The 21st Century Teacher
How will the role of the teacher develop in a fully open education environment?
The role of a teacher is constantly undergoing changes due to constant progress in all spheres of human life. A teacher should be in an on-going rush for self-improvement and development as he is the first one to be taken as an example. Nowadays the role of a teacher is viewed as a facilitator. A teacher is a mentor (or let’s say a guide) who opens the door to knowledge and encourages students’ motivation to study hard, think critically, develop out-of-the-box thinking. Teachers should make learners be able to put theory into practice. They should be an embodiment of “live and learn.”
According to British Council “A facilitator is the person who assists a group of people in grasping at their common targets and in achieving them without any intervention on his/her behalf. Therefore, when we say the teacher has to play the role of a facilitator in the classroom, this means that the teacher should not be the king who controls the activities of the learners. He /she should grant the learners some space to let the spirits of creativity and innovation. In other words, the learners must get involved into an active participation that would be represented in argumentative discussions and teamwork activities, so that the process of learning become comprehensive.” How can the Teacher be a Facilitator?
Therefore, we should also touch the point of what facilitation is and here is a great idea “Facilitation is a term used to describe a possible role of the teacher. Facilitation is providing the necessary resources, information and support in order for learners to complete a task, rather than teaching.” Facilitation
All in all, teachers wear different hats in the classroom. Probably they may be even called moderators or mediators. At least that’s how my students sometimes refer to some of us =)