D Managing learning and teaching

65 Teacher roles
Teachers play vital roles in the lives of the students in their classrooms. Teachers are best known
for the role of educating the students that are placed in their care. Beyond that, teachers serve
many other roles in the classroom:

1. FACILITATORS- This means that we must always do eve1ything we can to make

learning happen smoothly and appropriately for the learners -making learning possible,
but without making it too easy;
2. CONTROLLERS- when we are explaining things, telling the students what to do;
3. ORGANISERS: a)engage the students in the task;
b) give our instructions clearly;
c) start the activity ;
d) organize feedback.
4. EVIDENCE GATHERERS- check that the students know what to do and are doing the
right thing.
5. PROMPTERS- pushing students to make new sentences and encouraging them to speak
when they are reluctant;
6. RESOURCE- students can ask us questions about things they don't understand;
7. FEEDBACK PROVIDERS- when we correct students' mistakes, make a comment on
what they have said or praise their efforts;
8. EDITOR- This means responding to what they have written with comments, questions
and suggestions.
9. TUTORS-This means giving them personal advice and information about English and
going through their work with them.
 The teacher's role, the teacher's place :
o Because we have many different roles in a classroom, we tend to move around
quite a lot. For example, if we are transmitting information or taking the register,
we will often be at the front of the class. But if we are gathering evidence, we
may want to move round the class listening to (and observing) the different
groups at work.
o Sometimes we will set up a desk at the side of the class so that we can tutor
individual students.
66. Teachers and students
!!!! relationship between the teacher and the students-if we are to have good rapport with our
students, the students need to feel that we respect them.
  Students expect to see teachers behave like professionals. The way we walk into a lesson
matters. The way we stand in class matters. The way we dress matters (though different
schools - and different cultures -have different ideas of formality).
 Some teachers are loud and extrovert; some are quiet and shy. Some teachers like to
command the class; some prefer to take a back seat.
 When we praise students for what they have done, we should then give them a goal (a
mission) for the future. We might say:
That was a ve1y good piece of homework.
Well done (praise). For your next piece of homework I want you to concentrate more on
punctuation -when to use commas, for example (future goal).

68 Teacher language
 If we want to be comprehensible, we need to 'rough-tune' the language we use. In other
words, we will simplify what we say, use repetition, say the same thing in different ways
and (sometimes) use exaggerated intonation.
 Most of the everyday language that students hear comes from their teacher, and it is the
teacher's voice that is the main model for the students' way of speaking the foreign
language - at least at the beginning.
 We need to be audible in class so that even the students at the back can hear us clearly.
 When teachers shout, it often looks as if they are not calm, and calmness is important
when there are discipline problems in a lesson.
71 Discipline

All teachers have had to deal with DISCIPLINE problems in their lessons at various stages in
their careers. It is part of the life of being a teacher.
Reasons for discipline problems:
 Some students have low self-esteem(they doubt themselves and have no confidence).
 Some students become very demotivated when they fail.
 Some younger learners come from families where education is not important. It is
difficult for teachers to change that attitude.
 Some students are unhappy in their home life and they bring this unhappiness into
class.
After a discussion about good behaviour we can negotiate a CODE OF CONDUCT, a kind of
contract between us and our students. They can help us by agreeing 'rules', such as:
No laughing at each other
Everyone one has a turn
No speaking when someone else is speaking
We put our hands up if we want to say something, etc.
!! The most important thing to do when things go wrong is to stay calm - or at least to look calm,
even if we don't feel it! Students of whatever age find it difficult to respect teachers who panic.

76 Homework
 Homework encourages LEARNER AUTONOMY because we will be asking the students
to work on their own. The more that students do it, the better their English becomes.
 Many students have a range of MOBILE DEVICES: MOBILE PHONES (cellphones),
digital cameras or TABLET COMPUTERS. These can be used for doing a variety of
homework tasks.
 One of the best ways of making sure that students do their homework is to give
GRADES for each piece of work that is completed.

78 Teacher development
The best (and happiest) teachers continue to learn and discover new things all through their
teaching careers.
 Many teachers and trainers worry about the possibility of teacher burnout.
 Burnout happens when teachers lose interest in (and enthusiasm for) teaching. It can
cause (or be caused by) stress.
 Burnout is caused by such things as teaching too many CONTACT HOURS (hours in the
classroom), having too much HOMEWORK to mark or by other conditions at work. But
it can also be the result of factors such as time spent travelling to and from work,
pressures at home or things going on in teachers' private lives.
 Teachers can do their own ACTION RESEARCH. This means:
a) asking themselves a question about teaching (for example, Why are some students
quiet during groupwork?)
b) trying to answer the question by doing something different in class (for example giving
each student in a group a specific task)
c) reflecting on what happened when they did this (for example, did those different tasks
mean that all the students took part?)
d) deciding what action to take next.
 Some of the most effective teacher development takes place when we work and share
with colleagues and other professionals:
 We learn a lot (and develop) when we co-operate with others. For example, if we
have just tried a new activity in class but we don't know what to think about it,
talking about it with a supportive colleague will often help us to clarify our ideas.
  We can keep our eyes open for seminars which are organised in our locality. If
possible, we can attend some of the many teachers' conferences, either in our
region, our country or abroad.
 When schools organize peer observation, it is a good idea to have a meeting
afterwards where people talk about the good things they have observed. This
means that everyone gets to hear new ideas.

EXERCISES
TEACHER ROLES
1 For questions 1–9, match what the teacher says with the teacher roles A–J. There is one extra
option that you do not need to use.
A Controller
B Editor
C Evidence gatherer
D Comprehensible input provider
E Feedback provider
F Organiser
G Participant
H Prompter
I Resource
J Tutor
1 ‘I think you would make your text more interesting if you gave some more examples of what
you are talking about.’
2 ‘OK, I’d like you all to pay attention while I explain the task we are going to do.’
3 ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll just make some notes about what I hear.’
4 ‘You can come and see me if you have any questions.’
5 ‘Well, why don’t you tell him how you feel at this point? You could say “I don’t
really agree with you” – go on!’
6 ‘Would everyone please get into groups of three ... you, you and you. You have to
compare your answers to the questions ... Who can repeat my instructions?’
7 ‘I just talk at a level where my students will more or less understand the meaning of what I am
saying.’
8 ‘Well done Nihal. That was really good.’
9 ‘Negip, why don’t you come up to the front so that we can discuss your progress while the
others are getting on with the task.’

1-B
2-A
3-C
4-I
5- H
6-F
7-D
8-E
9-J

Reflect
3 Think back to when you were at school (or about periods in your education that you can
remember well) and think about the two teachers that you remember best. Make a ‘percentage
chart’ for each teacher using the roles in Exercise 1 above, i.e. decide what percent of the time
they acted as controller, etc. What roles were they most successful with, do you think?

High school was the most beautiful period of my life and it marked my education the most. I
think in high school I had the power to observe and distinguish the roles of a teacher. I
remember best my English teacher and History teacher. My English teacher was an amazing
controller; she explained everything very clearly, she was patient, but she chose to keep us
motivated because she was charismatic. As far as the history teacher is concerned, she was a real
controller and organiser; she engaged the students in the task, gave us instructions clearly and
organised feedback. The hour of history was the most interesting and flowed with the pleasure of
learning.
TEACHER AND STUDENTS

Revise
1 For questions 1–7, choose the best option (A, B or C) to complete each statement. AK
1 The relationship between teacher and students is often called rapport.
A motivation.
B praise.
C rapport.
2 The desire to do something (which keeps us engaged in a task) is called motivation.
A motivation.
B praise.
C rapport.
3 All students like praise but it must be for something they have done well.
A motivation
B praise
C homework
4 When we tell students that they have done well, we also need to give them a future
goal so that they know what to aim for.
A goal
B praise
C homework
5 We can make an achievement folder where we put examples of good work from all the
students.
A a goal
B an achievement folder
C an evaluation chart
6 One of the most important things to do to create and maintain rapport is to
respect students.
A discipline
B respect
C like
7 When we correct students we should be careful about how we do it. We do
not want them to be upset.
A praise
B motivate
C correct

Reflect
3 Think about teachers you have had (or about yourself as a teacher) and consider the following
questions.
1 Which is more important: to like your teacher or to respect your teacher?
I consider that is more important to respect your teacher. One of the most important elements of
a successful lesson is the relationship between the teacher and the students. A teacher is a true
symbol of giver , they give all they can to your son or daughter . They give their time , their
care , their knowledge . We need to be able to react to what happens in the lesson. Students will
respect teachers who can react quickly and appropriately
2 How much should a teacher ‘be themselves’ when teaching in a classroom?
Students expect to see teachers behave like professionals. The way we walk into a lesson matters. The
way we stand in class matters. The way we dress matters (though different schools - and different
cultures -have different ideas of formality). Although a teacher is always, to some extent, playing a role
(or roles), nevertheless students appreciate seeing the ‘real’ person from time to time.

3 Can you think of one example of a teacher respecting their students and one example where a
teacher did not respect their students?
We need to respect students. We need to show -by the way that we look at them -that we are
interested in our students. We create rapport with our eyes, our expressions and our gestures just
as much as with our mouths and ears! Try to have patience and understanding when dealing
with a student. Our tone matters a lot.

We should respect what our students say and do rather than being critical and sarcastic. This is
especially important when we correct them. If we suggest that they are stupid (for example)
because they are making mistakes, it will be difficult for them to feel comfortable in the
classroom and rapport will suffer.
TEACHER LANGUAGE
Revise
1 For questions 1–20, complete the text with words and phrases from thebox. AK
acquire language audible clearly comprehensible input demonstrate
discipline instructions intonation acquisition less level more voice
teacher talking time roughly-tuned shout stage STT practice
We talk about the difference between student talking time (which is often shortened to
(1) STT and (2) teacher talking time (which is shortened to TTT). In
general, teachers should talk (3) less and students should talk
(4) more – since it is students who need the (5) practice, not
the teacher. However, we need to remember that teacher talk is a good source of
(6) comprehensible input. In other words, if the teacher talks in (7) language
which students more or less understand – and this is an important teacher skill – then
this will help them to (8) aquire language.
What kind of input is the best for student language (9) acquisition? Well, for it
to be effective it should be (10)roughly-tuned input. This means that teachers will
think about the speed and (11) intonation of what they are saying and they
will use their teacher instinct to get the language (12)level just right.
Teachers need to think carefully about what they are going to say when they are
giving (13)instructions because students must understand what they are
supposed to do. One way of making sure they know what to do is to
(14) demonstrate activities so that they can see what to do.
We need to think carefully about how we use our (15) voice . We need to
be (16) audible even at the back of the class, whether we are speaking
quietly or loudly. It is not a very good idea to (17) shout, especially if we
have (18) discipline problems in the lessons.
We need to speak (19) clearly to mark the phases of the lesson. Students
need to know that we have finished one lesson (20) stage and are about
to move on to the next.

DISCIPLINE
Revise
1 For questions 1–7, choose the best option (A, B or C) to complete each
statement.
1 If we can, it is always better to talk to students with discipline problems in private.
A in private.
B in front of the class.
C in front of the school director.
2 It is probably a good idea to maintain eye contact with a student who is behaving badly.
A get too close to
B maintain eye contact with
D physically challenge
3 It often helps to create punishment corners so that students know what we expect and what
is not permitted.
A bad behaviour
B punishment corners
C a code of conduct
4 Students with low self esteem look for approval or attention from the teacher and the other
students.
A hopes
B self esteem
C grades often
5 When reacting to discipline problems, teachers should always treat all students the same.
A focus on individual students.
B treat different students differently.
C treat all students the same.
6 When students fail they often become demotivated.
A demotivated.
B motivated.
C amused.
7 When we discipline a student it is a good idea to talk about how they can behave better in the
future.
A use sarcasm.
B only talk about what they did.
C talk about how they can behave better in the future.

Research
2 Find out about the following forms of punishment (e.g. when/where they were or are used).
Then decide if you approve or disapprove of these kinds of punishment and compare your
opinions with a colleague.
1 Corporal punishment –Corporal punishment or physical punishment is a punishment intended
to cause physical pain to a person. It is most often practised on minors, especially in home and
school settings. Common methods include spanking or paddling.
2 Detention-Detention is the process whereby a state or private citizen lawfully holds a person by
removing his or her freedom or liberty at that time. This can be due to criminal charges preferred
against the individual pursuant to a prosecution or to protect a person or property.
3 Exclusion -the act of not allowing someone or something to take part in an activity or to enter a
place;
4 Missing break
5 Standing in the corner-Standing in the corner as a form of punishment is not healthy for the
child. History tells us that it’s cruel and science tells us that it creates issues for the child later in
life that greatly outweighs the perceived benefits.
6 Suspension
7 Writing ‘lines’

Punishment is somehow required in school in order to discipline the students or maintain order in
school. Actually nobody likes about the idea of punishment in school. Teachers don’t like it
because when they punish a student, that student will hate them no matter what the reason and
students hate it because it humiliates them. In a school, there are many types of students. Some
are nice and good, some of them are anti-social, some of them like to socialize, some of them
like to dominate the others, some of them are very ambitious, some of them don’t care about
anything and some of them are rebellious. To manage those students, school needs rules and for
students who follow the rules, school needs punishment to make them obey the rules. In
conclusion, I agree with the idea of punishment at school in order to discipline the children.

Reflect
3 Think of an educational context you know well or think back to when you were at school.
What are/were the main causes of discipline problems?
Does/did this vary from age to age or from culture to culture? What are the best ways of dealing
with discipline problems? How much does it depend on the character of the teacher?
Some of the main causes of discipline problems are home issues (family), perception or
disabilities. I think that the best ways of dealing with discipline problems is making rules
together, contacting parents or setting expectations early.

HOMEWORK

Revise
1 For questions 1–18, complete the text with words and phrases from the box. AK
choose word limits code of conduct grades homework record task
homework written learner autonomy mark online learning platform poems
overload portfolios promptly recording students workbooks
Homework is important because it helps (1) students remember what they
have learnt in class. It is also good for (2) learner autonomy because the students are
working on their own. There are many different things that students can do for (3)homework .
For example, they can write texts to be put in their (4) portfolios or they can learn
(5)poems by heart. They can do their homework in their (6) workbooks or they can submit it on
an (7) online learning platform . Homework doesn’t always have to be (8) written. For
example, students can give us a short video or audio (9) recording and we can mark that. If we
want to encourage students to do homework, we can include it in a (10) code of conduct so that
students know they are expected to do it. We can allow them to (11 ) choose what homework
they would like to do, and we can give them (12) grades just for completing their (13) task .It
helps if the teacher keeps a (14) homework record: parents can say that they know their children
should do (or have done) their homework. When we give students homework tasks we should set
clear (15) word limits so that we do not have to (16) mark too much. Sometimes we can get
students to mark each others’ work. We should always give homework back (17)promptly , and
we must remember not to (18)overload students if we want to keep them enthusiastic about
doing their work.

Reflect
3 Any parent who goes to a meeting at their child’s school knows that parents have very different
views on how much homework is appropriate. Some say their children have to do too much;
some say their children don’t do enough. Which ‘side’ are you/would you be on?
I am on the side of parents who say that their children don’t do enough homework. It has been
proven that homework does not have a substantial impact on learning. It improves student
achievement and allows for independent learning of classroom and life skills. Homework gives
parents the opportunity to monitor their child's learning and see how they are progressing
academically. On the other side, the amount of homework they have to complete leads to sleep
deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach
problems.

TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

Revise
1 For questions 1–9, match the teachers’ comments with the topics A–I.
A Action research
B Becoming a learner
C Burnout
D Peer observation
E Filming a lesson
F Too many contact hours
G Attending a webinar
H Writing a blog
I Writing an article for a teachers’ magazine
1 ‘I guess I just lost interest and enthusiasm for teaching for a while. I felt very
depressed.’
2 ‘I sat at home and ‘went to’ one of these. The speaker was great and there were lots
of other people ‘there’ commenting on what was going on. Hooray for
technology!’
3 ‘I seem to spend every waking moment in the classroom. It’s just too much.’
4 ‘I’ve started thinking of questions I want to get answers to. Then I try things out in
class to see if I can get those answers.’
5 ‘It was a great idea. Lots of people have told me that they read it. I have subscribed
myself now, and enjoy reading what other people have written.’
6 ‘It was a shock. I never realised I looked like that. But I learnt a lot from it.’
7 ‘Since I started to do this I have been able to express my thoughts and, more
importantly, a lot of people have commented on what I have said.’
8 ‘When I saw Peter teaching I got all kinds of new ideas about how to do things.’
9 ‘Ever since I started my Russian lessons I have started to see things from a
different angle.’

1-C
2-G
3-F
4-A
5-I
6-E
7-H
8-D
9-B

Reflect
3 Have you ever suffered from ‘burnout’ – as a teacher, as a student or in
any other activity? How did you get out of it? If it happened again, would you tackle it in the
same way?
Many teachers suffer from temporary burnout at various stages of their careers, and they deal
with it in different ways. Some change the school they work at, or try and teach at a different
level. Some take a break for a semester. Some try to make changes in another areas of their life,
and some try something new to keep them engaged and motivated. The main thing to remember
is that temporary burnout will pass– and the more ‘proactive’ we are, the quicker that will
happen.