The Role of a Teacher in Education (Essay Sample)

A Teacher’s Role in Education
Name:
Institution Affiliation:
Introduction
A role is perceivable as a person’s function, his part, or what he is expected to do (Appel, 1995: 2). In essence, teachers have two roles: to create conditions that favour learning and to impact knowledge on learners. Creating conditions that favour learning is perceivable from a social perspective: it is primarily concerned with the managerial or enabling aspects of learning. The second part, impacting knowledge, is instructive: the teacher assumes the knowledge-giver position (Appel, 1995). The before-mentioned practices are usually applied simultaneously. Without the former approach, the latter strategy would be impossible to achieve. This paper helps its reader gain an in-depth understanding of the role of a teacher in education, how the teacher’s mode of instruction can be modified to accommodate the needs of his students, and how diversity can be incorporated into the curriculum to bring into being learning that is comprehensive.
Section A
The past few years have witnessed numerous demands being placed on teachers to change the conventional approach to teaching (UNESCO, 1999: 23). A myriad of sources can be attributed to this kind of assumption. For instance, issues such as state adoption of new modes of student assessment, school participation, and advocacy of fresh approaches to teaching have required tutors to act in a manner that is not conventional in the application of their practice (Finley, 2000).
Ideally, teachers are expected to adhere to the guideline laid out in the textbook, help their students pass their tests by equipping them with skills on how to pass their exams, give their students worksheets that keep them occupied, and conduct the same lessons year after year. This pathway is easier and less stressful, and most teachers prefer it. However, research reveals that this approach to teaching does not always create conditions that conducive for learning (Finley, 2000).
According to UNESCO (1998), Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers suggested a number of recommendations to aid in the development of an all-encompassing approach to education, as discussed below.
Teachers should work on developing the human mind in all respects during the earliest years of education. The human personality, in addition to the social, economic, cultural, and moral aspects of society should be the centre of education during an individual’s earliest years of schooling. Teachers should work toward imbibing in their students profound respect for human freedom and rights, and incline education toward understanding, tolerance and friendship to bring unity to all nations and religious groups (UNESCO, 1998).
Teachers should also work on adding value to themselves. The ability of students to learn or advance their knowledge is largely dependent on the ability and qualifications of the teaching staff. The pedagogical and technical qualities of individual teachers also play a significant role in achieving the before-mentioned (UNESCO, 1998). Thus, teachers should find ways of advancing their education if they have to offer their students the quality of education that is desirable.
Section B
Teachers can also utilise a different approach to teaching to differentiate their modes of instruction: act as role models. Studies reveal that the role of a teacher as a role model has been proven by research (Harden, 2000: 8). Teachers who reflect what they teach, in their personal lives, influence how their students in many ways: in developing good professional attitudes, making prudent career choices, and giving the subjects they learn the seriousness that should be afforded to them (Harden, 2000).
Teachers should also assume the facilitator position when teaching. As opposed to just dispensing information to their students, teachers should consider creating an environment where students can learn on their own. Essentially, in such an approach, the teacher’s role shifts from informing the student to encouraging him to learn. By extension, teachers should also act as mentors; this means that tutors should consider helping students gain insight on the profundity of what they learn in the classroom (Koki, 2000). In essence, mentoring is about helping the student understand the issues that relate to him and less about reviewing how the student performs in particular subjects (Harden, 2000).
Teachers should also act as assessors. Assessment is a somewhat distinct and separate role of a tutor. Thus, a tutor can be an expert teacher, but not an expert examiner. An expert examiner must have the capacity to develop tests and come up with a guide that directs how...