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The role of a teacher encompasses many different aspects. The responsibilities of a teaching role involve carefully planning and organising lessons to ensure that all areas of the curriculum are covered in depth and at a reasonable pace to allow the students to gain the knowledge and capability to achieve the grade and communication skills they deserve. The lessons should have a clear objective and the students should be aware of the purpose of the lesson and how this fits into their course. A teacher is responsible for making initial assessments and continuing to do so throughout the course to establish the individual needs of each student and to adapt the individual learning to suit. They must recognise when extra help is required or where students need additional activities to challenge them. Teachers have a responsibility to behave in a professional manner and adhere to the student teacher boundaries. These boundaries include not having contact with students outside of the school, be it in person or via social networking site. This could jeopardise the way in which the student behaves as it implies friendship, which affects your authority and respect as a teacher. If a student decides to confide in a teacher they have a duty to listen however they are not trained counsellor and need to understand when to pass this information on to a trained professional to provide the student with the best support possible. “All learners are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone is an individual, with different experiences, abilities and needs” (Gravells, 2009, pg. 18). Each student’s requirements should be taken into consideration to enable him or her to have the same experience as each other. To promote inclusion a teacher should treat all the students as individuals, taking into consideration their needs, level and ability. This will be done through assessing the students and their prior knowledge and skill. A teacher is required to keep many records, from lesson plans, term plans and yearly plans and to look back at the topics already covered and to plan out the lessons over the academic year. Other forms of record keeping include registers, which record student attendance and absences so that any patterns relating to absence can be recognised. It is essential that ground rules are established within the first lesson. Ground rules can be established verbally and visually which is beneficial at the beginning as any misunderstandings or confusions can be address therefore ensuring that each student is clear on the behaviour expected from them. The ground rules can then be displayed on the wall therefore these can be referred back to at any time. Recapping the rules at the beginning of each lesson jogs the students memory and gets them into a routine as Gravells states “Learners like routine” (2009, p. 7). Assessment is a crucial role of a teacher and should be carried out throughout the course. Assessment can be initial, formative or summative. The initial assessment identifies any learning support that will be needed, this also provides a benchmark and can assess if the course is at the right level for the student. Assessment can be made to establish the student’s prior knowledge of the subject and the level they are at and determine those students who may not have a learning difficulty, but will require extra support. Students can be assessed with a recap quiz at the beginning of a lesson. Homework assignments can also establish progress and development from the initial assessment and check that learning has taken place. Assessment can also be used to motivate and encourage students; supportive feedback can encourage the learner to keep working hard. Providing feedback can also make the learners feel more confident about their own ability. Record keeping is essential with regards to assessment as grades achieved show the progress of the students from the initial assessment through to the end of their time as school. The overall responsibility of a teacher is to ensure that learning has taken place in a safe and encouraging environment. Books: • Gravells, Ann (2009) Preparing to Teach, 3rd ed. Exeter: Learning Matters Ltd
