Teacher role

Teacher role refers to the different functions a teacher can have in a class and the different ways a teacher can manage the classroom and the learners, e.g. a teacher can choose to take a controlling role, giving directions or instructions at the front of the class or to take a less controlling role, monitoring learners as they work. Teacher roles include: • Assessor Assessing learners’ performance, behaviour, effort and contribution. Checking understanding, Evaluating learners’ performance, behaviour, and contribution. Testing learner progress and level. Providing feedback on work, progress, behaviour and contribution. • Contributor Contributing ideas or information other than language, e.g. participating in discussions. • Counsellor Giving learners advice on difficulties they may have outside of their language class. Showing understanding of issues learners bring to the classroom from outside. • Diagnostician Diagnosing, evaluating learners’ needs and difficulties. • Facilitator Developing learner autonomy. Enabling learners to fulfil their potential. Helping learners to access resources. Providing opportunities for individual learning. • Language resource Clarifying language. Correcting learner language. Consolidating learner language. Contextualising language. Eliciting language. Explaining language. Modelling language. Personalising language. Providing language input. • Manager Managing the learners, the lessons and procedures in the classroom, e.g. Controlling the group dynamic. Deciding on interaction patterns. Demonstrating tasks and activities. Developing rapport. Encouraging learners. Giving instructions. Motivating learners. Praising learners. Maintaining discipline.

Responding to classroom problems as they happen. • Monitor/Observer Monitoring, observing and collecting information about learner performance, behaviour, contribution and effort and progress. Keeping a written record of learners’ work. • Narrator Narrating stories and things that have happened. • Planner Anticipating problems. Deciding on a methodology for lessons. Designing and adapting texts and materials for lessons. Preparing texts and tasks for learners. Selecting materials and texts for lessons. • Reflector Thinking about his/her own performance. Reflecting on learners’ progress.