8/13/2019 The Role of Teachers in Tefl
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THE ROLES OF TEACHERS IN TEFL
By: Daniel Chirino
Teaching English as a foreign language is a process that not
only requires the
development of skills, competences or abilities, it also needs
of a person called teacher.
According to Bugwadia (2010) a teacher is someone who not only
teaches or imparts
knowledge, but also, someone responsible for shaping and molding
the minds and
hearts of all those whom they teach. For me, a teacher is a
person who provides gives
instructions, guides, directs and facilitates the construction
of knowledge; and teaches
her/his students through examples and experiences.
In TEFL, a teacher has different roles, which depend on the
learning level in
which students are, and how fluency and accuracy are addressed
in students. Brown
(2001) states that knowledge and performance of a student of a
second or foreign
language can be placed in three levels: The first level is
beginners level, in this stage
students can be divided into absolute beginners (those who do
not have previous
knowledge about English) and false beginners (those who have
previous knowledge
about English); taking into account this, the role of the
teacher is act as a model, friend,
motivator, leader and communicator. The teacher have to use
simple vocabulary,
articulate words clearly and try to talk slow, use simple
techniques as repetitions, move
grammatical topics from simple to complex.
The second level is intermediates level, in this stage students
start to ask
questions, make comments, interact among each other, etc.; then,
the role of the teacher
is act as a guide and mediator of the knowledge. The teacher
must speak at a natural
pace with clear articulation, and have to use chain stories,
polls, interviews, storytelling,
role plays, problem solving activities, etc.; as activities in
order to develop English
skills and learn grammar rules. Finally, the third level is
advances level, in this stage
students generate questions and participate actively; as result
of this, the role of the
teacher is acting as feedback providers, which respond to the
restlessness of his/her
students. The teachercan use a wide selection of vocabulary,
structures, idioms, etc.;also, he/she can use debates,
argumentation, complex role plays, determining and
questioning authors intent, writing critiques and essays, etc.;
as activities in order to
build the sociolinguistic, pragmatic and strategic competence of
his/her students.
References: Bugwadia, G. (2010). The definition of a teacher.
[On line]. July, 28, 2013.
Taken from:
Brown, D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive
approach to language .
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