The Role of a Teacher in The Classroom and Beyond

Introduction:

The primary role of a teacher is to provide teaching in the classroom which will help students learn. To achieve this, teachers must plan effective lessons that follow the national curriculum, offer feedback on student’s work, manage educational materials and collaborate with other members of staff. However, this is not the only role of a teacher, effectively one may say a teacher acts in ‘loco parentis’ as they owe the obligation of care and supervision. In Primary Schools, a teacher greatly contributes to a child’s development. As a teacher, you are tasked with the role of being a positive mentor and model (Hayes, 2008). Students can learn and mirror communication skills like how to treat others and make friends, when to request support or work independently, how to make a distinction between right and wrong, and other life lessons. In this respect, a teacher aims to empower their learners to take responsibility for their development. You can do this by planning and preparing teaching activities that cater to the needs and welfare of each child as well as groups of children. In this 'Role of a teacher' essay, it is evident that a teacher's role extends beyond the classroom to being a positive mentor and model for their students.

According to the Teachers Standards Part 2 (DfE, 2013), the role of a teacher is to promote good progress and outcomes by pupils. This was evident when working in schools, as the teachers would use a range of methods to assess learning, for example, the use of hot and cold tasks in lessons or other Assessments for Learning strategies. Teachers were able to adapt their planning and adjust their teaching techniques to better suit their learner’s needs and make a positive impact on their learning. Therefore, a teacher’s role is to ensure high standards of teaching and learning constantly to make a positive impact on a child’s learning outcome. (Jacques and Hyland, 2007)

Alongside this, a safe and stimulating environment (DfE, 2013) is also crucial for a student’s learning. It entails a child having a positive relationship with their teacher, whilst maintaining appropriate boundaries. In this case, teachers must hold a good relationship with the children and parents, this will help the parents play an active role in the child’s learning progress. Arthur and Cremin (2018) argue that involving parents in a child's learning can help in “removing barriers to learning, raise attainment and improve attitudes and behaviours”.

When talking about removing barriers it is important to ensure barriers to learning are removed for all pupils, even those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Teachers must plan and deliver lessons that meet the requirements of the different development stages, abilities, and learning styles of all students. This could be a challenge due to the different factors associated within complex SEND, Acquired Demyelinating Syndrome (ADS) or English as an additional language (EAL), and the social, behavioral, emotional, or learning difficulties which are present in most average primary classrooms. A professional teacher needs to continually meet the needs of approximately 30 children who often have conflicting needs and adhere to a complex and extensive curriculum inside a single classroom.

When Bourdieu (1947) stated about penalizing the underprivileged and favoring the most privileged, he revealed the inherent inequalities within the system that allows differentiation between social classes. In regard, to our current national standards, we test the ability of children to remember and consistently repeat written information. However, this neglects children with oral skills as opposed to written ones. This inequality is rather overlooked and not considered when considering children's learning methods.

Teaching Standards Part 2 refers to the professional conduct of the Teacher as being to “safeguard pupils’ well-being” (DfE, 2013). Safeguarding is the way teachers, refer to their duty of care for a child and protect them from any harm. When working with children, two of the most important considerations are the planning and supervision of their activities, as lack of supervision or planning to accommodate all students can have negative outcomes. The case of Daniel Pelka (Hall, A., 2013) shows the devastating consequences of failures of not identifying safeguarding Issues. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1943) states that a person requires physiological needs, such as water and food, before considering the next tier of safety in the hierarchy. Maslow has a pyramid of needs which start at the bottom and as you meet each need you begin to move further up the stage. So as a teacher, your role is to consider all of the factors that may impact a child's learning and their safeguarding, be this in school (safeguarding covers also bullying (Grigg, 2014)) or out of school. Maslow’s learning theory is related to the basic needs of an individual and when these needs are aimed to be met; the more an individual becomes successful, (Maslow 1943), which is what a teacher aims to help all children become.

Cianci and Gambrel (2003) have criticized Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (HON) due to the needs being too basic and are less effective during a recession or war. Furthermore, Tay and Diener (2011) have revealed that the rankings of the HON differ with different age groups. I have overseen Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) being taught in the classroom, the HON helped the teacher plan effectively, the sensitive yet effective SRE lesson, taking into consideration the taboo stigmas surrounding around teaching the subject of sex.

The emphasis on protecting children dates back to the United Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCR, 1989), Furthermore, Kay and Tisdall (2015, p.42) reference that the UNCRC has done more in regards to creating rights for children. The actions relating to safeguarding are driven by your own personal and professional judgment, to identify any abuse or neglect by observation, Smith (2008). As a teacher, I need to be aware of the school's safeguarding policy and the designated safeguarding staff at the school. If a child discloses any abuse or neglect the practitioner will need to remain calm, in order to make rational decisions, Dare and O’Donovan (2000). Challenges a teacher could face in terms of safeguarding could be, being timely and ensuring you report a situation as soon as it arises. This can be a challenge when getting through everything in the curriculum, whilst working at the pace your children need and supporting them to the best of your ability. A particular challenge when doing this would be working with children who require academic challenges whilst also supporting the children who need support, especially if the staff is stretched and you do not have a support assistant.

Part Two of the Standards states schools should promote fundamental British values (FBV), through Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural Aspects of the curriculum (SMSC). This is to prevent extremism, radicalization, and grooming. This was enforced to protect children from extremist and violent views and protect the children from radicalization. FBV has been criticized about how inclusive it truly is, as some groups of children from diverse backgrounds may not consider themselves British and therefore may feel excluded. Andreotti (2006) describes FBV puts too much emphasis on British values, therefore could isolate minority groups in schools. Critics have gone far as claiming FBV has led to the culture of ‘us versus them’ Kapoor (2004). The Church of England has suggested bringing diverse communities together and creating communication between community leaders, educators, families children, and policymakers by making the policy more inclusive, Richardson (2015).

The challenges I foresee for myself, in the future as a primary school teacher, will be supporting those with learning difficulties, this has become more challenging due to the ever-changing curriculum and the growing needs of children. Having 30 children in the class with different needs, I will need to use the theory of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) which is looking at the distinction between what the learners can do individually and to what they can do by being assisted by a professional Linda Pound (2014). Also, I will use the SEND Code of Practice's assess the plan, and review cycle (Cornwall.gov.uk, 2018) continually. This will enable the children to achieve the expected outcomes of the lesson. Furthermore, to support the children with deprived backgrounds and SEN, I would need to provide them with inclusiveness. In order to do so, I will need to plan the lessons taking into consideration their needs, Clough and Corbett (2000). To be effective I will speak to their previous teachers to discuss how I can differentiate for them, and trial and error different methods. Allowing me to meet the needs of the children effectively, as I will know their needs and how to best support them.

I observed a teacher at school using their PSHE time effectively, the lesson and subject of discussion were linked to the behavior system. The teacher effectively used this strategy by pairing random children together who normally would not, this enabled the children to build an inclusive environment amongst themselves and talk to a large range of people. The teacher notified me she had been using this strategy by the children discussing amongst them the differences between them and what makes them unique, this had helped the teacher overcome some bullying issues.

I feel I would definitely use this technique as I find it a paramount teaching tool as it will enable us to build a tolerant environment, with all the children working together. Another lesson, which I have overseen was in a school with multiple students who had English as an additional language (EAL), the teacher seated them with children who spoke their first language as advocated by the DfE (2015). The teacher provided them with physical objects such as mathematical counters, cubes, and word banks, to support their learning. The teacher went around checking the pupil's understanding of the task and would model the questions, and set a task for them to complete at the end of the lesson the children would feedback, demonstrating their understanding. This enabled the teacher to assess whether they had made progress, however, one could argue that this was not a clear reflection on how the children would work independently as they relied on the teacher. It was, however, an indication of what their ZPD was. In another lesson the teacher requested me to support and monitor the EAL learners when they were working independently, the children were provided with scaffolds and word banks to support them. I was also used to model the question to them in English and in their additional language, the outcome was that the learners had achieved their targets by end of the lesson, as they were able to understand the question. This helped myself and the teacher to assess their progress with limited support. The teacher then slowly started to minimize scaffolding by providing them with fewer questions that had been translated, as the learners had become more confident and engaged. Another strategy which was used to support the EAL learners was the use of colorful Semantics (CS). This is a language development scheme to support children with their sentence building and structure. The teacher would support the children by using words with pictures, using Piaget's theory of associating words with objects, making it simpler for children to learn new vocabulary. I saw this approach work very well with the EAL learners as they went from finding it difficult writing simple sentences to being able to write more complex sentences.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, several attributes establish a ‘professional teacher. As documented through the essay a teacher is required to demonstrate high standards of personal and professional conduct and build a positive relationship with learners, also being inclusive and taking into consideration variations of children's needs. This can be successful by understanding the needs and reflecting in the classroom Reeve and Jang (2006). To conclude my observation, it is vital for teachers to understand the needs of children and always act within, the statuary frameworks which outline their professional duties and responsibilities.

Bibliography

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