Roles and responsibilities of a teacher

The Roles and Responsibilities of the Teacher Introduction According to Bailey, (2001) All P.E. teachers should understand their role in creating this kind of learning climate recognising how a positive learning environment contributes largely to the interpersonal relationships between teacher and pupil, and how it supports both the teachers and pupils approach to lessons. Hind and Palmer, (2007), state a key area of responsibility for a teacher is to be aware of the legal requirements and obligations in maintaining safety and teaching to a high standard. The Roles of the Teacher Due to the practical nature of PE in which I am most exposed to, I have found that communication skills are fundamental. This has been supported by various researchers including Capel (1997) who proposed that effective communication plays an essential role in creating a positive relationship between the teacher and pupils. He also stated that without competent communication skills teaching cannot take place which ultimately leads to inadequate learning (Capel, 1997). The communication I have with my students has to vary from when taking practical sessions outside, to lecturing the same students in a classroom. Behaviour and class management has been acknowledged as one of the principal concerns that newly qualified or trainee teachers face in the early stages of their teaching (McNally et al., 2005). However, the opportunity to establish discipline and classroom management can be difficult in Physical Education as there are a number of issues such as safety and the relative unrestricted space sports halls and playing fields offer pupils to misbehave (Capel, 1997). With me working in such environments it has been vital to establish a degree of discipline in gaining the students attention. Bailey (2001) proposed that when approaching classroom discipline and behaviour management it is fundamental to set the class clear behaviour expectations prior to starting the lesson. He also suggested that by planning lessons that are active and keeping pupils on task, they are less likely to misbehave. Capel (1997) reinforced these views and suggested that organisation and management of pupils and resources should be an integral part of teachers planning to ensure acceptable behaviour. The Responsibilities of the Teacher . The planning of a lesson is a key responsibility within a teachers list of challenging tasks. Bailey, (2001), suggests planning is a record of a teachers intentions, it gives a clear indication of the organisation, structure, purpose and intended learning outcomes in a teaching episode. An area that I am currently addressing as a major responsibility of mine is finding the balance between coaching and lecturing the same students, whilst in football coach mode I adopt a enjoyable, friendly approach to their learning as I am training them every day I feel required to do so. Bailey (2001) proposed that one of the biggest problems trainee teachers face is communicating with pupils and judging the appropriate style of communication. He suggested that initially trainees often fall into the category of over friendliness when communicating with pupils. This may occur as trainee teachers want and feel the need to be liked by pupils (Bailey, 2001). This may not necessarily be a bad thing however this is certainly not the way to earn the respect of pupils. If teachers are over friendly pupils will ultimately view them as a friend rather than an authoritarian figure. Consequently the trainee teacher may lose both control and the respect of pupils (Bailey, 2001). Conclusion The roles and responsibilities of the teacher are extensive, in which all require reflection and feedback to develop the students learning. Day (1999) defined reflection of teaching practices as any natural learning experiences and conscious or planned activities that occur during the daily routine when undertaking the role of a teacher. This in turn should lead to professional development gained through such learning. REFENCECES Bailey, R. (2001). Teaching Physical Education A Handbook for Primary and Secondary School Teachers. London Kogan Page. Capel, S. (1997). Learning to Teach Physical Education in the Secondary School A Companion to School Experience. London Routledge. Day, C. (1999). Developing Teachers The Challenges of Lifelong Learning. New York, NY Benjamin Cummings. Hind, E. and Palmer, C. (2007) A critical evaluation of the roles and responsibilities of the Physical Education teacher perspectives of a student training to teach P.E. in Primary schools. Journal of Qualitative Research in Sports Studies. McNally, J., Ianson, J., Whewell, C. Wilson, G. (2005). They think that swearing is okay first lessons in behaviour management. Journal of Education for Teaching. PGCE Year 1 Module TS1301 Assessment 1 23/09/08 Student Dominic Ward Tutor Moira Williams