledge, skills, awareness
and personal attributes. Knowledge may include theories and practice of
teaching and learning of the English language. Skills may involve planning,
delivering the course, managing the classroom, assessment and evaluation.
Awareness may derive from experience of working with colleagues and
students in a variety of teaching situations. Lastly, but not least, is what the
teacher as an individual brings into the classroom (e.g. personality and
enthusiasm).