ROLES OF A TEACHER IN THE 21ST CENTURY & MODERN SOCIETY
The 7 Roles of a Teacher in the 21st Century
& MODERN SOCIETY
Think about the type of lesson you normally teach:
- In which roles are you often involved?
- Are there any roles in which you have less experience?
- Are there any new roles you might try in the future?
It is clear that the 21st-century classroom needs are very different from the 20th-century ones. In the 21st century classroom, teachers are facilitators of student learning and creators of productive classroom environments, in which students can develop the skills they might need at present or in future.
However, before we begin to understand the evolving role of an ESL teacher, let’s outline some of the most popular teacher roles. Harmer, J. states that ‘it makes more sense to describe different teacher roles and say what they are useful for, rather than make value judgments about their effectiveness.’ So here are some of the most common teacher roles:
Teacher Roles:
Most teachers take on a variety of roles within the classroom, which role do you think most defines your role in the ESL classroom?
1. The Controller: The teacher is in complete charge of the class, what students do, what they say and how they say it. The teacher assumes this role when a new language is being introduced and accurate reproduction and drilling techniques are needed.