Comprehensive Essay on the Role of a Teacher

The role of teacher in the educational set up is very important. It is a two-way process i.e. student and teacher, i.e. two sides of the same coin. It is beyond argument that teacher is a backbone of the society, country and the educational system. He represents whole of the society in school which is a sub-society or mini society. The citizens of tomorrow are his students and the future of the country lies in his hand.

Teacher plays an important role in different capacities. He works as the director of the school/student and issues directions and directives in a manner that cannot be mended. Students receive directions from his personality and he himself introduces several techniques to direct the students like co-curricular activities and extra-co curricular activities in the school.

Teacher is also a part of the organisational set up of the school. As such, he plays an important role in the organisation of the school, activities of the school and organising the transitional etc. Actually he is the administrator of the school, class, and management. Since students are the main target in whole of the educational system it need well qualified administrator, organizer and the teacher in the person to whom everybody looks.

Teacher also plays an important role as a helper and assists the school-students in the whole of the set up of education. He assists the students in their problem and establishes the harmonious relationship with the parents. Principal and members of die management etc.

Teacher is an advisor of the school, parents and the students. The Principal and the Management also seek his help in solving the problems of the school, students, staff etc. He performs his duties as a assistant to his students. Besides the teaching work he assists and helps the students in their studies and takes part in developing their personality.

Teacher is also a social-reformer. The other person equivalent to the teacher is a social reformer.

Since students are of tender-age, a teacher fills and guards the students. School is also a mini society and as such he plays an important role and sows the seeds of secularism, fraternity, human values and health etc. in the students, who are the citizen of tomorrow. He is the guide to the students in this regard and removes the social evils.

1. Teacher as a ‘spiritual preceptor’ in the Vedic period.

2. Teacher as a ‘communicator and provider of knowledge’

3. Teacher as a ‘learning facilitator’

4. Teacher as a ‘Gardner or Directress’ of learning in naturalism in education

5. Teacher as a ‘Manager’ of learning activity in the pragmatic philosophy of education

6. Teacher as an ‘Ideal Person’ in the Philosophy of Idealism

7. Teacher as a ‘Soldier’ and ‘Weapon’ in Nazism and Communism

8. Teacher as an ‘Agent of social change’ in the Democratic Philosophy

9. Teacher as a ‘Mediator’ between the learner and the subject-matter

10. Teacher as a ‘Transmitter’ of cultural heritage

11. Teacher as the ‘Educational Media User’

12. Teacher as the ‘Spearhead’ of change in the society

13. Teacher as die ‘Harbinger’ of social change.

14. Teacher as the ‘learner’

Learner:

(1) To know the learner:

Unless the teacher as some knowledge of the potentialities of the child he cannot go ahead with his task. Educational psychology helps the teacher to understand the child.

i. His interest attitude, and ability etc

ii. Stages of development linked with physical, social, emotional, intellectual and aesthetic development.

iii. His level of aspiration.

iv. His conscious and unconscious along with the subconscious behaviour.

v. His motivational behaviour.

vi. The aspect of his group behaviour.

vii. His mental health.

Learning Experiences

(2) To Select and Organize the Subject-matter of the Link

I. Experiences of learning experience after knowing the child when the stage for ready for educating the child some questions comes in the way.

II. What type of learning experiences learning material should be provided?

III. How do we organize or grade the materials for learning experiences. To answer these types of questions which belong to the area of curriculum one requires the knowledge of the characteristics of the learner. At each stage of development, the teacher and laws of learning which comes in the context of educational psychology.

Learning Process

(3) To suggest art and technique of learning as well as teaching: After deciding about the learner and the learning materials. The next problem is how to teach and learn with the help of educational psychology which explains the process of learning and suggests the need for effecting learning. It reveals how to maintain interest in the learning process. It helps the teacher to decide the way of making the pupil to know suitable way of learning. It also suggests a technique for all kinds of learner in all circumstances.

Learning Situations

(4) To arrange the learning situations and environment:

The way between the learner and the teacher is the educational process which helps the teacher for taking care of the desirable learning situations when we should have individual learning where group learning or project work is suggested by the educational psychology. Psychology gives the necessary art for teaching and learning, in the group or for an individual.

Learning Environment

(5) Help in maintaining Discipline:

Knowledge of educational psychology helps the teacher to create that type of atmosphere in which discipline can be created. It helps the teacher to know the interest, weaknesses, strength and techniques of teaching and learning. It helps to understand the behaviour pattern and personality of a child.

Teacher

(6) Help in Evaluating and Assessment:

In educational psychology it is very much essential to know the behaviour and evaluate the measurement according to the learner. Teacher can evaluate properly the skills of a child how to mould him in a better way.

Rendering Guidance Service:

The knowledge of educational psychology helps the teacher in rendering guidance service to the pupils he is a person who can know the child even more than the parents. He can better diagnose the abilities of pupil. What are its interests and attitudes according to that speed of development is taken.

Solving Classroom Problems:

There are some problems like backwardness, cheating, indiscipline improper environment in the classroom situation. Educational psychology helps the teacher to understand the problems. So, we can say educational psychology being a science and technology of education helps the teacher in all facets of teaching and learning with formal, informal, curricular or co curricular. It does not merely equip classroom situations but other duties assign to him.

So, in this way psychology is important of a teacher to bring amendments changing and all round development of a child. It helps in basic construction of education and creates better understanding between the teacher and the learner so that education should be progressive, achievement should be fulfilling and better method of understanding a child should be creative.

Parents

(7) Helping the problem children:

The study of problem children, their behaviour, their characteristics and their adjustment according to group requirements. This helps the teacher to solve the problem of the children.

Knowing about Himself:

Knowing of educational psychology helps the teacher to know about himself his own behaviour, pattern, personality, characteristics like and dislikes motivations and adjustment etc all reveal to him he also learns the psychology to acquaint himself with the trades of successful teacher how to characterise an effective learning all this knowledge helps him in achieving purpose of a successful teacher.