Teach English in Chapel Arm - TEFL Courses

Role of the teacher (69) *My research article is based on what I have learnt from the course and my own experiences. My assumptions when I started the tefl course and my interpretation of the role of the teacher was a very simple one and my perception of the style in which a good teacher should teach I now realize was very single minded. Upon my completion of the tefl course, through knowledge I have learnt from the course content, teachers I have observed and personal experiences that I have gained along the way, I have now arrived at an entirely new conclusion. I have observed classes and have witnessed teachers of efl where the roles they have played have been, in most cases highly effective, however in some cases highly ineffective. I have come to realize that it is imperative that a must teacher decide which role to employ and when. This will ensure his/her teaching is effective at all times, with the aim of the providing the best level of learning for his/her students. An initial belief of mine was that a teachers role when teaching different ages and levels (not only efl but with all subjects) would change. However, I observed numerous adult and young learner classes and I found them to be extremely informative. In fact, the very same principles and roles were applied throughout both and could be clearly identified. Individual teacher's personalities are without doubt very different, but the actual roles they are required to play are the same. As a result of conversations between myself and the various teachers I observed, I asked how in their eyes they felt that the role of teaching efl has changed in recent years. A common view point was that the availability of resources and individual materials that are available has improved and has made the role of a teacher much more interesting, for both teachers and their students. One of the most significant changes regards the role of a teacher in recent years when teaching english as a second language, is that teachers have been encouraged to place more emphasis on student centered classes rather than teacher centered classes. teacher participation can never be removed but it can be reduced quite significantly. As teachers of efl they have been encouraged to increase activity stages, student to students correction and correct use of the language. Here in hong kong intellectually, even very young students seem to pick up the new language very well but struggle with using new language naturally. Through my observations in classes of both young and adult learners, young learner's classes are required to be more teacher centered to maintain the students attention. Although a teacher's role with both young and adult learner is the same, the percentage of the class in which the roles are used varies dramatically. With adult learners, it is much easier for teachers to make classes student centered, this is aided by well thought-out activities. Young students require much more attention, constant praise and encouragement, whereas adult learns require these but, they require them in a different way and are much happier for the teacher to a less active role. It is clear to me now that a teacher is required to embrace many different roles and for a teacher to be most effective, they must be able to fulfill each of these roles throughout each and every class they teach with stealth like movement from one to the next. It truly is a skill, each role intricate to a teacher's effectiveness within different tasks. My research during classes that I have both observed and held has shown me that a teacher's role is also much more than just how teachers behave/conduct themselves in the classroom. A teacher is also required to assess a students needs, be aware of cultural backgrounds, their student's interests and abilities. They need to develop good learning techniques and their own personal style. teachers are required to motivate, encourage and mold both new and old minds, they are required to be interesting and know how to involve and engage with their students. In conclusion, I believe that a teacher's role is a complex role, unlike my original view. Although a teacher's role has the same principles throughout, no matter what level is being taught or standard of schools, the difficulty comes in a how a teacher executes it. A teachers ability and effectiveness will be greatly enhanced, when their role is actioned fully and appropriately.