On Teaching Kahlil Gibran No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.

The Teacher as Performer: The Art of Selling Students on Learning.

What is teaching ? When teachers and groups first meet each other . students expect leadership and direction .This gives them a clear focus and makes them feel secure . But as groups develop their identity , teachers will want to relax their grip and foster more democratic class practices where the students are involved in the process of decision –making and direction- finding.

Two things need to be said about this view of the teachers` craft Two things need to be said about this view of the teachers` craft. In the first place , being democratic and letting students participate in decision-making takes more effort and organization than controlling the class from the front Furthermore , the promotion of learner autonomy, is only one view of teaching- learning relationship ,and is very culturally biased.

The roles of a teacher Controller Prompter Participant Resource Tutor

Controller (some controllers) Exemplify the teacher-fronted classroom. Transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the pupils. Can inspire if the teacher has knowledge and charisma, if not ... Possible disadvantages: a) Denies pupils’ access to their own experimental learning. b) Cuts down on pupils’ opportunities to speak, because the class is acting as a whole group. c) Can result in lack of variety in activities. Advantage when a) announcements are made, b) order has to be restored, c) explanations are given, d) in a question-answer session. Do you think many teachers feel that this is the role they are used to and are most comfortable with?

􀂃 Organizer (some organizers) Organizing pupils to do various activities. Give information, how to do the activity, put in pairs or groups, close things down when time to stop. Important to get full advantage of an activity and to avoid chaos. Get pupils involved and ready. Get language right and present instructions in a logical order. E.g. get a pupil up front to demonstrate the activity with you. Tell them how much time they have got and exactly when they should start. When finished, organize some kind of feedback. Summing up the role of organizers: engage – instruct (demonstrate) – initiate – organize feedback.

Participant (som deltar) Traditional picture: Teacher standing back from the activity, letting learners get on with it. Later giving feedback and/or correcting mistakes. not as a teacher, but as a participant in our own right. Enliven things from the inside instead of organize from the outside. Danger: The teacher can easily dominate the proceedings. Something it takes skill and sensitivity to avoid!

Resource (som er en ressurs) We should be helpful and available, but resist the urge to spoon-feed our pupils so they become over-reliant on us. Offer guidance to where they can go and look for the information. Help them to become more independent in their learning generally. It is okay to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll tell you tomorrow.” 􀂃 Tutor (som underviser) Working with individuals or small groups, combining the roles of prompter and resource. More personal contact gives the learners a real chance to feel supported and helped. Positive for the general class atmosphere.

Observer (som observerer) Observe what the pupils do – especially in oral communicative activities – to be able to give them useful feedback. Be careful not to be too intrusive! When taking notes on pupils’ performance, have columns not only for what they get wrong, but also what they do right. Observing for success gives us a different feel for how well they are doing. We need to be able to work and observe simultaneously, listening, watching, and absorbing. Not only in order to give feedback, but also to judge the success of the different materials and activities we take into the lessons, so we can make necessary changes in the future. This represents an important area of teacher development! The teacher as teaching aid Apart from the different roles and how they are performed, we are a kind of teaching aid ourselves. We mime and gesture, we are the most important language models and we provide meaningful input.

Organizer - probably the most important role of teacher, because teacher has to organize the whole lesson, bring and initiate activities and feedback activities. Any problems with lesson organizing lead to chaos in the class Prompter - teacher should become a prompter when students are stuck for ideas or have problems with communication. Teacher in this role should be very careful not to take initiative away from the student Tutor - this role is more or less employed when students are working individually and need support or help and guidance. Often intruding should be avoided.

Assessor -Students want feedback from the teacher just like teacher wants feedback from the students and this is where teacher needs to act as an assessor. Teacher has to correct and evaluate students Teacher in this role must be fair and sensitive to the students reaction. Observer - Teacher becomes observer when he wants to find out what is going on in the classroom, if students are fine with given activity, make notes for later correction. Teacher in this role should keep a matching distance from the students not to distract them from their activity . Participant - In any parts of the lesson there is a chance for teacher to participate in activity as an equal, not as a teacher. It is very useful to motivate, encourage and help students from inside the working group .

The ART of teaching It's not what is poured into a student that counts, but what is planted. Linda Conway