After having read the Teacher Profile (Perfil del Maestro) published by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico, the PPM-UPRAg Conceptual Framework and other sources of information, what do you believe is the role of the teacher? What are the essential traits every teacher should display? How will you endeavor to display these in your future practice? Remember to post your initial comment and to comment to at least two other comments by your peers.
Schools are the first place where children’s behavior and future start taking the shape for success. The role of the teacher in the past years has changed dramatically and continues to change from that of instructor that where told what, when, and how to teach to constructor, facilitators, coaches and creator of learning environments. It is evident for every new upcoming teacher that is no longer sufficient to impart knowledge but we must also grasp our most important role as a role model and the guidance for every student as an individual in order to accomplish greater success attending they’re unique needs, learning styles, social and cultural backgrounds, interest and abilities.
ReplyDeleteTeaching is greatly known and recognized for being the most challenging and respected career choice, the reason for this is the vital role a teacher plays in the social, cultural, and economic growth of a nation. I believe that a teacher becomes a greater person for himself and other through experiences and the educational environment isn’t the one that’s confined in walls and classrooms but one that extends into the homes and communities around the world.
The world is constantly changing and for this reason people must changed with it. Education is one of the key components to keep on track with these changes. And an educator’s most important responsibility is to search and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve day to day problems and demonstrate they have learned the main ideas, skills and habits that meet the educational agreements. Knowing that technology is ever changing and very influential this becomes one of the most powerful forces in changing teacher and students’ role in education.
Finally, seeing the continuous modifications in education the changes in relationships between teacher and students this demands that the institution modifies itself too. Taking in to consideration that education and instruction doesn’t consist primarily of students who sit in desks and listen and record what they hear, but rather offers a child a rich, rewarding and unique learning experience and makes students see school less as a confinement center and more as a center for lifelong learning.
Johnny Soto
Strongly agree with what you said but especially when you mention home and communities as educational environments because for me, there is where children first acquire their lifelong learning experiences.
DeleteI agree with you when you say that Teaching is the most challenging profession. Teachers have to be octopuses; juggling all the kids, making sure the above average ones don't get bored, but making sure the not so average ones don't get left behind. Keeping themselves technologically knowledgable, making sure the information they will present to the students is accurate and being able to answer any question that might arise
DeleteIt is very important to understand that as a society changes, the classroom must change with it. Teachers need to constantly be on the look out for new innovations as well as social issue that might effect a child''s learning whether positively or negatively.
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ReplyDeleteImagine that the Department of Education and society did not expect anything from teachers; the world would be a disaster. Some of us may think that the system is asking us to do a supernatural work but I think that they know why they are asking it; society is changing minute by minute we have to be aware of all these changes and mostly, prepare. If the system does not ask teachers to touch students life’s and make them part of a profitable society then we could not see to which road we should take our students. I do not think they are asking much, they need us to at least achieve 95% of all those goals in order to maintain order.
ReplyDeleteThe Role of the teacher is being part of the student’s life even when we are not around them. Listen, work with their fears, guide them, give them precise answers and never, never, make them feel that their concerns are insignificant.
Jennifer Hernández Alemán
I highly agree that the teacher's role is more than bring around the classroom where there are students.It is being around the community where your students are ("even when we are not around.") A student may have only the teacher as their role model. That is why being a teacher has so much responsibility. Teachers represent that parent figure some student do not have, thus, through teaching, they have the power to impact and change life's through the authority that is given with the act of teaching.
DeleteI agree when you say teacher's role is to become part of a student's life. We need to assist them with their needs, help them grow as persons. We need to show them that we know what we are teaching and that we care about their education.
DeleteI do agree that the standards place within the Department of education for teachers are essential in successfully helping the students become active members of society. The request might seem overwhelming at first, but with practice and experience I believe the standards can be meet proficiently.
DeleteI agree with your perspective. Teachers should be facilitators. Educators should be active participants in their academic community and should seek genuine ties with their students.
DeleteAfter reading "The Role of a Teacher" my mind instantly flew to how the profession was 15 years ago. teachers would only expect us to memorize everything they said, everything those dusty, old books said and take a test. Now, teaching is so much more fun. Educators have the option to involve their students more, to invite them to think and question freely, integrate games into the learning process and look for other options to enrich the students' lives. Teaching is an adventure, and the Standards that are given to us by the Department of Education are our goals. No adventure is complete without hurdles, and sometimes, teaching 30 kids with different learning abilities, in 50 minutes can be an amazingly big hurdle in our wonderful teaching adventure.
ReplyDelete*Mady-Lou*
I really enjoyed reading "Teaching is an adventure." This is so true. Every group of students has its' own characteristics. Their multiple intelligences differ it a great way. That is why there are many hurdles in the classroom. However, the teaching process can occur if the teacher focuses on the "goals" given by the Department of Education. Teaching has changed from using chalkboard and one book per class to giving out tablets for the students academic achievement. The rewards given to students today increase their technological knowledge, thus, integrates them into a more active learning experience.
DeleteI agree when you say teaching is more fun now. They are integrating technology more in teaching which can make a class fun for students. The technology classes taught in our university helps us future teachers learn about programs and ways to make a class more interesting for the students. As future teachers we are being updated in order to use different teaching strategies using technology, so we don't have to be like teachers back then, and as we all know today's generation is very technological.
DeleteMady interesting that you highlight how schools used to be. Are the classrooms today and what is happening in them very different from what they were 15 years ago? In my opinion, not much as changed from what used to occur. As a class educators need to advocate for a change and model for others what an engaged, critical and social conscious classroom can be. Prof. Lopez
DeleteThe role of the teacher is one that opens the path or the door for her/his students to inquire the knowledge, values, and skills needed to become a capable and wise person. The teacher is in the classroom to fill the student up with curiosity and inspire a love of learning. They must counsel students as they grow and mature and help them develop in their social, emotional and intellectual areas. According to the article "Redefining the Role of the Teacher" by Juidth Taack Lanier, the role of the teacher is to " construct meaningful educational experiences to solve real world problems." Furthermore, teachers are supposed to have other roles in society such as working with colleagues, being a politician or a community member. Teachers must always focus on their students needs and learning styles to accomplish the goals set by the Department of Education in Puerto Rico.
ReplyDeleteAccording to "El Perfil del Maestro," the teacher's daily function s is to assist the learning process of their students. They are lifelong learner, thus, must always be highly motivated to teach. Teachers have a set of standards to use as guides. While using these guides, teacher facilitate the learning process for their students. Overall, a teacher should have a love for learning and want the best for their students. They should always be willing to change their teaching strategy for the better acquisition of knowledge for their students.
Once I am a teacher, I aspire to help my students the best I can by following the guidelines, Content Standards and all other documents given by the Department of Education in Puerto Rico to help them reach full potential. As statemnt in the PPM-UPRAg, I would like to use Piaget, Dewey,and Vygotsky theories. I would like to know more about. and Brooks and Brooks, I know it will not be an easy task, however, I believe when there is a goal at hand, the steps that have to be taken at the middle will not stop or scare one for completing it.
"They should always be willing to change their teaching strategy for the better acquisition of knowledge for their students."
DeleteVery true, since everyone doesn't learn the same way. It's sad to think that there are teachers who are fixed on teaching in a specific way because they don't want to change their lesson plan that they've used for years.
Amy I agree that educators need to ignite a fire for learning in their students. The goal is to create a long lasting need for learning that will not be extinguished in a life time. Prof. Lopez
DeleteA teacher’s role is very important because we are teaching the kids of the future. We are the responsible people for creating the future professions in the world. We are giving an education to the students but we are also helping them become better human beings. Everything we learn at school from our teachers somehow we can use it to apply it on situations in our lives. Teachers make impacts on students’ lives; something that makes them memorable to their students. Educators need to be role models, someone their students look up to. According to the article “Redefining the Role of the teacher”, teachers were required to educate students the same way and were not responsible for their failures. I strongly disagree because every student learns differently, and I as a future teacher would feel frustrated and probably guilty because that would mean that the teaching was not effective and the students learning process was a not a success.
ReplyDeleteEvery school year is a new experience for a teacher: new faces, new students, new adventures, and approximately 30 new individual lives. Teachers never stop learning, everyday there is something new to learn. So even though we are teachers, we are also students.
I agree. Teaching is an important responsibility that should be taken seriously. Teachers are life long learners that should feel compelled to advocate about the benefits of not going through life being passive about knowledge.
DeleteI agree. I am a truly believer of the "No Child Left behind Act". I believe that if we educate students equally we can lead them to failure, but if we as teachers meet each of the students’ needs and interest we can obtain better results from them and hence achieve an effective education.
DeleteA teacher is first and foremost an educator. Their job is to provide new information to the student that will help them achieve academically. However, it is essential that the teacher is intuitive to the situations in which each child faces in society in order to make the material relevant in their lives. In order to accomplish this, the teacher must be creative and willing to incorporate new things within the classroom that might be outside their comfort zone. The teacher must be able to make each student active within the learning process in order to have them become passionate about learning a subject that is useful to them in their everyday life. The students should be able to see that the teacher is truly passionate and cares about the development of the child as a successful student and a member of society. Since the child spends the majority of the day in the classroom, the teacher becomes then link to the outside world and all the issues in which the child will face as they enter the real world.
ReplyDelete"However, it is essential that the teacher is intuitive to the situations in which each child faces in society in order to make the material relevant in their lives."
DeleteWhen you give meaning to what you are teaching, it motivates students to want to learn. If what the student is learning can be applied to every day life, he wont feel like he's wasting his time learning something "useless."
As educators engaging our students is essential. Motivation should be intrinsic, students need to want to explore and learn new things not because of a grade but because they feel the need to know.
DeleteProf. Lopez
There are many aspects involved in being a teacher; methods, techniques, knowledge of the language, adapting to changes and being up to date with the technology. Although the technical aspect of being a teacher is extremely important; for some reason it is very common for teachers to forget about the human side of it. The power and responsibility that teachers have is huge, it is their job to shape young minds, and attitudes have a fundamental part in this profession. Anyone with knowledge can tell you what he or she knows,; but in order to be able to teach knowing is not enough, there has to be passion over teaching in itself. A successful teacher is fully invested in the exchange of knowledge in the classroom and in instilling the desire of being life long learners to students. As a teacher I aspire to be an ordinary person, that for a living, does extraordinary things.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Teachers should be passionate over teaching in order to achieve an effective education, not only knowledge of the profession. Passionate teachers are the ones who live for teaching, the ones that make the students succeed and do their best, these are the teachers that matter the most.
DeleteJeileen I believe as you do that teaching needs to involve a humanistic approach as well. Our students are not pieces of furniture but thinking, feeling human being who need to be treated with respect at all times.
DeleteThe teacher’s role is to inspire their students to love learning, so that they don’t only see it as “something I’m obligated to do in class to pass the grade.” Not only is it to be “an educator,” but to be “a learner” as well. Teachers must continue to be students during their career, because educational theories and technologies keep changing and they must stay up to date. They must remind students that once you finish your “studies” you don’t stop learning. Every day can be a new learning experience to help you grow as a person, and that is, in my opinion, the real goal of teaching.
ReplyDeleteSome traits I believe a teacher should have are:
•Open minded- be able to accept new ideas, be it from colleagues or students.
•Think on their feet- many things can go wrong in a classroom that could interfere with the lesson plan of the day. A teacher must be able to quickly change the activity or method to accommodate to the situation.
•Be able to admit when they are wrong- when they are wrong, they must be able to openly say it and must commit to finding out the correct answer, thus showing that they too must continue learning.
•Creative- it is needed to adapt each learning theory and to design activities to captivate students.
•Passion- if you are not passionate about your job, everything you do will be mediocre. Teaching is too important to do it in any way less then outstanding.
Carmen I like those traits for any person not only educators. Yet yes these along with many other characteristics are essential for teachers.
DeleteAs education evolves so does the role of the teachers in the classroom. Traditionally the teachers where required to educate all students equally. Teachers were not allowed to teach their students on their own terms. They had to teach the learners according to what and how they were told to, not caring about the student’s learning differences. Recently the role of the teachers has changed drastically. Nowadays they have the opportunity to educate students by using and creating multiple techniques that would help each student learn at their own pace. Today teachers have to follow the educational standards imposed by the Department of Education of the country and school they are working for, in this case the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. These standards will help the teachers enhance their teaching skills and acquire new ones according to the student’s needs. Today teachers are also imposed to evaluate their teaching methods and rearranging those methods according to the students they are teaching. I have learn over the years that as educators we must follow the “No child left behind act”. This act requires that teachers should enhance the student’s learning through innovative techniques according to the student’s personal needs and interest, since it is known that every child has a distinct form of learning and diverse situations that might serve them as educational barriers. This barriers might be the child’s individual needs, physical disabilities, place of birth, culture, language, social status, etc. In addition, according to these barriers and the diversities presented in the classroom, teachers are also required to serve as role models to the students and hence teach about values and morals in order to promote a respectful environment.
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, the role of the teacher today is to facilitate the students learning. Also, it is known that nowadays the teacher’s role is more demanding and more compromising than years before and that the education of the students will entirely depend on the teacher’s methods and abilities into engaging the students into the material given. In addition, I believe that teaching becomes more demanding because we are being exposed to the constant change of the world. In order to achieve a good and effective education we as teachers have to integrate and use new technological resources according to the students’ needs in order to help, motivate and engage the child in the classroom.
I believe that “learning is growing” and hence we as teachers should never stop learning about new things that can help us grow as professionals.
*Jaileene Villanueva
Jaileen, equity in the classroom is a must. All students have a right to learn and to have their needs met in the classroom.
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