Shaping Language Proficiency: The Fundamental Role of English Teachers

Shaping Language Proficiency: The Fundamental Role of English Teachers

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The increasing cultural significance of English as a world language has had a profound impact on English classrooms and their students. Over the past few decades, both students and the English teaching process have undergone significant changes. In order to help students learn, teachers must be adaptable, especially as many students are already beginning to learn their first foreign language in primary school. Consequently, English teachers not only teach the basics of English and its function, but also how to use it and, more importantly, how to communicate effectively.

Additionally, each student has their own unique capacity for learning a language, with some quickly grasping concepts while others may struggle and encounter obstacles that can cause them to lose motivation and interest. This raises the question of what English teachers can and must do to successfully teach their students. Today, teachers are expected to provide a conducive learning environment in addition to imparting knowledge.

Therefore, an English teacher’s roles and responsibilities in the classroom are critical for achieving ideal learning growth. Unique teaching styles and objectives operate differently, but all play important roles in helping students learn and develop their language skills.

Let’s examine some of the key roles of an English teacher:

Teacher as Controller

One of the most common roles that comes to mind is that of the teacher as a fully organized classroom controller. In this role, the teacher is responsible for being in complete control of everything that happens in the classroom.

Teacher as Assessor

Teachers are also required to evaluate their students by correcting them and providing feedback on their performance and development.

Teacher as Manager

Classroom management is another crucial role. Planning a syllabus, a lesson, or just one specific activity requires careful organization, which also helps to discipline the students.

Also Read: How teachers can use the best tools and resources available to create a modern classroom?

Teacher as Resource

Teachers also serve as resources by assisting the students as needed. They talk to them, provide them with resources in the English language, or offer them additional information.

Teacher as Participant

Occasionally, it’s necessary to interact with students on an equal level as a participant to improve learning effectiveness. In addition to providing students with the opportunity to communicate with someone who has a far higher knowledge of the target language, the teacher will gain insight into how students progress in learning English.

Teacher as Investigator

The role of the investigator is unrelated to how a teacher behaves in the classroom. To improve their teaching strategies, teachers examine the teaching process, keep an eye on what happens in the classroom, and research how students learn.

Teacher as Role Model

A teacher is like a role model for a student. Before urging students to do a task, teachers can model and demonstrate the task as students observe their teachers, and then they can do the task themselves. As role models, teachers must remember that they can influence a student not only in the classroom but also later in life.

English teacher’s influence on students:

An English teacher can have a significant influence on students when they possess the above-mentioned roles. We have seen that a teacher, as a role model, can create an impact on a student in school and later in life. The following factors can influence a teacher’s ability to foster students’ enthusiasm for learning:

Enthusiasm

According to Brown (2001), motivation is an inner drive that moves one to take action. Highly motivated students will be more willing to put in more effort to learn English, while less motivated students may not show much interest in the subject.

Attitude

One’s attitude refers to the way they think and feel about someone or something. Every student has positive and negative attitudes, and it is important for teachers to be aware of them (Brown, 2001). If English teachers present their classes in an appealing way, students will adopt positive views. However, if classes are not presented well, students may develop negative attitudes towards English.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem is an individual’s judgment or evaluation expressed in their attitude towards themselves. Children with low self-esteem may be timid, indecisive, and reluctant to express their thoughts. English teachers can create situations that are beneficial or detrimental to their students’ self-esteem. They are one of the most important mirrors through which children learn who they are. Positive energy transmitted by English teachers can help boost students’ confidence, while unfavorable reactions can undermine it.

Cooperation and Participation

The success of classroom activities largely depends on students’ response, cooperation, and participation (Jiang, 2006). Teachers can create a positive environment for students to study English by using efficient and effective teaching methods that engage their interests. Rigid and monotonous classroom English won’t be helpful for students’ English learning as it won’t engage them in class activities. Teachers can use new and different ideas and methods to influence students’ cooperation and participation.

Teachers can take on various roles when teaching, such as controller, director, manager, facilitator, and more. Regardless of the role, English teachers should always use proper and precise teaching methods to stimulate students through interactive methods. Excellent English teaching methods can inspire and motivate students to study more.

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