Roles, Responsibilities and Boundaries as a Teacher Essay Example

work, therefore it is best not to mix work with pleasure which may distract the teacher from the objective. One of the main responsibilities towards the students is to interact according to the learners’ standards and age groups. Each learner has different needs; therefore a teacher should know how to approach each student differently. The institution a teacher works in has regularities of rules and procedures, and it is the teacher’s responsibility towards the institution to adhere to these.

As a teacher, one has to remember that there are certain boundaries which cannot be crossed, for example if a learner has some difficulty or problem it is good to show concern but best not to get too personal. Over familiarity may have adverse results where the teacher may sacrifice authority at the cost of losing full attention from the learner. A teacher needs to be clear and precise about the requirements in a lesson and set certain rules which need to be adhered to both by the teacher and the students.

One of the major boundaries that should not be crossed is discrimination, in any form and this includes data protection. Physical contact should be kept to a minimum as students can sometimes misinterpret this causing distracted attention. It is a boundary which is very difficult to assess so best not crossed in any form and at any stage. For a teacher and learner to work in harmony, the roles and responsibilities must be given appropriate importance and boundaries must never be crossed.

Teachers should use their authority to deliver lessons with precision and interest and not misuse the authority to expect robotic reactions from learners. An interactive

class with positive arguments and reactions is the sign of a successful lesson delivered by the teacher. Ground rules are mainly set in practice to maximise the time which is given for a particular teaching and training session. Other than the basic rules of not eating or chewing gum and appropriate behaviour during all times, one needs to show respect for others and be helpful.

Sharing ideologies with one another is a good example of instilling these ground rules. One needs to be responsible for themselves as well as the group, and this is achieved by handing in work on time and not being disruptive during sessions. Chemistry is an area where a lot of practical and lab work needs to be done, so preparing for the lesson in advance can give people an advantage. The same applies in Engineering with people working in the workshops. People have a right to be heard, so it is a good thing to voice one’s opinions but they need to listen to others as well.

In any area of work, we need to meet certain guidelines and standards. In a scientific subject like Chemistry one has to remember that they are dealing with hazardous chemicals, therefore COSSH forms need to be filled and safety procedures have to be adhered to as well. Similarly in engineering there is a lot of machinery and electrical and mechanical equipments which have to be handled carefully keeping in mind the rules and regulations of their using methods. Protective clothing, safety boots and safety glasses should be worn at all times.

Whenever we start a new job or a new teaching session, we meet various kinds

of people. We should not have preconceived notions about others and let the session flow and get to know people and respect their individuality. These are some of the main ground rules which need to be established in most teaching and training scenarios as this helps to achieve in a positive way, be it for the trainer or the learner.  A teacher needs to track many areas; therefore records must be kept and maintained systematically and regularly.

This would not only aid the teacher in keeping a check on students and the lessons but also for inspections in the school and for the teacher’s progress as well. Lesson planning is extremely important, keeping a record of these as well as the assessments which follow will help a teacher to evaluate learners’ needs. During tutorials lesson plans and registers should be maintained. Legal records are a necessity, specially student registers and health and safety records in case of any accidents that may occur. As a teacher I would definitely keep records of lesson plans to keep a track of the progress in a lesson.

I shall learn from my colleagues’ methods of work to add variety to my lessons and also overcome my own limitations. Reviewing a lesson would be very important as then I would know how to improve my method of teaching. Working in a science environment would require me to maintain a lot of registers for the health and safety procedures as well as the equipment and chemicals used. After evaluation of assessments, keeping a record of students work would be useful to track their progress, which will also be required for auditing and quality

purposes.

It is essential for teachers to maintain records to bring out the best from students as well as themselves and work to their full potential. “We need to understand the way people learn so that we can pass on knowledge and skills in a suitable way for everyone” (Ben Marshall, 2006) By knowing what special requirements learners have and what stands in their way of learning, we may get to know what the learners are trying to gain from their training or teaching experience.

Information can be understood in different ways, i. e. visual, auditory and kinaesthetic (learning by doing). This is known as the VAK model and most people have a favoured learning style. Teachers can ask learners to reflect on their history and experiences to gauge which learning style is appropriate for them. One of my learners has severe difficulty in grasping the basics of English, thus I asked one of his fellow learners to translate for him and made this clear to the International Department in the College.

When working in any environment, one needs to adhere to certain law abiding requirements and codes of practice. These differ from one organisation to the other but certain legislations are mostly unanimous. Equal opportunities are an essential code of law for any environment. This is mainly reflected by the Equality Act 2006, Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975. These legislations provide the same access and facilities to everyone irrespective of their gender, sexuality or disability.

Another major legislation is the Data Protection Act 1998 which is necessary in all fields, as everyone needs to respect each other’s privacy. And all data which is

evaluated should be anonymous. Other than following the legislations mentioned above in my area of teaching, working in the field of Science specially Chemistry and Engineering we work with hazardous equipments and chemicals, in this situation the Health and Safety Act 1974 should be referred to at all times as even minor injuries through skin burn or corrosion needs to be dealt with immediately.

Due to the extensive use of chemicals certain regulations need to be met, and this is done through COSSH which stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Using hazardous substances can put people's health at risk. COSHH requires employers and teachers to control exposures to hazardous substances and protect both employees and learners who may be exposed due to work activities. A learner’s progress can only be monitored through assessment.

Assessment is done for a teacher to understand what and how much a learner has learnt and their level of comprehension of the subject matter. One of the main reasons for assessment is to maintain Government standards as certain Examination Boards are run by them. Other than measuring a student’s progression, future performance can also be predicted through assessment, especially in the case of predicting grades for University entrance.