The Role of the Teacher

Chris FarrellHead of Teacher Development

Centre of English Studieswww.eaquals.org

“We are all complex amalgams of a range of

teacher roles”Jack C Richards

We talk about teacher training and teacher development but

what are you training, what are you developing, what is a

teacher?With your partner could

you write down a down a short definition of what a

teacher is, or what a teacher does.

Harmer’s Overview1. Controller2. Organiser (engage, instruct, initiate, organise

feedback)3. Assessor4. Prompter5. Participant6. Resource7. Tutor8. Observer

Some more than others?

Harrison and Killion (2007):• Instructional Specialist• Curriculum Specialist• Catalyst for Change• School Leader

Seems easy, no?

But what perspective are you

looking from?“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a

perspective, not the truth”Marcus Aurelius

Stakeholders• What is the role of the teacher from the perspective

of…1. The students?

2. The institution?3. Academic management?

4. The teacher?5. Society?6. Agent?

7. Publisher (and materials developers)?8. Accreditation body?

www.ces-schools.com

Who should ‘shape’ the role of the

Teacher?Just in case slide!

Teacher as Language Model

What level of language proficiency does a teacher need?

“Modeling was never a passion of mine”

Charlize Theron

www.ces-schools.com

What language level do teachers need to be?

Just in case slide!

Teachers as ‘Result Getters’

How important should exam results be in gauging teacher success?“Achievement results from work realizing

ambition” Adam Ant

www.ces-schools.com

How important are exam results in gauging the success of teaching?

Just in case slide!

Teachers vs Managers: who knows best, who’s the real boss in

the classroom?Can we divide out the

realms of responsibility?

Teacher Development

Who is responsible for this?“If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying

to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable”Donald Trump

www.ces-schools.com

Who is mainly responsible for Teacher Development?

Just in case slide!

Teachers as researchers and

academics1.Desirable?2.Why (not)?

3.How?

Teacher as Colleague“I think a role model is a mentor - someone you see on a

daily basis, and you learn from them” Denzel Washington

www.ces-schools.com

What are the teacher's responsibilities to his or

her colleagues?Just in case slide!

The teacher and new technologies

A redefined role or just a load of new toys?

“If an idea is indeed sensible, it will eventually become just part of the accepted wisdom” Nigel Farage

This House Stands Divided!

• Groups A: The Technophobes

• Group B: The Technophiles

www.eaquals.org

Moving on upTeacher as Director of Studies,

Teacher as Trainer“One of my proudest moments is I didn't sell my soul for

the sake of popularity”George W. Bush

How am I going to do that?

• What transferable skills are there between Teaching and Managing?

• And what needs to be learned?

• What transferable skills are there between Teaching and Training?

• And what needs to be learned?

The teacher as a person

Bridging the expectation gap

“When all this is over, what are you left with? When I retire, I hope I am remembered for being a decent guy”

Lionel Messi

Well if it makes you happy…

•What do teachers want?

Teacher as performerIs a good teacher born or

made?

Teachers of the past, Teachers of the future

1.In your lifetime in education what are the most fundamental changes to the role of the teacher.

2.What do you think will be the biggest changes over the next 20 years

1st Conditional exercise• If a teacher doesn’t know what they are, they will

never know what they should be.• If a teacher never knows what they do, they will

never know how to do it right.• If a language institute doesn’t know what the teacher

is and isn’t…• If a language institute doesn’t help the teacher know

and grow their roles…

Take-home1. Is the Teacher’s Role clearly defined and

prioritised in your institution?2. Are there fundamentals and incidentals in this

role?3. Where and when does the teacher learn the

roles he/she has to do? Where do they learn how to ‘do’ the roles?

www.eaquals.org

Thank You!Any Questions?

Chris FarrellHead of Teacher Development

Centre of English Studiescpd@ces-schools.com

@ChrisPatrickF