Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2.1. The Good Teacher understand teaching activities. Although often the
social and psychological factors inherent in the
In fact, even though a teacher spends the roles are hidden, the process of learning a language
majority of the day in the classroom, the actual in the classroom is underpinned by the
teaching component is only part of the job. An teacher/learner relationship.
effective teacher understands that teaching involves There are some factors that influence the role
wearing multiple hats to ensure that the school day relations between teachers and learners:
runs smoothly and all students receive a quality
education. Teaching differs from the old "show-
and-tell" practices.
The question arises as to what is a good teacher.
A good teacher can be defined as a teacher who
helps the student to learn. He or she contributes to
this in a number of ways. The teachers role goes
well beyond information giving, with the teacher
having a range of key roles to play in the education
process. What one sees as good teaching, depends
on what conception of teaching one has [3]. Two
concepts are based on the strategies of teacher-
centered and student-centered education. Teacher- Figure 1. Factors Influence the Teachers Roles
centered strategies are focused on the teacher as a
transmitter of information, with information
passing from the expert teacher to the novice Personality: All individuals bring their
learner. Student-centered strategies, in contrast, see personalities into social encounters. Indeed, social
the focus as being on changes in students learning life is a major factor in shaping personality. In the
and on what students do to achieve this rather than intimacy of the teaching/learning situation, it is
on what the teacher does [4]. extremely likely that personalities will be modified.
Due to the changes of university English
teaching in terms of curriculum goals, modern Beliefs: While teachers have a set of professional
technologies and market demands, it is expected attitudes, personal attitudes and beliefs are likely to
that English teachers should transform their roles differ considerably between teachers and learners.
from being traditional language teachers to being The attitudes may be towards teaching and
trainers, organizers, promoters, learners and learning, the content of learning or each other as
researchers [5]. people.
Educational scholars have highlighted the more
complex demands now being placed on university Educational environments: consist of learning
teachers and the changing nature of their work context & information and communication
tasks, with new academic roles and the technologies.
diversification of existing ones. There has been a
significant shift they suggest from thinking that Institutional culture: The roles of teachers
clever people can do everything to a recognition of reflect the institutional administrative structure,
the complexity and range of academic work [6]. the culture operating in each institution affect
rules and systems - rights and obligations.
2.2. Factors Influence a Teacher's Role
2.3. The Roles of Teachers
There are many factors that influence how
teachers approach their work and which Several studies have been carried out to
particular strategies they employ to achieve investigate the effect of practicing different roles as
their goals. The contexts in which teachers a teacher on learning process. J R identify twelve
work have an important influence on teaching , roles of lecturer, which are grouped into six
since different settings involve teachers in categories: the information provider, the role
different kinds of roles [7]. What is important model, the facilitator, the assessor, the planner and
in one society might not have the same the resource developer [8]. Not all the teachers
significance in another . Thus there can be aware of all these roles as some of the teachers
confusion in the way things are interpreted would play all these roles while others played less
from one culture to another . roles. Thus, trainings need to be enforced to
Many different and complex factors influence the teachers so they utilize these twelve roles
roles that teachers adopt in the classroom. An framework.
appreciation of these factors is essential if we are to
Brown explains that teachers can have Prompter: The teacher encourages students to
different roles such as controller , director, participate and makes suggestions about how
manager, facilitator, and as a resource, and students may proceed in an activity. The teacher
concludes that the key to interactive teaching should be helping students only when
is to play towards the upper, non-directive end necessary.
of the continuum, gradually enabling your Resource: The teacher is a kind of walking
students to move from their roles of total resource center (monitor) ready to offer help if
dependence to relatively total independence [9]. needed or providing students with whatever
Teachers and students working together to learn language they lack when performing
and build knowledge. The widespread use of communicative activities. The teacher must
information and communication technologies make her/himself available so that students can
enables them to create knowledge. Therefore, the consult her/him when (and only when) they
broad concept of teachers roles has already wish.
changed. Assessor: The teacher assumes this role to see
According to Harmer, the term facilitator is how well students are performing or how well
used by many authors to describe a particular kind they performed. Feedback and correction is
of teacher, one who is democratic (where the organized and carried out.
teacher shares some of the leadership with the Organizer: Perhaps the most difficult and
students) rather than autocratic (where the teacher important role the teacher has to play. The
is in control of everything that goes on in the success of many activities depends on good
classroom), and one who fosters learner autonomy organization and on the students knowing
(where students not only learn on their own, but exactly what they are to do. Giving instructions
also take responsibility for that learning) through is vital in this role as well as setting up
the use of group work and pair work and by acting activities.
as more of a resource than a transmitter of Participant: This role improves the atmosphere
knowledge [10]. Harmer, also states that it makes in the class when the teacher takes part in an
more sense to describe different teacher roles in activity. However, the teacher takes a risk of
more detail: dominating the activity when performing it.
Tutor: the teacher acts as a coach when
students are involved in project work or self-
study. The teacher provides advice and
guidance and helps students clarify ideas and
limit tasks [11].
Promote active and autonomous learning in adopting contemporary trends in scientific research
students; and strategic planning. .
Provide students with competencies and Those working in higher education have deeply
technological skills that allow them to search recognized the constant changes facing in the field,
for, organize, and analyze information, and from privatization to financing, foreign competition
communicate and express their ideas in a and yet the fluctuating requirements of labor
variety of media forms; market. Thus they reverted to preparing for the
Enable teachers, students, and their parents to change by future planning and well-thought
communicate and share information on-line; handling of these parameters; resulting in
Engage students in collaborative, project- expansions, self-evaluation, initiating programs and
based learning in which students work with creating organizations that focus on local and
other classmates on complex, extended, real- global endeavors.
world-like problems or projects;
Provide students with individualized or 3. Statement of the problem
differentiated instruction, customized to meet
the needs of students with different The problem of the present study lies on the fact
achievement levels, interests, or learning that high education teachers in Saudi Arabia carry
styles; out different roles in the colleges of education. The
Allow teachers and students to assess student contexts in which teachers work have an
and peer academic performance [13]. important influence on teaching , since different
settings involve teachers in different kinds of
2.4. Education in Saudi Arabia roles. The main objective of the present study was
to investigate the roles that teachers carry out in
Saudi Arabia's nationwide educational system the colleges of education in Saudi Arabia and to
comprises 24 government universities, more than compare between the teachers roles in the
24,000 schools and a large number of colleges and college of education in Riyadh and the college
several educational and training institutions. The of education in Alkharj . The present study was
system is open to every citizen and provides thus an attempt to answer the following main
students with free education, books and health question: (What roles do teachers carry out in
services. The government allocates over 25% of the the college of education in Saudi Arabia?).
total budget to education including vocational From this question, the following questions
training, and spends around 13.17 billion U.S. emerged:
dollars on primary education and research. All 1 - What roles do teachers carry out in the
levels of education are free for Saudi nationals, and college of education in Riyadh ?
private schools are available for children of 2 - What roles do teachers carry out in the
foreigners working in Saudi Arabia. These college of education in Al-Kharj ?
international schools offer education for children 3- How similar are the roles of the teachers
up to 14 years. Some foreign schools offer in the college of education in Riyadh and the
education up to 16 years. college of education in Alkharj ?
education in Alkharj in the favor of Al- Kharj team member have to be employed and
teachers . practiced more in teaching .
- There are no statistically significant The administration and the teachers in
differences at ( .05 level ) between the mean Riyadh have to work together to develop the
scores of the rest of the teachers roles in the use of these roles as stated below :
college of education in Riyadh and the - The teacher has to develop her own classroom
college of education in Alkharj . materials.
- The teachers need to be encouraged to
5.2. Conclusions and Recommendations identify students who are having problems and
learning difficulties , and to offer individual
The role of the teacher is primarily an counsel to students who need it .
occupational role , predetermined by the nature - The teacher has to continue with professional
of schools and of teaching , teachers interpret development by taking part in workshops and
their roles in different ways depending on the conferences , reading professional journals in the
kinds of institutions in which they work , the field , and joining professional organizations .
teaching methods they employ, their individual - The teacher has to look at planning and
personalities, and their cultural background . structuring of learning activities as fundamental
Both the two cities ( Riyadh and Al-Kharj ) to success in teaching and learning .
are located in the Central region of Saudi - The teacher has to help the students
Arabia. The two colleges of education in Riyadh discover their own ways of learning and to
and Al-Kharj almost have similar rules and work independently .
educational systems. The roles of teachers in Finally, the teacher needs continuous training
the two colleges reflect the institutional programs to develop herself with the world
administrative structure, the culture operating in improvements . The teacher has to act as a
each institution and the individual personalities student to continue learning and following the
of the teachers . new approaches and educational strategies
The teachers in both colleges carry out through the Internet mediated communication
almost the same roles with different degrees of and through reading modern periodicals in the
importance and practice. In the college of field.
education in Al-Kharj , the roles of teachers as
mentor , teaching team member , curriculum 6. References
developer , empowerer and class team member
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Emirates University, alsawaie@uaeu.ac.ae.
Kharj have to work together to develop the
use of these roles as stated below: [2] Concise Oxford Dictionary (1982)
- The teacher has to develop her own course
plans and syllabuses based on student needs . [3] Fernstermacher, G. D., & Soltis, J. F. (1986).
- The teacher has to assist less experienced Approaches to teaching. New York: Teachers College
teachers with their professional development. Columbia University.
- Teachers need to be encouraged to work
together as a team rather than to teach in [3] Biggs J (1999). What the student does: teaching for
isolation from other teachers in the school , and enhanced learning. Higher Education Research &
Development 18: 1.
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- The teacher has to try to take as little education strategies in curriculum development: the
control or direction over the lesson as possible SPICES model. ASME Medical Education booklet no
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what they want to learn and how they want to
learn it . [5] Shafie, Latisha and Nayan, Surina. The Roles of
- The teacher and all the students in the class University English Teachers in Malaysia. ISSN 1798-
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1, No. 3, pp. 262-265, May 2010
members of a team.
In the college of education in Riyadh , the [6] Brew A and Boud D (1998). Preparing for new
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